November is National Adoption Month. In Williamson County, Texas on Friday it was also Adoption Day. I was fortunate to watch this morning as 19 children found homes with 14 families in the 425th District courtroom of Betsy Lambeth. These are a few photos from a joyful day. 
One more for tonight, friends. The Central Texas temperature’s been dropping throughout the day, ushered along by periods of rain. And wind, a lot of wind. I drove to Beyersville, Texas this evening and stopped by Mager Cemetery. The flags placed there months ago for Flag Day are holding their own. Tattered, yes, but still standing. 
Wednesday morning I was back in Georgetown to attend the annual military inspection for the 164 Naval Junior R.O.T.C. cadets from Georgetown I.S.D. The inspections were held at East View High School, but the program includes students from all Georgetown high schools. An area commander for this region traveled from San Antonio to oversee inspections. These young men and women were looking sharp and serious, focused on the task at hand. The opening photo is one of nine platoon leaders. It’s my favorite. Although it again breaks my rule about people staring into the camera, with this young lady it’s okay. Even though the camera was two feet from her, she remained rigid and on task. These are a few images from an interesting morning. 
Even though cotton harvests have been moving along since late-August on the Blackland Prairie, I’m still seeing fields in early-November. Hopefully the farmers will get their crops to market before the profit margin suffers. It’s always a pleasure, of course, to document cotton whenever and wherever possible. 
Once again this year I had the pleasure of documenting the annual Wurstbraten at Zion Lutheran Church in Walburg, Texas. Though small, Walburg is a distinctly-German community in North Williamson County. According to a Google search “wurst” means sausage while “braten” is roasted meat. German friends could probably do a better job of translating this. At any rate, Wurstbraten is a celebration of sausage. The meat is prepared in advance by church members, then on the big day it’s smoked in huge pits behind the church. Diners can get to-go plates with all the fixings, or dine inside the large gymnasium, which usually fills up every year. This year the church smoked 12,500 pounds of sausage. By the end of the night it was history. I love those pits, particularly when the sun goes down. Added to the mix in the pit area is a portrait of an 11-year-old boy lighted by dim lights from above the pits as well as hot coals. It’s thrown in here just because I like it. In the dining area, my favorite moment was finding a little guy, about 18-months-old, enjoying his first-ever bits of sausage. He was making good time with that meat! Anyway, this is essentially another of those posts that (hopefully) tells you a little something about the culture of Central Texas. Its diversity might surprise you. 
Another pretty straightforward presentation tonight, friends. Just a few tree images for you. These four photos are from Taylor, Circleville and Thrall. The last one, from Sunday night, presents a Waxing Gibbous moon. While I could get wordy, nothing would be gained by that. Let’s let these Blackland Prairie photographs do the talking this time. 
There are a handful of small towns in Central Texas where I point a camera as often as possible. One of those is Bartlett, a community on the Williamson/Bell County line. I can’t keep track of census figures, but think it’s currently around 1,600 residents. This community is adorned with charm. I’m especially fond of its downtown corridor, pictured in these evening photos. As you might know, I have an affection for night images. Bear with me while I scratch that itch here. 
As we say goodbye to Daylight Saving Time in most states, here are some photos taken this evening as the sun began to fade into the night over the San Gabriel River at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas. The photos can speak for themselves. Daylight Saving Time, however, is not an occurrence I like. Thank goodness we’re putting it aside for a few months to let the good light come through sooner. My opinion, of course. 
Granted, I’m a hoarder to some extent, but prefer to hold onto old photographs. When we returned to Texas ten years ago we downsized to a much smaller home, but prints going back to 1972 made the trip. Most are in sturdy and protective containers, but a few just float about, like these stacked under my desk. I did, however, find the early-morning light on them to be kind of intriguing. 
It’s another post where a theme might not be apparent, but if you follow these wanderings, you’ll know the theme is straightforward: documenting what’s around our Blackland Prairie while still possible. The opening photo, yet another windmill, was taken well into the blue period past sundown on a little road south of Granger, Texas. If your device is adequate, note the barn in the distance at left. The second photo is a long-abandoned homesite along a now-busy road close to Circleville. A few years ago I photographed this house, but a friend who’d not seen that image mentioned the house. So this is for Joyce. The rural nomenclature of our land is changing. Developers see farmland as prime real estate for subdivisions and shopping centers. I do not. While many photos I present could be thought of as “pretty,” the message is more than that. 
