One of my ramblings this week took me Granger Lake. There I found a dad enjoying an afternoon of fishing with his sons, ages 6 and 22. He likes the peaceful mood he gets when coming here. With Father’s Day this weekend, this seemed like a good post to offer. 
I guess it’s a week for trees and sunsets, plus a few birds. Advance apologies, but when I see something that catches my eye, a picture might be snapped. Or a couple. A little east of Granger, Texas last evening. That’s probably some Saharan dust adding to the warmth. 
Via a friend’s post, I learned that today is Nature Photography Day. These recent evening photos from Taylor’s Bull Branch Park were my planned post this evening, but it’s nice to have a theme. Most of my daily walks lead through here. Nature thrives close to home. 
It was a stellar end to a very warm day in Taylor, Texas. Today is Flag Day in the United States. Around here, you might also see a state flag included. 
These two were taken tonight along the same road east of Granger. Just minutes apart. The goal was a full moon photo, but why pass up a glorious sunset? The so-called Strawberry Moon doesn’t show up in our area until nearly 10p.m. Tuesday. I’ll be happy with 99.7% visibility tonight. 
A photo from one of my recent daily walks in Taylor. This Night Heron was so focused on finding a fish she ignored me completely. I like when that happens. This is one of those images taken with my little Olympus camera. I really like its lightness. Now if I can just understand why a bird I see in morning is called a Night Heron! 
Though I said there was only one post tonight, a gathering of wild sunflowers changed my mind. Seen along an unpaved road between Hutto and Norman’s Crossing, they were joined by a Waxing Gibbous moon, at almost 97% visibility, plus a good sunset. If you look closely, the last image shows the moon over Shiloh-McCutcheon Cemetery, at the end of that same road. 
Just this one tonight, friends. I always like these cows, but the warm early-evening light made it worth a post. 
As this is written (8:40pm Central Daylight Time) our temperature has “dropped” to 93 degrees after a day’s high of 102. 104 is predicted for Sunday. I went out today to see how folks were doing in Georgetown. My first stop was Market Days, where I saw two sisters finding a spot of shade to relax along Main Street. A young lady was using an old-fashioned parasol to keep the rays off. A 4-year-old enjoyed a chilly shaved ice treat. Several vendors brought along fans. One 8-year-old accompanied his grandma to her vendor’s booth. Grandma had a misting fan which the young man seemed to love. From the square, I headed over to San Jose Park, where the site’s splash pad was going strong. It had been broken since mid-May, but the part needed to fix it finally arrived, returning it to service on Friday. That splash pad’s been missed. The forecast for the next two weeks says we’re in for more of the same. Stay hydrated, friends. 
The rapid increase in gas prices could put a damper on my wanderings. Last evening I rambled through portions of southern Bell County. As it often happens, I settled on windmills. That scorching hot sun was beginning to set over a field in the first photo. The other two images pay homage to windmill relegated to history. The first of the two images concentrates on the prairie grass, followed by a crisper version. It’s hard to look at for very long. Even in rural Bell County, Texas, things disappear. 
