Watch these posts long enough and you’ll likely see a return to things that engage me. I pass by here often, but last evening, with clouds moving in before heavy rain, combined with a healthy corn crop? The shutter clicked a few times. It is what it is. 
If memory serves, last year I didn’t post any magnolia bloom photos, but will do so tonight. Some Taylor friends have two trees in their yard. Our winter ice storm took a toll on the larger tree, but the smaller one is doing just fine. As you know, I like to explore the subject matter. There’s no single photo. 
Tonight, a few photos recently taken in downtown Taylor, the town where we live. When possible, I try to stay close to home. Racking up the miles on a car is problematic. The post begins with a group crossing Main Street on an evening bike ride, followed by a photo of the now-closed Howard Theater, also on Main Street. The building is for sale now, but I wish they’d find a way to return to showing movies, or perhaps turning it into a performing arts venue? There’s a statue of Taylor native Bill Pickett, at the corner of 2nd and Main. Mr. Pickett invented the rodeo sport called bulldogging, also known as steer wrestling. The statue was created by Taylor artist Adam Davenport. A little over two years ago the Taylor arts community presented their Painted Pianos project. I think there were four nicely-adorned upright pianos around town. Now I think three of them remain. The one shown here is along 2nd Street. The others don’t need explanations. If I were asked to choose a favorite photo, it would be the piano. 
Sometimes I just want to be quiet and still, not chasing after an elusive photograph. That’s what I was feeling late this afternoon as I sat on a rock outcropping, simply watching the water flow through a section of Brushy Creek, listening to the constant flow over the rocks. 
A sign nearby says this site near the Chisholm Trail was used for baptisms beginning in the mid-1800s. For me, it’s just peaceful.
A bit after sunrise this morning I was in Georgetown for the 20th Red Poppy Bike Ride, coordinated by the Georgetown Sertoma Club. The event included rides from 14 to 100 miles in length. These are just a snippet of what I saw, but am fond of the first couple of photos. In the first one, Sebastian, 8, gets his bike ready for a 28-mile ride with his mom while dad (in background) prepares for a 40-mile ride. The second photo is Sebastian preparing to start the ride with mom at his side. The relationship between mom and son was pretty evident, but the pendant she wore was beautiful. “There’s this boy who stole my heart. He calls me Mom.” I love that. The rest are a bit of this and that, including cyclists going by a thriving wheat field, plus one passing by Walburg’s St. Peter Lutheran Church. 
A photo taken minutes after sunrise today as mist formed over the San Gabriel River near Georgetown. Rivers are naturally-occurring gifts worthy of respect and care. The first Earth Day was held on this date in 1970, just before I graduated from high school. Honoring Mother Earth is worthwhile. And important. 
Some bird photos from walks this week in Taylor. Many of these walks course through the city parks where they tend to congregate. If you follow these posts you know that walk photos were taken with a very light Olympus camera. The photos are usually made quickly so I can continue the daily exercise routine, 
By the time I left the house this evening the skies were getting seriously dark. Soon the darkness gave way to lots of rain. These storms can be ominous-looking. That’s Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Wutrich Hill in the first photo. As this is written, the rain’s still coming down, but it’s a little calmer. I was glad to see a couple of farmers making their way home tonight. I appreciate farmers. 
These photos are from a recent outing in Thorndale, Texas, a community about 20 minutes east of Taylor via U.S. 79. It’s mostly in Milam County, but apparently there’s a smidgen in neighboring Williamson County. The community was actually founded 3 miles west of here in 1878, but moved to its current location two years later. The community of a bit under 1300 (from 2021 figures) has a lot of rural Texas charm, including a traditional Main Street running north to south through town. I’ve been here many times since returning to Texas, but try to present photos in a different way each time. Several years ago, I was honored to meet Mr. Butts, owner of a Main Street store. Seeing me taking photos, he stepped outside to visit. So many folks in recent years have been ornery at the sight of my camera. How else is one to record an area? It’s history, friends. These eight are just my impressions on this particular evening. 
Coupland, a Williamson County community of 300 a few miles south of Taylor, is home to Jim Huntington, an incredible sculptor who has lived here since the early 1990s. Born in Elkhart, Indiana in 1941, Jim lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and New York before finding a more peaceful place on the prairie. His massive stone and metal sculptures fill me with wonder. If you visit Coupland, you must see his sculpture garden. Now in his 8th decade, Jim has begun to scale back on the larger pieces, but many are there for all to see. It’s our Backland Prairie version of Stonehenge. As a photographer, I like how light and shadow grace the surfaces of his creations. That’s really all you see in this post. Light and shadow. The photographer’s shadow is included in one of these. Jim lives next to his sculptures. When I happen to see him outside, we visit for a while. Otherwise, I give him his space. Like me, he’s a reader. He likes the quiet times. I love his talent. 
