After finishing work on a story in Bartlett, Texas recently, I stayed around for a little while.   Bartlett is a Central Texas town of a little over 1600 that resides in two counties, Williamson and Bell.   If you’re looking for Bartlett on a map, it’s about 45 miles northeast of Austin, which makes it 5 miles north of Granger.   Bartlett, like Granger, has a downtown with streets paved with bricks.  Both communities, if you were to remove motor vehicles, could easily reside in the late 1800s.  These are few images I enjoyed taking, when the day’s light faded sweetly into a blue evening.  

100217 BARTLETT,

En route home  from an assignment  tonight, I passed the Jonah Community Center.  For whatever reason, a light was glowing in one of the rooms.  For about 3 seconds after passing by, I debated turning around.   Turning around won out.   The tree that graces the front always demands attention, but the combination of warm window light and blue night light?  It was hard to resist.   The community center began its life as Jonah School in 1922.  For many years after its closing, it remained dormant.  Thankfully, area citizens saw the value of keeping this wonderful space on the planet a while.   

Do you have names for the moon?  Do you call the one presented here, taken in the area around Granger, Texas a Harvest Moon?   As I’ve suggested many times before, you can call this heavenly body anything you like … new, waxing gibbous, waning, super, or, as shown here, full.   Here it’s presented with some barns, also a cemetery.  I do love cemeteries!   The  little red barn with a light on it has been photographed before, but not with the moon. However you see it, folks, it’s mighty pretty.  The first and final photo are one and the same.  Black and white?   Maybe color?  Either way is okay, I think.

Rain came down in torrents late Tuesday afternoon in Georgetown, Texas, prompting the cancellation of many National Night Out block parties and events.  However, at the Georgetown Housing Authority’s Activity Learning Center, at Stonehaven Apartments, things went on as planned, but inside.  There was music, dancing and food galore.   The oldest attendee was a youthful Esther Charters, 98-years-young.   While most of the fun was inside, Bugsy Malone, being a dog, had to stay outside with his folks.  Thankfully, the rain had abated by then so Bugsy and crew stayed dry.   I was hoping a few police personnel would show since the goal of National Night Out is to promote police-community partnerships.   It is what it is.   Those in attendance, Bugsy included, were glad they came.  Don’t let Bugsy’s stare fool you … he was just a curious boy, but quite friendly! 

The City of Taylor’s Bull Branch Park was loaded with kids and their families Sunday afternoon for KidFish, a low-key fishing tournament for children ages 3-16.   The event is made possible through the KidFish Foundation, a non-profit based in Little River Academy, Texas.   You can find out more about them on their Facebook page.   Sunday’s tournament was originally scheduled for August, but heavy rains resulted in holding off for a while.   Approximately 200 kids signed up for a lake stocked with 200 pounds of channel catfish, but some folks were also catching a bass or two!   It was a warm day for fishing, but how nice to see children outside, not focused on television or other electronic devices.   These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

Another windmill.  Imagine that.  This one was taken recently along a nice stretch of Texas, a few strides  south of Granger.   I’ve said it before about subject matter …. everything, yes everything has been done.   Does that mean we stop recording what we see?    One of the most bothersome things that has come out of the mouths of managers through the years is “That’s been done before.”   Think about this, friends.   These things have been done before for a reason.   Simply put, the public enjoys them.   Editors would do well to plug into their audience a little more closely.    My rule is to see what I see, but not “say” the same thing each time out of the gate.     With all the heartache going on in the world (and we need to stay in touch with it), we need something to soothe.   Even if it’s blue.

If you want a detailed explanation of the tradition of Blessing of the Animals, please visit Google and do a search.   Let’s just say that it’s a wonderful happening, particularly when undertaken each October at Georgetown’s Grace Episcopal Church.   The first time I photographed the service, it was indoors.  Every year since, the church holds the service at San Gabriel Park.   I like that a lot.  Leading the blessings once again this year was Reverend Albert “Bertie” Pearson.   I like that he’s not only a minister, but apparently a pretty accomplished photographer!   I’ll include a photo of him snapping a photo with his digital Leica at the start of this missive.  I’m told, like me, he likes black and white … so there he is , in glorious monotone.   And the lizard?  That’s Rex, a Bearded Dragon. These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

Let’s keep it simple tonight … birds, grackles I think, doing their high wire acrobatics near Taylor Regional Park.   As much as people hate them, I’m just the opposite.  I think they command presence.   That’s a Waxing Gibbous moon in the second image.  It’s now just a little over 77% visible.  On October 5th, we’ll have a full moon to see, assuming clouds don’t mar our view.   But that’s okay.  The moon will be around for a while. 

This is one of those barns I periodically like to visit with a camera.   If it looks familiar, it’s the one referred to in previous iterations as my “birthday barn.” This one’s close to home, maybe less than two miles from our home in Taylor.    For years I wanted to photograph it, but never saw a living soul at the house in front.   A few months ago, when I finally did see a couple there, they graciously allowed me to come by whenever I like.  So I do.   These were taken the other night.   As the days get shorter, the light, as far as yours truly is concerned, gets better …. sooner.    There’s a little bit of tripod use, long exposure and light painting here.   A new friend recently asked how I felt about artificial light.  Mostly, I told her, I like natural light, but sometimes it’s fun to think outside the box.   This barn, according to a family member, is a bit over a hundred years old.   Staying power, friends. 

Admittedly, I have not watched the Ken Burns documentary about Vietnam.   Since it’s 18-hours, maybe I’ll wait for a replay, or get it on disk.   But it did bring to mind a picture story I worked on about Max Cleland in 1981, during my time at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution.    In 1968, Cleland, a 25-year-old Army Captain, sustained life-altering injuries during the battle at Khe Sanh, resulting in the loss of both legs above the knee as well as his right arm.   Not to the held down by this tragedy, Cleland returned home to Georgia, serving in the Georgia State Senate from 1971-75.   When Jimmy Carter became President, Cleland followed him to Washington, where he oversaw the Veterans Administration.  The photos presented here were taken after his return to the Atlanta area.   Not long after my story published, he ran for, and won, the office of Georgia Secretary of State, a job held until 1996.    But he didn’t stop there, going on to win the United States Senate seat of the retiring Sam Nunn, remaining in that job until defeated by Republican Saxby Chambliss.   If my Wikipedia search proves right, Mr. Cleland, now 75,  is still active, serving as Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.   I was thankful that Max allowed me to be his sidekick while I trolled just about everywhere with him for a while.  During this time, I was an avid distance runner, a a pretty active fellow, but so was Cleland.   He loved basketball, and swam like the best fish in any ocean.   My favorite photo here is the last one, where he received a hearty ovation after a speech at an elementary school.    

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