These photos were taken along the same country road a week ago, before the nightly dousing of much-needed rain.   Rather than let them sit on my desktop gathering virtual moss, I decided to toss them out there.   This is an east-west road that resides in both Williamson and Travis Counties, not far from home.  

Those who earn their living predicting the weather often miss by a mile.   Late Sunday afternoon, I thought it might be a good time for a sunset photo near Granger.   The forecast was for 10-20% rain chances.   Pulling into downtown Granger, however,  massive dark clouds came rolling in from the north.    Winds picked up, playing havoc with American flags on West Davilla Street.   A couple toppled over.   I tried to stand them up, but Mother Nature was having none of that.  A young man going into the post office looked my way, shrugged and summed it up nicely.  “Hey, it’s Texas!”   Indeed.   The quality of light during a storm, however, adds something special.    We’ll have more sunsets, but storms sometimes bring us rain.   We like that here.

A Parish Bazaar was held today at Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in Granger, Texas.   I’ve attended this several times through the years.   It’s alway rewarding.   I only wish there was a way to record the aroma of the brisket and sausages smoked in those pits!   The bazaar always gets noticed, not just in Granger.   People come from all over the Central Texas area to partake of plates loaded with barbecue, dressing, potatoes and gravy and green beans.   For those who prefer to take it with them, a to-go line is there to help.  At first, a 2-year-old dining with her family wasn’t enamored with the offerings at all, but once she tried the sausage, all was good.     Some of the members arrive the day before to oversee the pits.  One gentleman told me this morning he’d arrived at 5p.m. Saturday, not sleeping a wink since  then.   Before leaving, I happened on an 18-month-old sleeping soundly on dad’s shoulders, oblivious to everything going on around him.  His parents said he’d partake later.   First, some beauty sleep!  The bazaar concludes tonight with a dance at the church recreation center.   I’d be there, too, but need a bit of rest! 

Just a quick one taken this evening in our front yard, a First Quarter moon, 53.8% visibility.   It’s been a busy day.

As it often happens, I just go out and wander.   Early this morning, I wandered with the hope of finding folks enjoying their Labor Day weekend.    It’s been rainy for a while, but it hasn’t deterred a soul.   First thing this morning, I found fishermen on the water at Granger Lake, a gentle mist  coming down.   Heading to Georgetown from there (these two photos fall at the end of the post)  I saw quite a few serious cyclists traversing the hills east of Granger, which turned out to be a group of triathletes training with Austin-based NVDM Coaching, a company that trains triathletes to be their best.   Their rides this morning were from 40-100 miles in length, but with rest and equipment stops along the way.   Coming into Georgetown, I stopped by Berry Springs Park & Preserve, where I found a dad teaching his 7-year-old the finer points of riding his bike.   Dad is a gentle teacher.   Pushing on, I came to another lake, Lake Georgetown, where I saw more cyclists rolling along the hike-and-bike trail over the lake’s dam.   The post ends with families and friends having a good time at that lake.   Lakes and bikes, friends.  

A Waxing Gibbous moon, 42.6 % visibility, shines over the rookery at Taylor’s Murphy Park on Friday, September 2, 2022.   Although small, the moon makes itself known.

Today marks the opening of dove-hunting season in our area of Texas.   Just before storms moved into the area this evening, I found a group of hunters at their site in Taylor, one grilling up the fruits of his labor for an evening meal.   The others are generic storm photos from this evening.

We’ve had another soaking rain this afternoon and evening.   I did see a few bolts of lightning.  Let’s hope no damage was incurred.    This group of four begins in Taylor this afternoon, when clouds and rain moved over Williamson County Grain.   From there, it was onto Milam County, into the area around Apache Pass.   That truss bridge spanning Brushy Creek was renovated a few years ago.   It looks very nice.  

Just some photos taken with my Olympus during a rainy walk on Tuesday.    The dark clouds in the opening photo include a turkey vulture.   A weatherproof camera would be handy on days like this.

In the past couple weeks we’ve had blessed rain.   While not enough to put a  significant dent in the ongoing drought, every little bit helps.    Portions of the San Gabriel River are being replenished.   This evening, a father and daughter took advantage of the added moisture along the San Gabriel River.   Precipitation  is  expected  to continue into the weekend.   Let’s hope it’s a gentle rain.