Driving by Murphy Park tonight, I was glad to see the little island in the lake at Murphy Park covered with egrets, plus a few cormorants.   Every year since 2010, I’ve looked forward to the return of the egrets as they begin new families.   This year, however, they were a bit late.   Presented tonight are some photos taken there last evening.   A number of longtime Taylorites aren’t fond of this protected species.   Sorry, folks, I love seeing them.  They are graceful.  And elegant.

You might recall me purchasing an inexpensive Olympus mirrorless camera and two lenses late last year when I had my cataract surgeries.   The equipment was purchased used from Precision Camera in Austin for $600.    Although I soon returned to my Nikons, the Olympus joins me on every walk, replacing the smartphone as my camera of choice.   Presented here are some recent snapshots around Taylor, beginning with an early-morning sunrise photo at Bull Branch Park.   The walks are always in town, either in Taylor or Georgetown.   For the rural scenes, my Nikons serve me well.

As Williamson County roads get more crowded, I sometimes venture to other areas for a bit of stress reduction.   These four photos were taken on a Thursday evening drive through Southern Bell County, in areas east of Bartlett.   It’s nice to be able to find places where I’m not overrun by traffic headaches.     Growth is inevitable, but I don’t have to like it.

The simple theme for these three photos?  All are images with a Taylor address, but good evening light connects them, too.   I’ll leave it at that.

They’re saying it’s not a very good year for wildflowers, but I am seeing a few.   A good example are the ones I happened to see this week near Noack, Texas.   Texas Bluebonnets, now getting some colorful company from Castilleja indivisa, more commonly referred to as Texas Indian paintbrush.  As each wildflower season comes around, I try to ignore them, but they just keep reeling me into their orbit.   

Photos tonight are from rural outposts in two Central Texas counties.  The opening photo was taken in Travis County.   Although home to Austin, this bit of Travis County is just a few miles from our home in Taylor.   The second image is a few miles east of Granger.    Farm country, friends.

Before they’re swept away by bigger weeds, I thought it a good idea to post bluebonnet photos when seeing something worthwhile.   Bluebonnets don’t always show up at the same place, but they appear to thrive each year in front of this old barn near Jonah.     Other wildflowers are coming soon.  Hopefully, they’ll find their way to this site. 

Spring in farm country.   Three photos offered tonight, from three counties near us.  The opening image was taken tonight, a sunset in northeast Travis County.   The second photo is a beautiful field of corn in Milam County.  The last photo, wheat beginning to thrive in Williamson County.    It’s a beautiful bit of Texas.

Well before dawn this morning, I was on the road to Georgetown to cover a bike ride.   My usual route from Taylor takes me past the San Gabriel River and a long-retired truss bridge spanning the water.   This photo was made thirty minutes before sunrise, when blue time was still with us.   This road can be busy at times.   A lot of folks know this route.  At 6:45a.m., it was quiet.  I was able to step out of my car to take this photo.  Ideally, I’d have used a tripod and lower ISO, not a good idea this time.  A few years ago, this was one of the darkest areas in East Williamson County, Texas.  I actually spent a night sitting on that bridge, trying for a meteor shower photo.  It didn’t work out so well, but not for lack of trying.  Since then, a fuel storage facility has opened nearby, bringing with it a good bit of light pollution.   It looked good this morning. 

So this morning I’m looking for safe places to pull over and photograph participants in a bike ride that began in Georgetown.   The map indicated I’d see a few along a stretch of road north of Walburg.   After finding a good spot to catch the action, I was joined by the fellow pictured here, seemingly owning the road.  After a few minutes I gave up on this spot, encouraging Mr. Chicken to go home.   Still hoping to find some cyclists, I looked over a detailed map with a constable who was directing traffic, assuring me the cyclists would  be pedaling along the chicken’s road.   Once again, I drove back to the same secure spot and parked.   My greeter  left the security of his yard for a second  visit.   The constable guessed the chicken thought I was toting food. The dang cyclists never did show up. In rural Texas, free range takes on new meaning.