Just in time for Georgetown’s Red Poppy Festival next weekend,  red poppies are beginning to show up all over town.   Presented here are shots taken this week in the Sunken Garden at San Gabriel Park, also Edwards Park, at 7th and Ash Streets.   Georgetown is the Red Poppy Capital of Texas.  A little history is in order.   World War I veteran Henry Purl “Okra” Compton was taken with the bright red poppies in France.  Knowing his mother, Maggie, was an avid gardener, Compton toted a sack of poppy seeds home from the war.   Mom sowed the seeds in her front yard, at 507 East 7th Street. Soon the space was covered with poppies.   The flower really took off in 1989-90, when residents began spreading the seeds all over town.   Now, if folks don’t mow them down, they pop right up.   I think they’re wonderful.

Just a quick batch, photos taken of tonight’s Waxing Gibbous moon, 96.3 % visibility.  Included is Immanuel Lutheran Church, plus a different take on an old barn I’ve photographed for a few years.   Photos are in Taylor.

These are from a short drive to Rice’s Crossing Cemetery, a small cemetery a few miles south of Taylor, less than a mile from the Travis County line.   Some of these regal old burial sites are well-maintained, but this one is experiencing some hard times.   The grass is almost knee-high in places.   Areas surrounded by ornamental iron fencing appear to be empty.  One section of fence has a sign: Beware of Dog.   Before leaving, however, I spent some time photographing wildflowers that adorn the site.  They are (I think) called Evening Primrose.   You’ll probably pay more attention to the flower images, but I’ll continue to pay close attention to what’s happening to places in our area.  

A few weeks ago we had turbulent weather that produced several tornados in Central Texas.   Tonight, we’ve been under a tornado watch in areas of the Blackland Prairie.   Thankfully, as this is written at 10p.m., all is well.   Just some photos of storm clouds in East Williamson and Bell Counties.  

These files have been sitting on my computer’s desktop for a few weeks.    This is Christ Lutheran Church, in Noack, Texas.   It’s an area not overrun by development.   So far, anyway.

As long as they keep popping up, I’ll keep recording them.   A field of Texas Bluebonnets under a canopy of clouds near Wuthrich Hill.

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.