Occasionally I visit Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve to enjoy nature.   Sometimes, however, I find something more fun, like today when meeting a dad enjoying a fishing outing with his daughters, ages three and four.  It turns out today is actually the 3-year-old’s birthday!   She’s the young lady wearing the blue dress.  Dad was teaching the girls how to catch and release, too.  Later, a birthday celebration was planned back home.   This was indeed a good day.

After a busy Thursday night, followed by an intense post-production Friday, I needed something peaceful.   South of Beyersville, Texas seemed just about right tonight.  Dirt roads can be calming.

If you drive around Williamson County, it won’t be long before you see the small sunflowers growing  wild on the roadsides, adding a splash of summer color to the landscape.   What you don’t see as much are the large ones.   Those are usually planted by individuals.   Last year, I found a  field of those east of Granger, but they didn’t return in 2021.    While on a walk in Taylor last week, however, I noticed some of the big ones in a front yard.   With permission, I made a few photos of those, including ones thriving, plus those beginning to wilt.  I think they look neat  in that stage of their lives.   The first four  photos here are the large ones, followed by some of the small ones growing wild in the countryside.   They’re all  cool.  

A few photos taken last night.   We’ve had some intense skies on the Blackland Prairie in recent weeks.    Although some appear to be menacing, I can assure you they were not.   A rainbow even peeked out, but mostly where I couldn’t pull over to photograph it.    When  not hurting folks, or their property, I love storms.

I could’ve rushed in  and worked at a hot and heated pace to offer up more  of our stormy skies, but you know what?  That’ll have to wait.  I’ve been holding onto these photos from Taylor’s rookery for about two weeks.  Time to toss them out into cyberspace.   Stormy skies can wait.  Don’t mistake this for a news site.

Another straightforward post tonight, friends, storm clouds forming over Blackland Prairie farm country tonight.   The photos are in color, but almost come off as black-and-white images.   That’s just fine.  

Just some photos from last night’s fireworks show at Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park,  through which the beautiful San Gabriel River flows.   Conducted for decades  by members of the Georgetown Sertoma Club, the show quietly returned this year, but very low-key.  No music, no vendors, just folks watching the skies.   Most know I don’t embrace fireworks, but people like them.   All fireworks photos were taken from the same spot, the river presenting a nice reflecting surface.   Be sure to follow this post to the end.  I like people photos. 

Although rain has been forecast for the weekend, conditions were just cloudy and humid  this morning as I photographed Taylor’s Fourth of  July Parade.   Attendees lined Davis Street to take in the fun as parade participants made their way to Murphy Park.    A cute pooch named Cha Cha was one of the dogs representing the Taylor Animal Shelter.  Cha Cha seemed okay with the tutu!   Normally I’d be at Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park for a parade, but it was cancelled this year, allowing an opportunity to document fellow Taylorites instead.   Happy Fourth, friends.

It’s one of those occasional posts where I attempt to clear files sitting on the desktop.  There are three tonight.   The first one are some horses photographed a few days ago just east of Taylor.   The second, an outbuilding catching the evening light in Rice’s Crossing.   I’m not sure if it’s an outbuilding or a barn, but it’s intriguing.  That last one is a truss bridge along a county road near Thrall.   Still in use, the bridge spans Brushy Creek.   The marker for Paw Paw is a mystery.   Who was Paw Paw?  Is he buried here?  Was he in a fatal accident at this site?   Perhaps most interesting for this post is that the photo has been sitting on my desktop since February.  It’s time to post it and mosey on.

There are many things I don’t like about this photo of Taylor’s Immanuel Lutheran Church.  The biggest distraction are the power lines.  I tried a tighter version, but found that the power pole gives those dang lines a place to go.   Adding to the mess is a water tower in the distance.   When I move a little  to one side or the other, the view of the church is impaired.   The clouds, however, were reason enough to hold onto this image, which almost found its way to the trash.   Note that I do not manipulate my photos by removing things via Photoshop.   In my days as a working photojournalist for a newspaper, that would’ve been a firing offense.  I agree with that.