Just random photographs from the first few days of autumn, my friends, each taken around our bit  of Williamson County, Texas.   Included are places near Beyersville,  Coupland, Granger and Jonah, where the San Gabriel River was photographed last night.  We aren’t the Texas Hill Country, or Big Bend, or the Piney Woods, or the Gulf Coast.   We don’t get knock your socks off autumns, but it’s fine country, even when summer continues through October.

Morning walk photographs are mostly tiny landscapes, or birds, squirrels, turtles, etc.  Occasionally I’ll see something else that gets my attention.   During this morning’s walk,  this young guitarist was in heaven as he strummed away on his guitar, enjoying a cooler (for Texas) early-autumn day.   I removed my earbuds long enough to hear him playing.   And it was good.   As I continued my stroll,  he bid me  a good day.   The day sure improved after this.  

On a visit to Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve years ago, I was initially taken with its grove of old-growth pecan trees.   While those are still wonderful, other things there sometimes get my attention.   Tonight, some of those “other things.”   The park was closed for a while earlier this year.   I’m glad its spaces are again open for all to see.

The intensity of our Texas weather is immense.   The skies over Jonah, Texas tonight is one example.   As this is written, we’ve seen just a few drops of rain, but nature lets us know it’s a dominant force. 

The series focusing on barns continues tonight, friends.   Through our years back in Texas I’ve seen a number of barns cease to exist.   Some, however, are holding on.   It’s important to document them before it’s too late.  A few area friends probably know these places.  

Cotton, since it’s plentiful this year in our area, is used as my vehicle  for the transition from summer into autumn.   The photographs begin Saturday evening, meandering around the countryside east of Taylor.  Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is included.   The fields of our “Texas snow”  lovingly reflected the early-evening light.   This morning the official beginning of autumn was at 7:43 Central Daylight Time.  The photos presented were taken just minutes after the change, warm morning light enveloping an elegant field.   Just up the road, Prince of Peace is again offered, with a slightly different look.   And a few bolls to call this post complete.   We who live here will wait a while for cooler temperatures, but we know that autumn ushers in a less abusive time.  Texas summers are  combative.  We have enough of that with fellow humans.

From Saturday evening in Taylor, Texas, the last day of summer.    We’ll look forward to autumn’s arrival ….. in November.  Calendars are hopeful suggestions here. 

I was up well ahead of sunrise for this year’s Texas Mamma Jamma Ride, coordinated by Lone Star Circle of Care.   The cycling event began at Taylor’s Murphy Park, with cyclists trying several distances, including 70, 50, 25 and 15 miles.   This ride raises funds for Lone Star’s Big Pink Bus, a mobile mammography unit  that travels around Central Texas, helping women get care they need.   Quite a few breast cancer survivors ride each year.   It’s a fine event, a great cause.  But take note of the photograph with two women, friends wearing identical  red jerseys.   The lady on the right is Carla, a well-known cyclist from our area.   On June 14th, Carla sustained very serious injuries when struck by a motor vehicle in Taylor.   Thankfully, she not just survived, but has thrived.  She and her friend, a cancer survivor, did the 50-mile ride today.   A number of cyclists wore “Go Carla Go” stickers on their jerseys.   This ride does so much good, but a lot of folks were also overjoyed to see Carla riding again.  She’s an inspiration to many who know her. 

For as long as I’m able, you’ll see photos taken during daily walks, a few tiny landscapes taken with a feather-light Olympus mirrorless camera.   A few photos from morning walks this week, all in Taylor.  

Both photographs were taken at essentially the same location, but with different lenses.   Each is adorned with subject matter I love.   Continued development may impact these places, but hopefully it will be gradual process.   The land and sky are peaceful in our slice  of Central Texas.