On Saturday morning I was searching for something to photograph.   It was slow-going until a drive through Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park led me to brightly-attired men and women near the community center.   Some were carrying swords.  In past years I’d photographed the annual session  of The Stellar Kingdom of Ansteorra, a regional part  of the Society for Creative Anachronism.   About 200 attended this weekend’s gathering, their Bryn Gwald Candlemas. Members of the Stellar Kingdom hail from Texas and Oklahoma.   The Society for Creative Anachronism is a living history group that studies and recreates primarily Medieval European activities prior to the 17th Century.  During my time there Saturday, I observed participants, real swords in hand, take part in cut and thrust matches.   The swords all had protective covers on their tips, but everyone was cautious.   Individuals and couples took part in dance activties and listened to music played on instruments from centuries past.  The lady is playing a vielle, a stringed instrument used in the 1100s, prior to the introduction of violas.   My knowledge of this group is limited, but it’s a delight to attend one of their gatherings.

A major pet peeve are pet owners who allow their dogs to run free.   I see it far too often on country roads.   Be responsible.   Many drivers are not.  

A view along F.M. 972 a few miles east of Walburg, Texas this evening.  I’ll leave it at that, friends.

Just another collection of photographs taken during daily walks in Taylor, these from the last few mornings of January.   We had cold, rain and fog, all interesting to see.    A reminder, I seldom take long on any photos made during these walks, only snippets.   Nikon continues to be my main gear, but the inexpensive Olympus carried on these strolls is quite handy and light!

Those full moons are nice, but the tiny snippets, in their Waxing Crescent phase, are also beautiful.   The first two photographs are from Friday night in the Granger area, including a windmill east of town, plus one from Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church.  The visibility was 8.5 percent then.   And then in Noack tonight, another visit to Christ Lutheran Church, where the moon was at 16.1 percent visibility.   The tree is on the grounds of Christ Lutheran.   I continue to be enamored by the moon.

Great Blue Herons spend time searching for food sources in a peaceful cove near Granger Lake this evening.   Full disclosure, I didn’t even see the second heron until beginning to edit tonight.   That was a gift.

“The Secret Garden” opens tonight at the Georgetown Palace.  Photos are mainly on Facebook and my Instagram pages, but here’s something to get your attention.

Much to do yet this evening, but wanted to share this first, a Waxing Crescent moon, just 3.9% visibility, peeking through a collection of clouds well past sunset tonight.

Most photographer friends have much more success taking shots of hawks.    These birds are elusive.   Most of the time I see them while driving.   When pulling over to take a photo, they slip away.   I’ll keep trying.   They’re majestic hunters.

Fog, while it sometimes brings on tricky driving conditions, continues to be a fascinating vehicle to clarify and simplify a scene.   These are a few photographs taken today in areas just east of Taylor.    Later in the day, the fog gave way to much-needed rain, something drought-laden Texas needs quite a lot.