Something similar may have been posted in 2018, but I’m offering it again tonight.   The community of Granger, Texas has farming roots that go back generations.   One of the premier crops around there is cotton.   For the last few years the town has built a Christmas tree from cotton.  Yes, real cotton. It’s adorned with lights, of course, but the cotton is the real thing.   Throughout the year, a spooky-looking Santa peers out a second-floor window of the Granger National Bank building.   It seemed appropriate to offer him up again this year.

113019 GRANGER, TEXAS: A Santa figure in the Granger National Bank building looks out onto West Davilla Street on Saturday, November 30, 2019. Photo by Andy Sharp.

Every year since 2009 I’ve been honored to take photos at the annual live nativity at Taylor’s Immanuel Lutheran Church, their Pilgrimage to Bethlehem.   Although held at Immanuel, the undertaking is the hard work of 15 area churches this year.  These are photos taken Saturday night.   While all aspects are grand, the angels are really special.

Since returning to Texas in 2009 I’ve been fortunate to be able to attend the annual Blue Santa distribution in Georgetown, Texas.   Blue Santa is an undertaking of the Georgetown Police Department that makes it possible for families in need to have Christmas presents under the tree.   Pre-qualified families are given gift boxes each holiday season.  This year over 1650 children had a brighter holiday season thanks to this effort.  I attended today’s distribution to families at the city’s Public Safety headquarters.    A “Blue Santa” is always there to visit with kids.   Blue Santa programs are in other areas, too, but this is the one I know and love.  

Another post where the only theme is that the photos were made on the same night.   These two images were taken a few minutes apart on Thursday evening.  They’re both (of course) in East Williamson County, Texas.   The first photo are a grove of trees I pass occasionally.   I like that autumn’s passing is now giving them a chance to show off their good bones.    The last time I took photos there was Spring, easily recalled because I got too close to a fence that happened to be electrified.  Yours truly got a little zap, then moved on.   The second photo is a farm to market road east of Walburg.  It’s a road I like.  Then again, , I like many of the roads here.

These five photos were  taken on Tuesday night at Heritage Square Park in downtown Taylor.   They were, of course, the night before the actual full moon, but the lunar beauty still looked pretty.   As did the holiday lights and the flag.   The flag is always inspiring. 

Getting any photo of a full moon is a roll of the dice.   With a long-enough lens, of course, you can make a closeup, but I think it’s best to have a point of reference.   That point tonight was Christ Lutheran Church in Noack, Texas.   While I did have an idea about WHEN it would rise, knowing WHERE in the sky it would make an appearance is another issue altogether.    Luck was with me this evening as I made a few frames of this so-called Cold Moon.   My guess is the name is a nod to the coming of the Winter Solstice.   At any rate, I do love the moon.   These are three variations as dusk morphed into the blue time.  

I made the truck cresting that hill just as the sun slipped below the western horizon this evening.   In fact, the truck had been behind me, tailgating like some trucks will do when they’re in a hurry.   When coming to a t-intersection, I made the choice to go straight because my truck friend was turning left.   Then quickly I realized his moseying into the sunset wasn’t bad, worth four shutter clicks.     Then I turned around and stopped a short distance from that sundown to watch the emerging almost-full moon above an assortment of ferns.  They’re ferns, right?   Heck if I know, but I liked how they looked.   Tonight’s moon, in Waxing Gibbous phase, is right at 99% visibility.   It looked full … and nice ….. to me.

After a day of record-high temperatures in Central Texas, with a high of 83 degrees in Austin, we’re in transition mode tonight on the Blackland Prairie.   As this is written at 9p.m. temperatures are beginning to fall, serious clouds moving in as a cold front (hopefully) ushers in some cool weather.  Tuesday’s high is only supposed to be 45.   I like that quite a lot.   These are images made this evening in Beyersville and Coupland.  The grazing Texas Longhorn relaxes in Beyersville.   The other three  were taken in Coupland.   The long-dormant cotton gin was briefly featured in the 2003 movie “Secondhand Lions,” filmed in this area.   The church is St. Peter’s Church of Coupland, beautiful inside and out.   The tamales stand?   It’s adorned with style.  And clouds.   Bring on the cold weather.   

Along a county road west of Granger, Texas.   The blue light image was taken a couple of weeks ago, the other two from this evening.  The windmill is the same in two photos.   So far this remains a quiet space.   It’s rare to see another vehicle when I stop to document what’s there.   By now you probably know of an aversion to development, but power lines are inevitable, even here.  It’s worth noting that in the photo without a  windmill, I only saw the tractor when editing, an added bonus.

Georgetown, Texas held its 39th Annual Christmas Stroll this weekend.   The festivities began on Friday and continued through Saturday.   These photos were all taken Saturday.   Holiday festivals and celebrations aren’t exclusive to Texas.   You’ll find them in most places around the world.   These are just a few of my visual impressions from Georgetown, where a well-attended parade was held, concluding with Santa Claus, of course.   I was enthralled at the two tykes, he 20-months-old, she 14-months, pictured in the last two photos.   They were initially a bit shy to one another, but bonded before their families moved on.   I like that  bonding.   We need more of this in a divisive world.   Learn from children.