A scene that recently wandered into view.  While I’d stopped for a photo of the barn, a little something extra materialized, a fleeting moment.   Those sheep were focused on the fellow carrying  food, not the guy taking a photo.  

It’s somewhat rare to see a vertical photo posted here, or on my social media sites.   Instagram, for instance, has a tough time with that shape.   Suggested applications to remedy the issue haven’t worked if the post involves a group of photos.  Verticals do, however, seem to work if just posting one picture.   No, I don’t like the dang power lines, but won’t tell you visual lies.

A little community journalism tonight, friends.   Today I enjoyed some smiling faces as Georgetown-area children and families received free backpacks  for the coming school year.   Held at the Carver Center for Families (originally Carver Elementary School), the Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association oversaw the distribution of 776 backpacks at the Community Awareness Fair.    Helping out were volunteers from Georgetown I.S.D., including members of the East View High School football team.   Over 300 of the backpacks were made possible by the Georgetown Police Department.  After getting their backpacks, kids could get free snow cones, or visit a petting zoo from Wild Things Zoofari.   That young lady wasn’t so sure about that Bearded Dragon on her shoulder,  but she decided the little guy was just fine.  The first day of school in Georgetown is August 17th.

When the birds are in Taylor, it’s hard to ignore them.   A few photos from the rookery at Murphy Park.   It’s wonderful to see so many photographers spending time here.   Some travel quite a distance.   Thankfully, we’re just about a mile away.   As mentioned many times, I don’t always get identifications right, but  I looked up the bird pictured in the first couple of photos.   My search says it’s a Reddish Egret, more often seen in marshy areas, but I was glad to see her.   She’s listed as potentially endangered.  Birding friends will jump in and correctly name this bird. They like to do that.    I’m no birder, but they’re amazing beings, particularly at Taylor’s rookery.  

Recently I’ve been listening to soothing music when looking for places that inspire me.  Earlier this week a cornfield tapestry nestled  under a setting sun was just what the doctor ordered while listening to Mark Isham’s 1995 album “Blue Sun.”  This scene is along a road on the cusp of development.   I fear for its possible demise, but will enjoy it while I can.  As long as I’m here. 

Often, when wandering around, I make photos, but let them sit on my computer’s desktop for a long time.   Sometimes a theme might rear its head.  Perhaps horses?  My equestrian knowledge is limited.    I don’t ride them, but they’re elegant subjects.   And smart.  Consider the opening photo, a horse wise enough to find shade on a hot Texas day.   Just some horses, friends.

Thankfully, most combines where I’ve been a passenger have been equipped with air conditioning.   Let’s hope that was true for this farmer harvesting milo last evening north of Norman’s Crossing,   I swear you can almost feel the heat radiated in that field.  The temperature was still over 100 degrees.  This heat wave and dry conditions are miserable for everyone in Texas.  As farm and ranch land gets scooped up for other purposes, we’ll likely see fewer scenes like this.   

There’s something soothing about observing a fly fisherman in his/her element, like watching this angler on the San Gabriel River in Georgetown.    I’ve never been a fancy fisherman, learning to fish in my Great-uncle Harry’s stock pond in Northeast Texas in the late-1950s.   It was a simple thing: a cane pole, line, cork and hook, usually with a worm attached.   But watching fly fishermen is a study in serenity.

A few months ago,  while taking photos at a festival in Georgetown, I spotted a lady walking to the town square toting a raccoon on her shoulder.   It was a natural thing to follow her for a while.   The lady is Kim Fross, a volunteer for All Things Wild Rehabilitation, , a group founded in 2012  that takes care of  sick or injured animals until they can be returned to their natural habitats. It happens that Kim is a fellow Taylor resident who became involved in 2015 when she brought an injured dove to the facility on Havelka Road.   If an animal’s injuries are too serious, they become ambassadors, permanent residents cared for throughout their lives.  And given names.    I spent a few hours there for the Williamson County Sun on Saturday  at their facility a little north of Georgetown, near Walburg.  While there I met fawns, a bobcat kitten, a crow named Edgar Allen Crow, a pelican named Beaudreaux, a gray fox named Bingo and  a Red-tailed hawk called Aries.   A few months ago they began conducting classes to educate the public about care of wild animals.   And where to get help, too.  This Saturday’s class was about raccoons.  The lady getting a kiss from a baby raccoon was the day’s teacher.  The other lady holding a 5-week-old raccoon is Helen Laughlin, a founder of this group.   The monthly classes are free, but you must sign up on their website to reserve a spot.  There were a lot of raccoons in their care right now, most getting to return to natural habitats someday.  River, a raccoon being cuddled by Kim in the last photo, is a permanent resident because of partial blindness.   All Things Wild Rehabilitation  is open every day from 9a.m. – 6p.m., where they accept lost or injured animals.   And yes, they gladly accept donations.

The first photo was taken Sunday evening, when the moon was at just over 95% visibility.  It’s my favorite of tonight’s offerings.  The other two were made in Coupland this evening, when the moon was at 99% visibility.   The moon is always wonderful.