Sometimes I like to drive a bit more, into North Williamson County, Texas.    A highlight for me is seeing the twin spires of Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Corn Hill.   The first church was built here in 1889, then called Immaculate Conception.    A larger church was built in 1891, becoming  Holy Trinity Catholic Church, homage to a church by that name in Ostravice, Moravia, former home of many Corn Hill residents.  The current church was dedicated in 1913.    Those spires are visible from quite a distance.

While autumn color is very nice, I have to admit an affection for trees when their leaves fall away, leaving behind their exquisite skeletal personas.   These are photos taken last evening at Taylor’s Murphy Park, watching day become night.  

While rambling around in July, I happened on a horse galloping across a hill in southeast Williamson County.    While I liked the image, it wasn’t posted.   It opens tonight’s post because I passed that field again this week, now noticing that that horse had a friend to share that field.    Horses are incredibly-graceful and intelligent beings.

I have an affection for old bridges, whether or not they’re operational.    A few years ago, I met a gentleman who mentioned a long-retired truss bridge in the Noack area.  It rests in a field just beyond the county road, replaced by a more modern conveyance.   While I’d love to tromp through the brush to check it out, there’s a No Trespassing sign on the property.    I respect those signs.    It’s been hard to photograph it from the road, but Sunday evening the sun began to go down right behind it.    If any folks living in that area know the owner of the land, please let them know my interest.   There’s a truss bridge, also retired,  along County Road 366 in Taylor I’ve photographed quite a few times.  Through the years, folks visiting the bridge have shown little respect for its history, spray painting it with all sorts of graffiti.   I can sure understand the desire to protect the bridge in Noack.

Although I’d seen large flocks of birds flying in mass, it was only when a friend told me it was called murmuration.   From what I’ve come to understand, it’s most commonly associated with starlings, but grackles will also take part in these aerial ballets.   Starlings usually have pinkish legs and yellow bills, while grackles have black legs and black bills.   I think the birds in these photos are grackles, one of the most predominant birds in Texas.   At any rate, I find it mesmerizing to watch them in action.   The photos with the abandoned farmhouse are from this week, the others from a few evenings back.  

I admit to getting rather flustered  when photo plans don’t go as hoped.   This morning I got up well ahead  of the family and quietly slipped out of the house to capture a Christmas sunrise image.   Clouds made that a non-starter, but I did go out again this evening.  The clouds gave way to hazy sunlight later in the day.    The water photo, a cow pasture, is from Bell County, but very near Williamson County.   The cemetery is Bartlett City Cemetery, a wonderful resting place, very atmospheric.   The last photo was made north of Granger.    I really did want that sunrise photo, but we do what we can, right?

On this Christmas morning, I’d hoped for a nice sunrise photo, but a thick layer of clouds nixed that idea.   This water tower on the road between Taylor and Manor, however, always makes me happy.   I first saw it when we returned to Texas in 2009.   Maybe there are similar water towers all over the state, but this is the one I see.   It’s a simple image.   Don’t overthink it.   Just smile.

Just this one photo from a Christmas Eve service held on the square in Georgetown.   As “Silent Night” was sung near the conclusion, attendees held up their lighted phones while they sang.    Happy Christmas, friends.

At its simplest, this is just a collection of photos taken on the Georgetown town square last evening, children fascinated with light.   When I was their age, I was too.   Still am.   In my neighborhood there’s a man who has a small assortment of Christmas lights on his front porch all year long.  In the little office I have in our home, there’s a tiny silver Christmas tree attached to a color wheel.   That tree  stays up all year long.   I don’t always turn it on, but it’s nice to know it’s there.   I’m also thinking back about 25 years, when I lived in Atlanta.   A man familiar with my photography from reading the Atlanta Journal & Constitution reached out with a request.   Could I take photos of his massive Christmas lights display?   Not for publication, but just for him and his wife, whose health was waning quickly.   She wasn’t able to go outside to see the display so he brought the lights to her room, via my photos.   He didn’t say, but it was my sense this would be her last Christmas.    From an early age, we  are affected and inspired by light.

Three photos from a quick visit to the Milam County community of Thorndale, Texas this week.   The first two are holiday-themed.   The last one, I just like.   That’s Steve’s Place, a bar and restaurant there.   I’d never noticed the light shining on those old bricks, but it caught my eye.