This small collection is from a few nights back, taken at Taylor’s Bull Branch Park.   Just some water, plus some trees seen in the waves.   Simple stuff.

Anyone out there old enough to remember “Mary Poppins,” the 1964 movie starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke?    Among the most memorable songs was “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”    That’s exactly what this Taylor family decided to do last evening.   Some traditions  are still with us.   

As soon as wildflower season arrives it’s a given I’ll stop by Georgetown’s Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery & Prayer Gardens.   These six photos were taken there Sunday evening.  The bluebonnets appear to be growing in number.   Other weeds will eventually overwhelm our state flower.   There’s no time like the present to enjoy them.   A friendly canine happened to stroll by for a look, too.   Since she was wearing a collar, I hope she made it safely home.

After a long day on the square in Georgetown I returned Saturday morning for the city’s Market Days.    Although a variety of things were photographed, this post focuses entirely on some of the animals I got to see.  One of the exhibitors, All Things Wild Rehabilitation, brought along several of the animals in their care.  This Georgetown-based group takes in animals with health issues with a goal of returning them to the wild.   If their problems are too severe, the good folks at All Things Wild take care of them for life.  There’s a raccoon named River, who has severe vision issues, but he loves a lady named Kim.  They’re well-bonded.  An opossum called Beetlejuice is completely blind.  He also has a friend in Kim.   There’s Daffy, an affectionate skunk feeling safe in the arms of James.    A newborn squirrel is fed milk via a syringe by Becky.   Sam is a screech owl who seems content to just stare at his surroundings.   The last photo is of a 5-year-old Ball Python called Nemo.   Nemo and his human weren’t part of the All Things Wild group, just here to enjoy the day.   Nemo, a gentle reptile, seemed to love the attention.

A followup to Friday night’s post from Williamson County’s 175th Birthday celebration held in Georgetown, Texas.   A little of this and that, but do take note of Round Rock Ballet Folkorico, an amazing dance troupe.

Although I spent most of the day photographing activities associated with the 175th Anniversary of Williamson County, Texas, tonight I’ll just  offer photos taken during the grand finale, held on the Georgetown square.  A laser light show adorned the east side of the Williamson County Courthouse, built in 1910, opened the next year.   The last photo is my friend David Valdez, a fellow photographer who was watching the light show from a nearby window.   He contributes much to this county, and to photography.

For years I’ve admired this baseball field in the community of Granger, a town of a little over 1500 nestled in the heart of the Blackland Prairie.   It’s been especially nice to see under the lights.   Tonight, while moseying through the area, those lights got my attention. Arriving, I found a Boys’ 12U baseball team conducting a practice under the stars.    This weekend we return to Daylight Savings Time in most of the country.  These photos, taken a little before 7p.m. tonight, won’t be possible next week.   Some embrace the  time change. Remember, however, it will be pretty dark early in the morning.   I wish our country would stick with one time or the other, all year long.   This back and forth stuff can’t be good for us.  Many know this, but I’m partial to the serenity of night light. 

My last post was a serious one, something not often done, but it was an important subject that needs to be noticed.   Tonight, however, some lighter fare.   Ducks.  Taylor, our current home, notices ducks.   The high school mascot is a duck.   And our community is adorned with them, both in parks and neighborhoods near those parks.  These photos are all from last evening at Bull Branch Park.  After yesterday’s fentanyl assignment, I didn’t feel like traveling.   The park is close.   I spent an hour observing our town’s favorite birds.   New additions are beginning to pop up everywhere.   Spring is a time for bluebonnets, but also ducklings.    It was a peaceful evening with the ducks. 

This morning I was asked to cover a fentanyl awareness event/press conference at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor.  The session was coordinated by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.  Normally, I’d say no to this, but decided it was a crisis that needs to be covered.   A few speakers shared their stories of loss to those gathered, mostly families who’d been personally impacted.  A mom used a sugar substitute packet to demonstrate how little it takes to end a person’s life.    I wasn’t going to post this here, or on social media, but after it was over,  several attendees made a point of thanking me for bringing attention to the problem, reason enough to share it with you tonight.

For tonight’s full moon, I remembered my Circleville ranching friend mentioning how her resilient mesquite tree survived our recent ice storm.  Sure enough, it looked battered, but strong-willed this evening as the moon shone overhead.   The others are just lunar scenes from the ranch.   This one’s called a Worm Moon.