Seen during my morning walk through Taylor’s Bull Branch Park. The resident ducks and geese were patiently nibbling grains from the young man’s hands. The city’s parks staff prefers that residents not feed them, but the birds were gentle and kind to their benefactor. 
My daily walks don’t usually lend themselves to sweeping landscapes, but they do provide opportunities for close-in botanical photos. Tonight, just a few of those images. So far, the walks include my little Olympus camera. The micro four-thirds systems are noticeably lighter than anything else on the market. I like my Nikons, but use the best tool for the moment. 
If you look at the weather forecast this weekend here, you won’t find a mention of rain, but when I left the house late this afternoon, we got about a dozen drops. Clouds developed over Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. A color version was okay, but black-and-white seemed right this time. 
One one of those evening wanderings this week, I saw this. At first, I passed it by, then quickly drove around the block for a photo. The warmth of a lamp, friends. 
I’ve always admired the juxtaposition of grain elevators and sports activities at Taylor’s Fannie Robinson Park. For a while I watched a softball game. Then a youthful basketball player happened along. 
In the past few years night photography has become a passion.
From last evening, about 30 minutes before sunset, the sun intense. Autumn began a little over an hour later. Today’s high in Taylor is 100 degrees. For now, Autumn is a suggestion. 
Minutes before the Autumnal Equinox arrived at 8:03p.m. Central Daylight Time tonight, golden sunlight lights the windows of Noack’s Christ Lutheran Church. Today’s high was 100 degrees. 
This was yet another time when I was looking for something else, but put it on the back shelf for another day. There’s an area near Granger Lake where deer roam freely. They’re mostly shy, preferring to stay in wooded areas, but sometimes they’ll dart across the road. It’s always a good idea to watch your speed when driving into Friendship Park. The deer population in the park is protected from hunters. During my years in metro-Atlanta, Red Top Mountain State Park was also a protected area, but the area became so overrun with them, the state allowed a controlled hunt before they starved to death. I have no idea how these deer are faring, but for now, they’re in safe territory. Except for motorists. 
Who can advise the name of this crop, noticed late yesterday afternoon outside Granger, Texas? I have some knowledge of what’s planted here, but this colorful field really got my attention. It seemed like a good offering on this first day of Autumn. The colors aren’t manipulated, friends. And that Blackland Prairie soil really stands out! 
Photographing birds is enriching. A number of friends spend copious amounts of time learning the nomenclature. I just take photos. Others can fill us in. For instance, that’s a hawk in the opening photo, passing near Thrall. It’s enough to know that. And that pair in the second photo are turkey vultures, patiently waiting for something edible. They’re visiting Granger. Just birds. 
