This scene along a country road outside Granger, Texas, was taken Friday evening, a while after rain moved through the area. It left behind some much-needed moisture, but may have played havoc with friends trying to finish their corn harvests. A farmer’s life can be stressful. 
Recently, friends in the middle of their corn harvest found another barn they thought I’d like. They were right. This one is a little east of Taylor. You can’t see it from the highway. You travel down a dusty trail to get there. As you might know, I like to visually explore some of my subject matter. Barns lend themselves to that. The farmhouse where my mother was raised in northeast Texas eventually became a barn. After the passing of my maternal grandparents in the early-1960s, my great-uncle Harry, also a farmer, took the old house apart board by board, putting it back together on his farm, but as a barn. I am enamored by barns. 
Because photo useage on social media sites is generally awful, each of these images will post individually there. Here, however, where there’s an element of control, all are together here. The first is a horse a little north of Granger that occasionally likes to preen for the camera. Golden evening light made this one worth keeping. The second photo, a red-tailed hawk takes flight in search of sustenance. Hawks are interested creatures. The final photo is a view I saw last evening near sunset, south of Bartlett. The birds were an intriguing addition. Just stuff, friends. 
Mentioned many times before: this view never gets old. The Blackland Prairie is just divine. 
While at Berry Springs Park & Preserve in Georgetown on Sunday afternoon, in the distance I noticed a park bench with brightly-colored letters, “Happy Birthday.” Snapping a photo, I mentally filed it away. Preparing to leave the park, however, I noticed a young woman, accompanied by two kids, adding things to the scene. I asked if it was okay to take a few photos. It turns out the birthday wishes were for her cousin, Cody, who died earlier this year in a motorcycle accident. Sunday would’ve been his 26th birthday. Lindsey, accompanied by her daughters, 7 and 3, placed painted rocks with inspirational words around the bench to further mark the day. Co-workers with Cody’s mom were able to add a permanent plaque to remember him. The park’s pond was Cody’s favorite place to fish. This was a bit subtle, somewhat quiet, but I thought it worth sharing here. 
Last night I made the ten mile trip south to Coupland, Texas, a beautiful little village of just 300 people (at least until the next census figures). Though small, Coupland has much to offer. On this evening, I focused on the area around the caboose and depot, finally stopping after sunset for photos at St. Peter’s Church cemetery, adorned with tiny American flags. The community hopes to transform the caboose into a children’s museum, something that’s probably been put on temporary hold because of the pandemic. While I wasn’t expected humans, along came two moms and their girls. The girls are cheerleaders, which became obvious after a few minutes. I mentioned that normally, when people start posing, I put the camera down, but these kids were cool. As was an 8-week-old Great Dane named (I think!) Lila. It was a productive night. 
Berry Springs Park & Preserve is one of my favorite places to visit when in the Georgetown area. For about 30 minutes, I sat in as a turtle kept an eye out for flying snacks. After a while, she ducked into the park’s pond, probably tiring of a photographer’s presence. Included at the end of the post: a dragonfly and a snake, enjoying the same little pond. All is good in the critter world. 
Sometimes I’ll take a photo, then either delete it, or let it sit around a while. This post includes eight photos taken in the last seven days, from Taylor, to Thrall, to Noack. Just stuff, friends. 
While I cherish the opportunities to document all the crops that grow near where we live in Central Texas, cotton is perhaps my favorite. Those delicate blooms evolve into frizzy bolls. Consider the clothes you’re wearing. The most comfortable items are probably adorned with cotton fibers. Corn and milo harvests are soon coming to an end for this season. For farmers who’ve planted cotton, like Troy Boehm, in Norman’s Crossing, that harvest is a few weeks away. These are photos made last evening at the Boehm family farm. 
On one of my evening wanderings this week, not far from Granger, a really nice field of sunflowers appeared. While I took a few photos then, it wasn’t satisfying to be shooting photos directly into the sun. So the next day I drove back to the site, asking permission to get a little closer, but at the beginning of a day. These are from just after sunrise. The little critters were a bonus. 
