Friday morning I arrived at Georgetown’s Blue Hole Lagoon to take photos of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department stocking this beautiful body of water with 1250 rainbow trout for my friends at the Williamson County Sun. When I got there, however, I found out the stocking had been rescheduled for Thursday, February 7th. Not one to go away empty-handed, I took a few photos of a gentleman who also came for the restocking, fishing gear in hand. Undeterred, he stayed for a while, angling for a white bass or two. As minutes passed, I began to take in the exceptional beauty of this Central Texas treasure. Blue Hole is among the many fine diversions that comprise the San Gabriel River.

Early in 2018, I challenged myself to find a way to make photos on my daily walks. The problem, however, was a total aversion to the use of mobile phones for image-making. The dilemma faced, however, was weight. Since those walks generally take two hours or more, there was no way I could tote one of my DSLRs around and still get the workout I desired. Serious thought was given to getting a small point-and-shoot camera, probably something mirrorless. Money was an issue there. So very quietly one morning, I stepped into the muck and starting taking photos with my inexpensive ($125 brand-spanking new) Motorola Moto smartphone. The little experiment eventually came to an end, but the phone stays with me on those walks. These photos were made this morning, a somewhat foggy morning in Taylor. Most are in two parks on my walking route, Bull Branch Park and Murphy Park. A couple are in color. Others not. The final image is a sad one, a homeless man adjusting his tent underneath one of our main highways. It’s not a great photo, but it drives home the point that homelessness isn’t only a distressing fact of life in cities. Towns like Taylor are not immune.

While visiting the Marietta Square in early-February 1983, I took note of Mr. Green as he went about his task of feeding a bunch of very happy pigeons around the old bell at Glover Park. Just one of those slice-of-life things, folks.

For this little thing, presented in both color and monotone, travel time was easy …. just a little something I saw in my kitchen after today’s walk. Occasionally, I’ll take a photo with my inexpensive smartphone, a Motorola Moto. It might not be a top-notch tool, but for $125.00, I’m not complaining.

Before you think it, I know. More fog. But this morning, when I had to run some errands around Taylor it sung its misty song into my senses. So there you are, friends. Included is another visit to Murphy Park, then north a little bit, where I found a nice old tree in a field, accented by muddy tracks leading beyond. And a cemetery I like, one discovered quite by accident last year. From the road, unless you’re looking for it, you might miss it. What got my attention there, however, were a couple of tiny wildflowers, bluebonnets. How interesting to see those little sprouts so early in the new year.

This was about the last photo taken tonight. Most of the afternoon had been drizzly and/or cloudy. While I made some acceptable photos, this little scene, photographed before, but under different conditions, got my attention. It’s on a county road a little west of Granger. I’d have spent more time with the subject matter, but the promise of cars behind me prompted a quick move-along. Four frames were made, but hey, I like blue nights. So this one’s okay.

A continuation of the “early and late” theme tonight, friends. The subject matter, as it often is, is Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Wuthrich Hill, smack dab in the middle of our Blackland Prairie. It’s a joy to observe the properties of light at given times of day and night. Adjacent to the church is a little pond. It’s not a stock pond. There are no livestock here. The first two photos show the pond at dawn, then at sunset. Sadly, no birds were available that evening. The other photos are of the church itself. The shadowy image was taken at sunrise. The others were taken that evening. The photo second from last was taken very near sunset. It’s probably my favorite from tonight’s post because it does a pretty nice job of giving a sense of the area in which we live. The last photo, when the lights came on, adorning the church facade is okay, too.

On the way back to Taylor this evening, passing over the San Gabriel River, I quickly turned around to snap a photo as it flowed under a favorite old truss bridge in East Williamson County. While taking the photo, a young couple happened along to view the river, too. A good scene became a better scene. The second photo? Just something tossed in, but very close to that gently-meandering river.

I have a fondness for prairie grass. It billows and flutters with the aid of our Blackland Prairie wind. We have an abundance of it in East Williamson County, but it’s not always a simple thing to photograph because of the ever-increasing traffic in our area. These photos were throughout the day on a (thankfully) less-traveled road on this Saturday. Observing how light falls on it at different times is interesting. All photos are of the same field of grass. The opening image was made just after sunrise. The second, near sunset, about ten hours later. The final image was made about 30 minutes after the sun put itself to bed. The way light adorns a subject is something that drives my passion.

If a theme is needed for tonight’s photos, it’s just good early-evening light. You all know my love for grain elevators. Near Coupland this week, all the elements combined to make this one a pleasant sight. The sky was remarkable, but then again, it’s remarkable most of the time here. The other two photos, although taken on different nights several days apart, were made in almost the same place, on the same stretch of road. I hope that cyclist made it to a safe place before the darkness took over completely, but completely understand the joy of being out there on such a wonderful evening on the prairie.