In the early-1980s, while working for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, I paid a visit to Atlanta’s  Starlight Drive-In Theatre, on Moreland Avenue.   It was a rainy summer night, folks dashing back to the safety of their vehicles to continue their movie enjoyment.   Just today, I was happy to find out the Starlight is still in business.  It opened its doors in 1949 with one gigantic screen.   Some years later a second screen was added.    I have a personal affection for these theaters.  My father was a projectionist at the Joy Drive-In Theater in Texarkana, Texas.    Since my mom also worked a night shift as a telephone operator, I got to go to work with daddy as a 4-year-old.   It was great fun.  This was in the mid-late 1950s.  Move ahead to the 60s and there I was, a teen working at the Joy, as well as another drive-in on the Arkansas side of town.   An Instagram photo this week made me think of drive-ins.   They had their issues, mosquitos being a big one, but what a nice piece of American culture!

It’s another of those nights where I’m not nailing down a specific theme.   The opening photo was made on a recent night with rain clouds were forming in the Beyersville area.   The rain didn’t materialize, but the skies were mighty nice.   Only after taking the photo did I notice the little cotton patch in front of the barns, a pleasant addition.    The second image was maybe ten miles north of Beyersville, close to Granger.  On this evening that Texas sky was almost ethereal.  

The rail yard in downtown Taylor, Texas has a certain appeal when the light is right.  Having a sunset nearby can’t hurt either.    It’s a good night for keeping things simple. 

Some of a busy weekend was spent at  Sweet Eats Fruit Farm for their annual Fall Festival.   There’s a lot to do here.   While I’m not able to cover everything, here’s a few highlights.   Piglets are just about the cutest little critters on the planet, particularly when they’re giving me the stink eye!   Horseback rides were a hit.   The two little guys posted here were getting on a horse for the first time.  And they loved it!   One little fellow, whose daddy attended Texas A&M, gave me the Gig Em’ Aggies sign as he mounted a horse called Star.   Families were also able to pick up a pumpkin to take home.   I like the house built of pumpkins.    Not pictured are a corn maze and hay maze.  I wandered into the hay maze and couldn’t find my way out until latching onto a family who knew the way, thank goodness.   Again, many activities aren’t included here, but families can have a great deal of fun at Sweet Eats.    These photos were made for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.   Sweet Eats is located at 14400 East Highway 29, a few miles east of Georgetown.   The Fall Festival continues through the first weekend in November. 

On the way home from wandering around Sunday night, it was good to see my old friend the moon.   Even though it was a tiny sliver, the Waxing Crescent moon, at 2.8% visibility, complimented the steeple at Taylor’s St. James Episcopal Church.

Here we are, September almost done, but continuing to deal with temperatures we’re used to seeing in mid-August, not October.   But there it is, friends.    Cotton farmers who haven’t harvested their crops probably don’t mind the heat.  High temperatures and dry weather are a gift for this crop.   Am I done with cotton posts?   We’ll see what we see.  

This morning I spent some hours at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas to cover the 10th annual Alzheimer’s Walk for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.   About 450 participants were on hand to show support for a tragic disease.   While all illness is bad, this one steals so much.   Those taking part walked to honor friends or family members who’ve dealt with this emotional pain.   These events raise money, and awareness.  That’s needed.   The first photo is a 10-year-old who’s lost family members to the disease.  The last image, trying to keep a positive focus, gives you Mercy, a 7-year-old miniature horse, one of the greeters at the finish line for finishers.   We need more Mercy.  

If you follow these posts, you’ll remember that cotton-related subjects are still in play.   For area farmers at harvest time, getting the product to the gin is of paramount importance.   For these photos I visited my friends at Waterloo Gin, just a little northeast of our Taylor home.   At this time of the year, cotton harvests are in high gear.   Once harvested, gigantic modules make it from the fields to the gin.   Waterloo Gin co-owners David Woollett and Clement Strmiska expect to be busy well into November.   They keep things running six days a week, usually 12 hours a day.   It was a pleasure on my visit there this year to see Pete still on the job.   His real name is Pedro, but everyone calls him Pete.  Pete’s 87 now.  He’s been working at cotton gins for 65 years.   You’ll find him in a few photos.  The large modules, like the one pictured in the opening photo, weigh from 16,000-20,000 pounds.  The truck is parked on the scale, where the driver goes inside and records the exact weight.  It’s hot and dry in Central Texas, but too much rain plays havoc with cotton harvests.   “We like it dry,” says Woollett.   While we need the rain, our farmers need successful yields.   More power to them all.   And Pete?  You’re amazing. 

Let’s keep things simple tonight, friends.   Cotton, as you might’ve figured out by now, is on my mind quite a lot.   The post begins with a healthy field near Noack, Texas.   Earlier this week a friend mentioned tractors, which led to the second photo, taken at sunset tonight a little  south of Granger.    Remember:  I’m not done with cotton yet.  More later.

While looking for a feature on a cold February night in 1976, I happened on this pair of fencers squaring off on the amphitheater stage at Centenary College in Shreveport.   The theater, built in 1936, has seating for 2,000, but on this night, they had an audience of one, a curious photojournalist.  They were oblivious to my presence and working up a good sweat on this chilly evening.  Centenary College is a small liberal arts college affiliated with the Methodist Church that’s been educating students since 1825.   All these years later, I still like to wander.  The cameras have changed, but seeing has not.