For a long time, I thought it was one fat tree on that hill south of Bartlett.   Upon closer inspection, I learned this is actually two trees!    They do pair well together though.   Just another sunset, friends.

Seen last evening on the way home from a bit of wandering.   A hectic day made better by its relaxing conclusion.

Sometimes, without planning a post, a theme emerges.    This time it’s tractors.   Vintage tractors.   These are some taken recently.   The opening photo shows an Oliver tractor nestled in a stand of woods near Beyersville.   The second image was made a few miles east of Taylor.  Oliver began in the mid-1850s as the Oliver Chilled Plow Company, later manufacturing their first tractor in 1929.   That  Indiana company is relegated to history.   International Harvester Company introduced their Farmall Regular in 1924.   In 1985, the company eliminated their agricultural division.  John Deere tractors continues to this day.   The Illinois-based company built the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837.   Their first completed tractor came along in 1924.    I have no idea the age of any tractors shown here, but suffice it to say they’ve been around a while.   Several of these photos were made along the sidewalk at Granger’s Precision Ag Repair.  Maybe the ones out front are for sale, but they’re nice to see, a testament to our country’s agricultural roots. 

Here’s the thing, friends.  It’s my sense you likely can’t care less about the camera used.    You either care for a photo or you don’t.    Since I started taking a little Olympus camera on daily walks, however, sharing them has merit for me.    These are some from recent strolls, all in Taylor.   No image takes long to shoot.   Mentioned before, but it’s supposed to be exercise.   Just some snapshots, more to come later.

The days, thankfully, are getting shorter.   I know what you’re thinking, friends.   You prefer those days filled with sunlight.   There’s nothing wrong with the sun.  I photograph a version of it pretty often.    But the light that comes along after sunset has an elegance.   That’s just an opinion.   Grain elevators well past sunset last evening.  

Just another recent sunset photo near New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church, a few miles north of Manor, Texas.    Mentioned a few times before, but when moving back to Texas in 2009, I was taking a quieter road to Austin.  Looking to my left, I saw that spire, filling the sky with majesty.  That spire is a beacon.   We’d just got here from an area filled with traffic, overdevelopment and smoggy air.   Even now, thirteen years later, it’s still neat to see that spire.

Taylor held its Patriot Day observance this evening to remember those lost during the events of September 11, 2001.   A parade concluded with a program at Heritage Square Park.   Most photos are self-explanatory.   The ringing of the bell has become a tradition to honor first responders who have died.  The young lady holding a trumpet had just played Taps near the program’s conclusion.   A mom holds her 1-year-old during  the closing prayer.  

Georgetown first responders have held their 9/11 commemoration, the Memorial Stair Climb, each year since 2011 at the Georgetown ISD Athletic Complex.   Participants walk the bleacher’s steps to approximately match the number of steps first responders had to make in the World Trade Center towers on that day.   I arrived early enough this morning to see a sunrise over the stadium, plus the moon still holding its own for a few minutes before setting.   The couple in the moon photo are both Air Force retirees, doing the climb for the first time this year.  Thankfully, it wasn’t as hot as some previous years, but warm enough.  Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from Pack 151 and Troop 151 were there to hand out hydration drinks too walkers.   In the last photo, a fire department Battalion Chief spends time with his 20-month-old grandson after completing his climb.   The little guy was overwhelmed by all the activity, but grandpa was there to smooth things over.  

Once a moon phase has passed “Full Moon,” I move on.   Tonight, however, I observed a Waning Gibbous moon, 99.3% visibility, rising over the Taylor train yards.   Just trying something different.

A full moon hovered over the stadium at Taylor High School tonight during their game with Robinson High.   I have no idea who won, but the moon is always a winner.