A visit to Taylor’s train yards this week. Amtrak’s evening train makes its way west in the opening photograph. Thankfully, because the light was nicer, Amtrak was nearly three hours behind schedule. Train yards continue to be a favored subject. Light at day’s end can be inspiring. 
A collection of photographs taken this morning on the first day of school at Georgetown’s Annie Purl Elementary School, a beautiful school with 650 students enrolled this year. The opening photo is my favorite, a sweet interchange between a grandma and her 4-year-old Pre-K grandson, providing him words of encouragement as he enters a classroom for the first time. Some shots are given a little help with context. Three of the eleven photos show a 3-year-old hugging the legs of his sister, 7 (today is actually her birthday!) as she settles into her second-grade classroom. Big sister looks back at her family before they leave. And little brother, so well-bonded with sister, doesn’t get why she isn’t coming home with him. Other situations are probably self-explanatory. That’s the principal giving fist-bumps to kids as they arrive. The gigantic mural is a night drone shot of the Georgetown square. I love that the school displays it so well. These first day of school adventures began for me in 1974. With the exception of COVID time, they haven’t been missed. Annie Lee Purl, born in Georgetown in 1877, is the 
school’s namesake. After graduation as valedictorian at Georgetown High School, she studied at Southwestern University. She taught, and was principal at Georgetown Grammar School from 1901-1950, never needing a substitute. The school was named in her honor in 1948. The current building was dedicated in 2018. These photos are posted at the Williamson County Sun site.
On a recent visit to Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve I’d hoped for photos of deer or hummingbirds. As that didn’t come to fruition, a walk through the park was always nice. In a dark area near a stream, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron appeared, searching for sustenance. The light was pleasing, a visual treat. A casual observer might have passed right on by, but I stopped to record the scene. It’s what some of us do. 
Windmills are a constant presence in our area. While I photograph them a lot, they’re not always posted for fear you might grow weary of the same subject matter. Tonight, a few seen in recent weeks. They are a positive passion. 
Most farmers around here call these grain bins. I identify them as grain elevators. The farmers know their territory, but “elevators” gives them the elegance they deserve. These bins, photographed quite a lot, are near Coupland, Texas. 
The things we see when we slow down and look.
For years, my daily walks, mostly in Taylor, were visual points of departure. Tiny landscapes, where the light embraced the landscape.
This offering includes tidbits of what I saw last week on strolls around Taylor. Friends on social media have seen these subjects for a while, but they don’t usually find their way to the pages of the Sun. Let’s change that this time, shall we?
Daily walks are meant to be exercise, mildly aerobic outings to stimulate the heart.
Years ago, when transitioning from runner to walker, I’d see things in a new way. When running, it was all about keeping the pace. For a while, a cell phone served as a camera, but its telephoto capabilities, at least with mine, were limiting. A little over three years ago, however, preparing for cataract procedures, my surgeon suggested I put the large cameras to rest for a couple of weeks, to give his work time to progress. Just before the surgeries, a visit to the local camera store in Austin led to purchase of a used Olympus camera, no larger than my smartphone. Also purchased was a tiny zoom lens, a Panasonic Lumix, with far better reach than the phone. Since then, a small mirrorless camera accompanies me on every stroll.
Subjects on these walks include both plants and animals, occasionally inspirational skies, and snippets of water flowing through parks and streams. None are really what one would call photojournalism, but inspirational to me. Leaves, flowers, trees, herons, egrets, turtles, and even squirrels. Sometimes even people. Since these outings are meant to be exercise, little time is spent on a subject. Ventures into the prairie countryside with my Nikons take longer, a given.
Sometimes these walks are done in Georgetown, but usually when an assignment there makes daily walks at home difficult.
Am I getting enough actual exercise on these walks? Probably not, but it’s a good way to follow the light. That matters. 
A friend, now in her 90s, has been a part of Bartlett’s First United Methodist Church for most of her life. A window there was named in her honor. This is, however, about the light. Sometimes, when the day’s last rays fall on its west-facing facade, it just glows. The windows are always splendid. My friend has a window honoring her. I’ve been in its sanctuary, the essence of peace. But tonight, just this view near sunset this week. 
A full moon shines over grain elevators just west of Taylor, Texas tonight. 
Since it’s a been a while, a visit to New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church was worthwhile last evening. After a detail of its elegant facade, observing sunset was nice. With the sun sank into the west I changed locations for a moonrise. When the moon photograph was made, it was at 98.4% visibility. As this is written, we have a full moon, but it looked great last night. They say this is the most photographed church in Texas. My cameras have snapped quite a few photos there. That 104-foot spire is always inspiring. 
Most of my daily drives have been north and east of Taylor. While there are a few fields of cotton growing, it’s mostly blooms so far. Then this week a drive to Southeast Williamson County produced these photographs. Cotton bolls are here! Hopefully, the crops will prosper. We have some magnificent farmers here who can make it happen. 
