It’s been a particularly good week for sunsets in our area.   When one nears, assuming I’m in a safe place to stop driving, a photograph follows.   This was seen last evening in the Noack area.   The birds appear to be vultures.   While they often get disparaged  by avian snobs, their flight patterns are a fine thing to see.

Tonight’s photographs were taken in the Southeast Williamson County community of Type, about three miles southeast of Coupland.  For years I’d noticed a sign pointing the way to Type Church, but only recently decided to check it out.   Type is a community founded and settled by Swedish immigrants in the late-1800s.  The name, according to a historical marker, was chosen by August Smith, likely a nod to his friend Jonas Sunvison, who owned a printing machine.   At one time there was a school, store and post office, but this focuses on Type Cemetery and Church, each founded in 1908.   A few of the gravestones are inscribed in Swedish.   In recent decades, as the area’s population diversified, other nationalities were represented.   The crosses are burial sites for some of our Hispanic settlers.   The church building is interesting.  The original structure is long gone.  In the 1980s a former Camp Swift barracks became their sanctuary until termites and disrepair took its toll.   I couldn’t find any information about when the newest building was added.   Six of these eight photographs were taken on February 17th.   This evening, seeking a better shot of the church, I was surprised to find the steeple and bell on the ground in front of the church.   They  didn’t appear broken, which causes me to wonder if there  is some traditional thing going on here,  perhaps connected to the upcoming Easter season.   I have a few friends with Swedish family backgrounds.   If anyone knows more, please advise.  It’s a puzzle.

Four photographs tonight, friends.   All are sunsets, from Beyersville and Walburg.   Keeping it simple tonight.

On a recent visit to the grocery store, a paramotor enthusiast was meandering through a layer of almost-monotone clouds near day’s end.   Paramotor folks often use our area fields as good starting points.   This fellow was all by himself, but was soon joined by honest-to-goodness birds making their nightly rounds.   One can see how the notion of flight holds fascination.   If not for the birds, I’d have passed on this fellow, but the combination seemed to merit a photograph.

March winds arrived in full force this afternoon, wind and dust encompassing much of our area in Central Texas.   A few photographs from this afternoon and early-evening are presented here.   As the winds settled down, a view of the Waxing Crescent moon, viewed  at Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve,  was a nice end to the day.

Today is World Wildlife Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013.    To note the day, let’s offer a few recent bird photographs taken in Taylor, Georgetown and Coupland.   Birds are often subjects for my cameras.  

This was a weekend where assignments shot for the newspaper would just be there, not on this site, or social media.   This afternoon’s work in Georgetown, however, changed things.   I was covering the 13th Annual Chase the Chief road races,  conducted by the Georgetown Police Department, held each year to raise funds for athletic programs in Georgetown.   2000 folks showed up to participate in either a one-mile fun run, or a 5K event.  While the photographs taken were pretty good, the group from Ainsley’s Angels were (understatement here) inspirational.   Check out their website for full details, but their mission statement hit a home run.  From the site: “Together, we shall educate, advocate, and celebrate inclusive communities while connecting everyone through empowerment and belonging.”   Presented here are some of the participants in the 5K race, along with their ambassadors.   The Sun will probably need to publish some of the other photos taken, but Ainsley’s Angels are what you have tonight.   The group has Texas chapters in Austin and Houston, plus chapters throughout the United States.

The last few mornings in February are presented tonight, all from daily walking excursions in Taylor.   Morning walks are sometimes in Georgetown, but mostly where we live.  As often mentioned, only snippets of time are spent on any one photograph during these strolls.  The walks are exercise, with a little photography tossed in along the way.  The leaping squirrel photo isn’t quite tack sharp, but the moment was good.   Perfection is overrated.

Let’s keep it simple tonight, friends.   Just trees.    The opening photograph may appear to be a black and white offering, but it was taken (and presented here) in color.  It defines winter in our area of Central Texas.   Two others are included, but the monotone speaks to me.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, when growing up in Texarkana, my parents and I used to go downtown after dark to do a bit of window shopping.   It wasn’t about buying anything.   We did that during regular hours.    But those glowing window displays, often very well done, were a source of  cheap entertainment.   We’d start on the Texas side, then cross State Line Avenue into Arkansas.   The Arkansas side was usually better!   That memory  prompted this set of night photographs taken  in Taylor this week.   During daily walks, I’d noticed the windows of a new shop with spiffy-looking mannequins.   At night, it was even better.   The rest are just scenes downtown enjoyed  on an evening stroll.   In case you’re wondering, those are rows of tires in one set of windows.   It took me a minute to figure those out.   The final shot is a bit away from downtown, but the lamplight in that window was elegant.