Three recent photographs I need to move off the desktop. All (I hope) invoke a quite feeling. The opening photo is from East Williamson County, the center one from Bell County, and the last one is far northeast Travis County. None are more than 30 minutes from our Taylor home. 
From wanderings on Monday and this evening, just some (hopefully) quiet scenes from the Blackland Prairie. Included: a hay bale catches the evening light in front of a field of cotton beginning to thrive, the most vibrant milo (grain sorghum) I’ve seen in years, and a nice country road from this evening. 
One of the churches I love seeing is New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church, tucked away a few miles north of Manor, Texas, in Travis County, home to Austin. This two-photo post opens with a sunset. The second photo aligns with what I saw for the first time, in 2009, the year we returned to Texas. The 108-foot tall copper spire could clearly be seen from a distance. After stressful years in Atlanta traffic, it was good to see. It still is. 
Although in recent years my work is evolving into documenting disappearing places and things, there’s still a need for journalism in the toolkit. One of the most interesting aspects for newspaper photographers is the variety of subject matter that comes our way. This weekend is a good example, covering rodeo on Friday night, followed by the Taylor Pride Festival on Saturday. Although quite different, both merit representation. Taylor Pride, formed in 2020 by Denise Rodgers (with support from many friends), was held Saturday afternoon and evening at Heritage Square Park. Pride events anywhere in the country attract not just supporters, but those with opposing views. Allow me to open this post with a quiet photo that needs background. Both subjects are active in their churches. The gentleman was here to support a close family member who needed a caring ear. The young lady attends a church with a different viewpoint. But the thing that impressed me was that they sat together for at least an hour, just sharing their thoughts. Disagreeing, perhaps, but without the turbulence. Elsewhere in this post you’ll see a more stressful situation when someone opposed to the gathering stood on the lawn, soon surrounded by attendees who didn’t like his views. For what it’s worth, when people try to cover up something, I’m on it in a heartbeat. Pride organizers had every right to be there, but so did the demonstrators. The last photo included shows Denise Rodgers sharing a hug with daughter Emma, who was also celebrating her 21st birthday on Saturday. Perhaps I’m offering too many words, but sometimes it’s good to remind readers/viewers that journalists, particularly photojournalists, are tasked with casting wide nets. It’s what we do. 
It was a productive, but hot Friday night for the 79th Annual Williamson County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo, now held in Jarrell, Texas. Rodeo is always something I look forward to documenting. As the years advance, it becomes more challenging to get the kind of storytelling photos I want, but it continues to be a rewarding pursuit. And it’s a whole lot of fun! The little girl at the end of this post would agree. 
For all the years (several decades) away from Texas I had this stereotyped image of folks riding their horses here and yonder. When returning, however, we learned that people do actually ride horses here! As in this scene taken last evening, two riders continuing their outing after resting under a little shade tree at the Manda School, tucked away in the northeast portion of Travis County. Manda School is a few miles north of Manor, in the New Sweden area. The two-room schoolhouse was built in 1915, in a community that began in the mid-1880s. It eventually taught kids in grades 1-12 before closing in 1963. For years, it’s been used as a community center. A few years ago I made photos inside and out as volunteers spruced it up. Not long ago, however, the school was vandalized. Hopefully, this little bit of Texas culture will be kept intact. There’s little left of Manda, Texas today, but the school remains. And sometimes a few horses. 
Grain Sorghum, also known as milo, is currently spread across many Blackland Prairie acres right now. Depending on how long it’s been growing, it might be yellow, orange or even a little red. Most of the grain sorghum you see is used for livestock feed, but some makes its way to other countries as a grain for human consumption. Apparently, it has a low gluten content. It’s a major crop in Texas, also Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska and South Dakota. I just like photographing it. And birds are big fans, too! That sunset photo that opens this post is from Beyersville, an area I like a lot. 
Just like that, temperatures dropped by almost 30 degrees tonight when a series of storms rolled through East Williamson County. With all the lightning strikes I’m surprised we still have power in Taylor. No lightning photos, those are a bit noisy for me. 
It’s odd to think that 9:57 a.m. Central Daylight Time is considered the start of summer. Summer temperatures arrived here two months ago. Now it’s really dang hot, triple digits galore. That aside, I decided to mark the official Summer Solstice during my morning walk today. Just some tiny landscapes. 
Since someone mentioned Beyerville’s Mager Cemetery a few years ago, I make the occasional journey there to take in the views. The person who told me about it was one of the people who helps maintain the grounds. On this recent visit flags adorned burial sites as the sun begin to go down in the distance. If memory serves, the volunteers place flags near Flag Day, where they remain through July 4th. It’s a nice setting. Also included is a closer version of the sunset, just because I like it. If you look closely at the main photo, you’ll see a collection of construction cranes in the distance at left. That’s the site of the Samsung Semiconductor plant, scheduled to open next year. Even miles away, the chip plant’s presence squeezes into the landscape. 
