Any commentary would be a moot point tonight, my friends.   It’s simply a sunset in Bell County, Texas.  

Taylor friends Deby and Mike Lannen have been raising Texas Longhorns for years.   When there’s a newborn, Deby will make sure I know about the new family member.   The most recent addition is Oreo, only weeks old, born to Lacie and Rocky.   Deby’s granddaughter named the calf Oreo because she was black and white at birth.   Recently, the black has become brown, but she’s still Oreo.   It took forever for Oreo go get close to mama, but it finally happened just before the day’s last light faded away.   She almost looks black and white in that photo, but it’s just how light works.

These photos were taken during  the  last few  morning walks in Taylor, each made at Bull Branch Park.   Bull Branch Creek courses through the park.   When I can get photos without an excessive amount of algae, it’s a good day.   All shots were taken with an older model Olympus OM-D E-M5, equipped with a Lumix 45-150mm zoom.   In the micro 4/3 world, that translates to 90-300mm.   It’s nice to travel light while walking.  

When we moved to Taylor in 2009, our attraction to the town 32 miles northeast of Austin was the simple fact that it looked like a town, not suburban sprawl.  We had that for almost three decades in metro-Atlanta.   When we first returned, however, I was still a pretty active road cyclist.   Scenes like the one offered this evening  put me in a good state of mind.    There was room to spread out.   I soon determined this area had to be documented. Tonight’s cyclists probably know that feeling.   I hope we get to keep some of our space.

When we moved to the area in summer 2009, I have this memory of driving east from Hutto on U.S. 79, then seeing a beautiful little church atop a hill on my right.   That was Immanuel Lutheran Church, one I’ve since photographed probably hundreds of times since then.  A former pastor once showed me a Texas Monthly edition adorned with this church as its cover.   Immanuel Lutheran Church was formed by German immigrants in the mid-1880s.   Five acres was purchased for $100 in 1892.  Two years later, a church was built on the site for $1525.00  On January 1, 1916 a fire destroyed the original church.   Another sanctuary, the one pictured here, opened in August of that year.   The first burial in their cemetery, behind the church,  occurred in 1889.   The historic site, along County Road 401, just west of Taylor, will soon have a new neighbor, the Samsung Semiconductor factory, scheduled to open sometime next year.    Even now, I still see that little church on drives from Hutto, but it’s hard to not see the other thing.   Growth is inevitable, but are we evolving?   The question remains.

For the first time in decades, my health isn’t good on this day.   I won’t go into details, no need for that.   For the first time in 40-plus years, a part of July 4th was spent in the emergency room.   By early-evening, medications beginning to help, I wandered out outside for a short while, photographing one of the first windmills I saw in here in 2009, followed by youngsters cycling past American flags in downtown Taylor this evening.

With all the recent  clouds and haze (but not a speck of rain), I didn’t expect to see tonight’s full moon.   Thankfully, it made a brief appearance before being absorbed by clouds.   This is over grain elevators at a Taylor farm I  have documented for years.

A followup to Saturday’s post from Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve.   I arrived at the park Saturday morning, really too late to spot any wandering deer, but it was time well-spent watching butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies and hummingbirds.   After close to 90 minutes in the warm Texas sun, I ventured toward my air-conditioned car,  but on the way there was this  young fellow with some of the best hair seen in quite a while!    Introducing myself to mom and dad, I asked if it was okay to take his photo.   They graciously granted permission.  When explaining what I’d been photographing, dad thought his little man would like to take a look, too.   He was more  fascinated  with grasshoppers than anything else, but also relaxing under some shady trees.   He’s in the opening photo, also the last one.    This park is a wonderful space.

Sunflowers are one of summer’s pleasures in the south and southwest.   I honestly don’t care much for summer where we live, but sunflowers are elegant.   They can be the large ones, or smaller ones growing wild all around us.    These flowers bring smiles to many of us.  I’d just about decided not to photograph them this year, but a morning trip to Georgetown’s Berry Springs  Park & Preserve changed my mind.   An upcoming holiday prompted the opening photo.   The hope of rain is tickling the Central Texas ivories tonight. Let it happen, please.

A simple photo tonight, a duckling making its way through the water at Taylor’s Murphy Park.