The hawk posted yesterday was yards from my front door.  Last night this spunky hawk (I think a Red-Shouldered Hawk) made a brief appearance a bit east of Granger.   Raptors are interesting, but mostly camera-shy!

This longhorn occasionally stands on her hill.  When that happens, I try to record the moment.   A Beyersville, Texas interlude.

If the search engine is correct, she’s either a Red-Shouldered Hawk or a Cooper’s Hawk.   The only certainty is that she didn’t appreciate the interruption.   She was spotted just a few yards from our house in Taylor.  Hopefully her hunting expedition was a success.  

And another batch of photographs from last week’s morning walks.  One stroll was actually in Georgetown, but the rest are from Taylor.   My hope is that these posts don’t start  to bore you, but even if so, I’d still take the photos.  For therapy.

For the past two days much of my time has been spent at Taylor’s Murphy Park for the Taylor International BBQ Cook-Off.  With the exception of some down time for COVID, this event has been held here since 1978.   84 teams were entered this year.  Kids competed for the best grilled cheese sandwiches on Friday evening, followed by everything else on Saturday.   My favorite photograph, the young fellow racing through the park with his flag, is my top choice. As usual, details aren’t needed, but I was impressed by a dog named Sissy, who wandered from one judges table to another, hoping for a dropped treat.   Sissy was very well-mannered.   The post concludes with an impromptu dominos game, two judges making the most of their time here.  

A visit to Taylor’s train yards this week.   Amtrak’s evening train makes its way west in the opening photograph.    Thankfully, because the light was nicer, Amtrak was nearly three hours behind schedule.   Train yards continue to be a favored subject.   Light at day’s end can be inspiring.

A collection of photographs taken this morning on the first day of school at Georgetown’s Annie Purl Elementary School, a beautiful school with 650 students enrolled this year.   The opening photo is my favorite, a sweet interchange between a grandma and her 4-year-old Pre-K grandson, providing him words of encouragement as he enters a classroom for the first time.   Some shots are given a little help with context.   Three of the eleven photos show a 3-year-old hugging the legs of his sister, 7 (today is actually her birthday!) as she settles into her second-grade classroom.  Big sister looks back at her family before they leave.   And little brother, so well-bonded with sister, doesn’t get why she isn’t coming home with him.  Other situations are probably self-explanatory.  That’s the principal giving fist-bumps to kids as they arrive.   The gigantic mural is a night drone shot of the Georgetown square.   I love that the school displays it so well.  These first day of school adventures began for me in 1974.   With the exception of COVID time, they haven’t been missed.  Annie Lee Purl, born in Georgetown in 1877, is the school’s namesake.  After graduation as valedictorian at Georgetown High School, she studied at Southwestern University.   She taught, and was principal at Georgetown Grammar School from 1901-1950, never needing a substitute.   The school was named in her honor in 1948.  The current building was dedicated in 2018.    These photos are posted at the Williamson County Sun site.

On a recent visit to Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve I’d hoped for photos of deer or hummingbirds.   As that didn’t come to fruition, a walk through the park was always nice.   In a dark area near a stream, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron appeared, searching for sustenance.    The light was pleasing, a visual treat.   A casual observer might have passed right on by, but I stopped to record the scene.    It’s what some of us do.

Windmills are a constant presence in our area.   While I photograph them a lot, they’re not always posted for fear you might grow weary of the same subject matter.   Tonight, a few seen in recent weeks.   They are a positive passion.

Most farmers around here call these grain bins.   I identify them as grain elevators.    The farmers know their territory, but “elevators” gives them the elegance they deserve.   These bins, photographed quite a lot, are near Coupland, Texas.