As I wander around my area of the Blackland Prairie, it’s a given that I’ll pull over for an interesting barn. Someone once asked me if I ever took photos of new barns. Yes, but not often. If the old ones could speak, they’d tell us some stories. These four have been sitting on my desktop for a while, time to offer them up here. More to come soon.
These are from a few evenings back, when I made it to the community of Sandoval, in the far reaches of East Williamson County, Texas. The photos show Zion Lutheran Church Sandoval, also its cemetery. I’ve photographed the church several times, but not the cemetery. So I begin with that here. And then some images of the church. The community of Sandoval was formed in the early-1880s by German, Austrian, Swiss and French settlers. The church congregation formed in 1893. The original church was across the road from the current building, which opened in 1932. The cemetery is older, the first recorded burial in 1897. On this visit I met two turkey vultures, seemingly right at home there. 
Some light variations from a drive around Granger tonight. After a somewhat cloudy day, the sun came out this afternoon, looking quite nice as it dipped into the horizon near Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church. And a little bit later, moonrise on a quiet county road. Tonight’s moon is in its Waning Gibbous phase, 99.9% visibility. The blue evening light was welcome, but even better? No traffic at all on this road. I was able to watch the scene for several minutes without any vehicle disturbance. Light evolves. Sometimes we get to observe. 
These three photos are from tonight’s full moon in the Coupland area, beginning with St. Peter’s Church of Coupland, followed by a lone tree observed along a county road. The post concludes as I watched a farmer prepare his field well past sunset. This one’s called a Snow Moon. I don’t care for naming conventions, but will go along this time. It’s a full moon, friends. That’s enough. 
Tonight’s photos are close to home, at Taylor’s Murphy Park. I observed a Waxing Gibbous moon, at 97.3% visibility. The cormorants, however, outshined the moon. They’re wonderful birds. The last photo in this post has no moon, just a graceful cormorant. The full moon is expected Wednesday, but rain and storms are forecast. The moon looks nice tonight, too. 
Something represent the day, just four photos from Saturday’s Cupid’s Chase, held at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown. It was a cold morning, but 600 showed up to either run or walk. I love these three friends in their “I Hate Running” shirts. They’ve been buddies since their high school days in Austin. The sweet pooch is Harper. Also, two 9-year-old friends finish the race together. And a mom gets a hug from her daughter after finishing her run. 
The only thing these two photos have in common is both were taken this evening in Coupland, Texas. Included are a mama cow and her calf, plus a collection of grackles under a Waxing Gibbous moon, 93.2% visibility. I love grackles. They would be a great state bird. 
The only time I can usually get out and about for early-morning photos is when a paying assignment makes it possible. I had a dawn assignment in Georgetown, placing me on the road from Taylor about an hour before dawn. It’s been a cloudy and somewhat chilly day. These four images (hopefully) take advantage of that. The opening photo was at the Jonah Community Center (Jonah School, circa 1922). That tree has been in quite a few photos over the years. In wintertime it’s bones invite a photo. I try not to pass up the opportunity, particularly in the blue light of morning. The second photo shows a basketball court tucked away under a bridge spanning the San Gabriel River, at San Gabriel Park. Those bridge supports have fascinated me for several years, but the image came together about 20 minutes before dawn. The third and fourth photos were taken in mid-morning. The clouds were still there, thank goodness. They’re both along the same road. Number three is a fine old barn I only learned of a few months ago. I’m hoping it’s around for a while. And the last one? Just another windmill, but the shaft of light coursing through the scene made it worth a look. Before dusk tonight, the clouds lifted. Sunday’s expected to be much warmer, less cloudy. But clouds are okay, too. 
Thursday afternoon I spent some time at the Georgetown I.S.D. offices where COVID vaccinations were being offered to the district’s children. A nice young pharmacist was on hand to do the honors. Each child was rewarded with a lollipop after the shot, giving them a little treat while waiting the prescribed fifteen minutes to be sure there wasn’t a reaction. I’m trying to remember a time in the late-1950s when my elementary school friends and I were getting vaccinations for polio and smallpox. The polio vaccine was administered via a sugar cube, but we got a little jab for the smallpox vaccine. I’m not positive, but weren’t the vaccinations necessary in order to attend classes? This was in mid-20th Century Texas. Sadly, vaccinations have become yet another political football. Social media has only exacerbated the issue. 
Two church photos tonight, both Lutheran. The first is Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Wuthrich Hill, probably my most-photographed church. Wuthrich Hill is an area just east of Taylor. Look at the photo and you know why it’s called Wuthrich Hill. Prince of Peace opened in 1912, but about a mile away, in New Bern. It was moved here in 1947. The second church is St. John Lutheran Church, along Texas 95 just north of Bartlett. For years I tried to do a straight-on photo of St. John, but power lines made that problematic. Recently, I noticed this view from the side. It works. The congregation formed in the late-1870s-early-1880s. The current building was dedicated in January 1932. Our area is adorned with Lutheran Churches. 
