For newer followers, my weekday mornings are usually time for long slow walks, mostly in Taylor.   A camera, an Olympus OM-D E-M10, equipped with a 45-150mm Lumix lens, is my regular companion.   In the micro 4/3 world, the lens is equivalent to 90-300mm.   This camera, actually older technology, weighs about as much as your smartypants phone.   Nikon continues to be the main camera, but it’s hard to beat the Olympus featherweight.   This collection, way too many, are from this week’s Taylor strolls.

Cotton crops are beginning to  appear in our area.  This field near Jonah is promising if persistent drought can find a way to be kind.

Two ponds at a city park in Hutto were filled with 2,000  catfish for the community’s annual Catfish Derby.   It wasn’t a kids’ fishing tournament, but kids are usually the best photo subjects at these happenings.  You could keep the fish you caught, or practice catch and release.   The young man holding a fish in the first photo was a catch and release guy.   Everyone seemed to have fun, even the man wading into the water to untangle his line.   I’m glad a nearby snake veered away!

Three  photographs  from this week taken on our area of the Blackland Prairie in Central Texas.   The opening photograph, while subtle, might be a favorite.  

Just a series of quick grab shots taken out in the countryside last evening.   Normally, I see Whistling Ducks in our Taylor or Georgetown parks, but sometimes they venture out.   This pair seemed inspired by avian friends flying overhead, taking their own leap into the air.   They seemed to be saying “I can do that!”   Good for them.

Sunflowers are one of the few things I like about the hot months in Central Texas.   I call them happy flowers.   While the larger ones actually  grown by folks are nice, I’m referring here to the wild ones that adorn the countryside.   These little flowers grow in abundance.

Passing a recently-harvested wheat crop,  I saw these friends huddled together in the field, no doubt finding some good munchies to fill their bellies.   Generally, when encountering deer, they skedaddle in a heartbeat.   Not this group.   At first, assuming they’d scatter, I took a few shots from my car.   When it seemed plausible, I carefully got out of the car, camera in hand.  Amazingly, they remained in place near day’s end.   After a couple of minutes, I left them to their wanderings.

Dirt roads can be challenging, sometimes grimy and tedious, but occasionally I enjoy a drive along one.   This is a favorite.

Can you guess the theme?   If you know my work, you know what I like. Yes, I like vultures, too.   All are from East Williamson County, Texas.  

After completing an assignment in Georgetown this weekend, I visited San Gabriel Park for a few minutes near day’s end.   The San Gabriel River flows through this park.  Our avian friends seem to like it, too.