After coming home tonight, I learned that a dear friend’s life ended peacefully this morning, her battle with cancer at an end.    I knew her time was near.   When asking what I could do, she just said to keep taking beautiful photos.  So I did.  And I will.   These were taken this evening at Granger Lake, opening with a family observing day’s end.  

Occasionally, I like to check on places  to see how they’re faring.   And if honest, just to make sure they’re still there.   One of those is this old barn north of Walburg.   It’s been quite a while since  my last visit.   This barn fronts a Texas Century Farm,  an active farm owned by the same  family for at least 100 years.   This is one of those.  The land spreading out around it is serenity personified.  Very few power lines mar the landscape.   While taking photos on this outing,  a farmer I’ve met before  stopped by to chat.   He mentioned that the farm is still owned by two family members, but both live out of state.  The family owns it, but leases the farm.   My farmer friend also pastures  some of his cattle here.   His family also  has an old barn I need to check out soon.   That’ll be for another outing.   I do like this setting quite a lot.

Running an errand early this morning, I was attracted to the foggy day, taking  a few photos of bovine friends in Circleville.   Looking out my window just now, the fog is mostly gone.   Fog can clarify and simplify.   And longhorns have attitude. 

We were expecting storms last night.  While they didn’t materialize, we were treated to some marvelous Central Texas skies.   I wandered a few miles south, to the village of Coupland, still around 300 residents.   There are many things to admire about this community, but a favorite subject is St. Peter’s Church of Coupland, affiliated with the United Church of Christ, different from the Church of Christ.   Look it up if interested.   The church’s congregation formed around 1890, comprised of Swiss and German immigrants.   They met for years in a schoolhouse, but built their current church in 1905-06.  A fellowship hall was added in later years.   There’s a quote on their website I like: “We encourage kind debate and gentle disagreement.”   But I digress.  These images pay homage to the church, but also the painted skies.    And a fine-looking cow, too.

While I’d truly enjoy traveling around this big state taking photos of our many small towns, there are a few close to home I’ll return to often.   One of those is Bartlett, a community of a little over 1600 residing in both Bell and Williamson Counties.   Like Granger, its neighbor a few miles south, vintage brick streets remain intact.   The best way to show off those streets is waiting until after sunset, when auto headlights enhance their features.   These are just a few impressions made Thursday evening.  

A  photo taken of a corn harvest in progress this week is meant to be informative, not pretty. Many of the photos I take on Blackland Prairie attempt to pay homage to a way of life that’s quickly fading away.   Our town, Taylor, is 32 miles northeast of Austin.   Since we returned to Texas in 2009, the city of Austin  has been spreading its wings.  As it’s become less affordable, people are moving further out to find affordable places to live.     I understand that. I really do.   But what do we lose with growth?   Many acres of beautiful farmland,  sliced and diced into cookie cutter subdivisions.  Continued growth means more power lines marching  across the land.   Bless those farmers having to navigate their tractors grain bins  and combines around this stuff.  Maybe this helps explain why I continue to document those “pretty” scenes.   Who knows how much longer we’ll have them?

This one’s from the early-1980 Atlanta, a photo of two young friends holding on tight while watching a Birds of Prey show with their fellow kindergarteners, an image made during my years at the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.  I’ve been thinking lately about how far apart we’ve become  in recent years.   Does that separation increase as we age?   There’s just way too much divisiveness.   Consider the unfettered warmth and caring  of five-year-olds.   We could learn from their examples. 

A simple posting tonight, friends.   Just some good Texas skies.   And two curious cows.   The opening photo is on the western edge of Milam County.   The cows?  East Williamson County residents.

August photos from the rookery at Taylor’s Murphy Park.  I’ve observed the arrival of egrets since 2009, arriving here to usher new family members into the world.  They’ll be moving on in a few weeks.    We’ll still have cormorants, geese, cattle egrets and ducks, but I do enjoy this time in late-spring and summer.

It’s been a while since our last visit to Lexington, Texas, a community of a little over 1200 in Lee County.  In 1848 the town was called Shaw, but the name changed in 1850 to honor the first battle of the Revolutionary War.    The population figure may grow when census figures are released, but probably not by much.   From Taylor, it’s an easy drive, just 27 miles east.   It’s the home of Snow’s BBQ, an establishment only open on Saturday mornings.   I’ve never had it, but Texas Monthly selected it as the state’s top barbecue a few years ago.   There’s also a livestock auction every Saturday. None of these photos have anything to do with barbecue or cattle.  They’re just some impressions of  a brief visit.  It’s a nice little town.