Corazón was eight days old when these photographs were taken Tuesday evening at the home of friends Deby and Mike Lannen.  Born with a white heart on her head, her name, which means “heart” in Spanish, seemed right.  They’ll call her Cora.    The couple have raised Texas Longhorns for years.   This little lady’s parents are Lacy and Rocky.   Deby alerted me to the new family member on Tuesday.  Of course I had to see her.    When arriving, Mike and I headed out to their pasture in his Gator for a closer look.   Thinking all was well, I mentioned there might be a better photograph if I got out of the Gator.   Lacy, the mama, already wary, gave me a serious stink eye before taking aim at the camera, bounding my way with force.  Thankfully, I got out of the way in time, but learned to tread lightly with protective parents.   I’ve admired  these cows for many years.   Us UT-Austin graduates love our cows!

The fascination with barns continues tonight with three offerings.  The barn in the opening photograph is mostly hidden by brush in the warmer months, but winter allows a little better view.   The red barn looks interesting with an old-growth tree nearby.   And one east of Taylor, with a barn, tractor and livestock.   Just barns, my friends.

As Williamson County, the area where we live, continues to grow, it’s worthwhile to find quieter places to document.   One of those places is Donahoe Road, in southern Bell County, Texas, a few miles east of Bartlett.  It’s a bit of a drive to get there, but the sense of solitude is a balm.  Winter is my favorite time to be there, when the light is crisp and warm.   These are from Sunday evening.  For friends in other areas, this isn’t the hill country, or west Texas.  It’s farm and ranch country, friends.   And we do have trees here.

A Waning Crescent moon, at 14.8% visibility, was shining through a tree in our yard a bit before sunrise on this Monday morning.

During some quiet time at the Georgetown Public Library on Saturday, it was nice to reconnect with Lisa, a lady who’s been homeless for quite a while.   I’d met her last year during one of our cold snaps.   Lisa now has Tiptoe, a 7-month-old cat she obviously cherishes.  They’ve been together since Tiptoe was  just a few weeks old.   A benefactor has provided them with shelter in recent months.   When moving around the library Tiptoe walks on a leash.  He’s very well-mannered, thanks to Lisa.  I wish them well.   They deserve our kindness.

Mentioned a few times before, but even if not another soul saw photographs taken, they’d still be done.   They might be good, or not.   They might be repetitive, particularly ones from daily walks, mostly in Taylor. That’s what you have here, friends. It was a dang cold week in Central Texas.

Scenes early this morning from Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve.    The mist hovering over the park’s pond was intriguing, very much like fog.   The temperature fluctuated between 30 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit.   After a few minutes there, I met a group of  Scouting America kids as they prepared their breakfasts over pits that also provided a bit of warmth.   They’d arrived on Friday and  continuing their outing until Sunday.   I suggested they keep an eye out for deer.   The park is adorned with quite a few.   Friends in colder climates often scoff at what we think of as cold weather.   This morning was actually pleasant, refreshing, much better than earlier this week, with temperatures in the teens.

Hawks are elusive beings, preferring their space.   Most do not cotton to the attention paid to them by cameras.   They’re focused on hunting.  A photographer’s presence is a distraction.   Most of the time they’re seen on power lines, ever so briefly, before a determined exit.  These raptors are wonderful.

It was one of those evenings where I wasn’t seeing much until meandering into North Williamson County, a pretty fair distance from our Taylor home.   Light began to get interesting.    The twin spires of Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Corn Hill always stand out, but tonight they were embraced by a massive cloud formation overhead.  This photo was taken nearly a mile from the church.   From Corn Hill I drove south, briefly stopping to snap a photo of a well-dressed barn.   Arriving in Walburg, my last stop,  the artificial light on the feed store sign was impressive.   I do love night light.    Just light observations, friends.

Temperatures are into the teens tonight in our area of Central Texas.   This afternoon and evening I visited two warming shelters in Georgetown and Taylor, places where our homeless population can find comfort throughout the nights ahead.   The first four are from Georgetown’s San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, the last four from Taylor’s St. James Episcopal Church.   Each will be available to those in need through Saturday.   The shelter at Taylor’s church is overseen by Taylor CAN (Center for Assistance and Navigation).  Taylor CAN welcomes donations in two methods: Venmo@StJTaylorTx or via PayPal, donate@TaylorCAN.org.  Each church is a gift for their community.