One of the most tiring, but uplifting events I’ve covered for the past few years is Georgetown’s Blue Santa distribution.  Blue Santa, coordinated by the Georgetown Police Department, brings gift boxes to families in our area who might otherwise be left out during the holiday season.  1500 pre-screened  families were recipients this year.  One dad waiting for his family’s gift boxes was cradling his daughter, not quite 8-weeks-old.    There are always abundant volunteers willing to give back to their community.   Perhaps the sweetest moments seen each December are when the children pay a  visit to Santa Claus (blue, of course).   Here are a few images taken today for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

On Wednesday night, after trolling around the countryside and not finding inspiration, I landed at Taylor’s Murphy Park, five minutes from home.   Murphy Park, as you might know, is home to the rookery that I love.  At this time of the year, however, the rookery is sparse.  That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see.   This post begins with cormorants making their way across the lake on a night filled with cool air and clouds.  The rest of the photos, all utilizing a trusty tripod, are trees.   And a Waxing Crescent moon.   

On this old stuff Thursday here are some photos taken at Cumberland Mall in metro-Atlanta as the holiday shopping season began in earnest just after Thanksgiving in 1982.    Do people still go through this pain and stress in 2018?  Or are they online shoppers?   Amazon has changed the landscape, causing other big-box stores (think Wal-Mart) to either get on board or go under.    On a side note, back then it was nothing to walk into a mall like this with cameras and snap away.   The malls really seemed to welcome the free advertising.   As cities like Atlanta grew, however, things changed.  North of Cumberland Mall, a big player, Town Center Mall, opened its doors in Kennesaw.   You didn’t just walk in there with cameras.   If you did, without prior approval, there were mall security staff ready and willing to escort you back to your vehicle.   Thankfully, in later years at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, I managed a good working relationship with Town Center.  Developing trust is something I’ve always tried to do, even when ornery!  

In the nine years I’ve been documenting Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, it finally came to me this week why it’s located in what’s called Wuthrich Hill.   If you look at the opening image, note the downward slant at left  along County Road 417.   Prince of Peace is most definitely on a hill!   In previous posts, I’ve felt the urge to level that horizon line, but the way you see it here is correct. A second photo from there is added to this post, one where a Waxing Crescent moon shines in the distance.  What you might see, or not, is the reflection of the church’s spire in one of the windows.   The final photo takes you back to Taylor,  on the same night, to St. James Episcopal Church, at the corner of 7th and Davis Street.   Sadly, one of its stained glass windows is missing.   I hope they replace it soon.  This church has been here since 1893.   The reflection of the church is actually the roof of my car.  Any prop will do when the result is pleasing.  Hopefully, it works for you, friends. 

Honestly?  I thought Saturday morning’s very cold weather, particularly after a long period of rain, would scare folks off from the Georgetown Parks Department’s annual Fishing Derby for kids.    But folks who enjoy their angling, regardless of age, are a determined lot.  The setting for the event was Georgetown’s newest park, Garey Park, 500-plus acres of pristine space west of the city.    The two ponds at the park were stocked with a thousand rainbow trout, but kids were pulling out bass and perch, too.   This was a blast.  These images were for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

A few photos taken over the last few days, from cold and mist, to the return of sunlight as a day wanes.  For a little over nine years I’ve wandered around the Blackland Prairie in search of images that inspire.  While still there, it’s getting harder to do.  Our slice of heaven is growing.   For some perhaps that’s a good thing, but I wish it would adopt a slower pace.  

If truth be known, I could easily focus my lenses on the angels during the live nativity held each December at Taylor’s Immanuel Lutheran Church.   The first year I covered this incredible undertaking for the Williamson County Sun  was, if memory serves, about nine years ago, but who’s counting, right?    Since then, the angels have grown and moved on, but more step into their wings each season.   Saturday night, when this year’s photos were taken, it was quite cold, but thankfully, the rain that had bore down on our area of Blackland Prairie had moved east, paving the way for a special  undertaking.   Much of the nativity is indoors, but I was happy to see the scene in Bethlehem remaining outside.   The angels, shepherds, Mary and Joseph, and attendees didn’t seem bothered by the nippy wind.  Visitors to Immanuel began their night by visiting the church sanctuary, where choir members regaled attendees with uplifting music.  From there, it was onto Nazareth, then Bethlehem.  Note that though the nativity is conducted at Immanuel, 14 other area churches help make this happen.  Food donations were also accepted for Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry in Taylor.   It was a good night.  It always is. 

Boy howdy, it’s been a very busy week.   The Williamson County Livestock Show, held at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor, began on Monday and concluded today with a premium sale.   While I didn’t attend today’s event, every other day found yours truly trolling for photos for the Williamson County Sun and the Austin American-Statesman.   This is hard, but rewarding photo reportage, friends.   For the kids taking part, it’s hard, too.   For many, it’s the culmination of a massive amount of work, with chickens, turkeys, rabbits, goats, lambs, hogs and cows.   While I missed out on the poultry and goat entries this year, everything else was documented to some degree.   This post has far too many photos, but the beauty of the internet is that I can share quite a lot.  And that is what you see tonight, friends.  Like the young fellow showing a lamb even though he lost a leg to cancer two years ago. Or the dad toting a bag of feed  through a heavy dose of rain for his son’s steer.   These kids work their hearts out.  So do their parents.   They deserve the recognition. 

Each year, since 1915, Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas has held candlelight services for the season of Advent.  Beginning in 2010, I photographed this ethereal  setting at Lois Perkins Chapel for the Williamson County Sun.    While the images might look similar for each visit, they all have the ability to slow one’s heartbeat, bringing a sense of peace, particularly with the little ones.   Regarding the chapel, dedicated in November 1950, alumnus and folklorist J. Frank Dobie said this:  “The new chapel at Southwestern is the most beautiful college chapel I have ever seen on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean.”   Precisely, sir.

These are some recent windmill photos taken in East Williamson County, Texas.   The opening photo was taken on a very lightly-traveled county road, the traffic non-existent on the night I made the photo, allowing use of a tripod and longer exposure.   It’s a long-dormant homesite.   The only thing left, it seems, are trees and that sturdy windmill.    The second, another longish camera exposure, west of Granger.  Once again, the tripod came in handy.  And what few drivers passed by were understanding of an odd fellow on the roadside with a camera.    The last photo, through a stand of trees, shows a well-worn windmill missing some of its blades.   One would assume this one’s retired, but still holding firm.  Since I was standing  in the middle of this road, with a few more cars, no tripod was used, but the ambient light was good.   No worries there.