Last year, because of pandemic concerns, there wasn’t a pumpkin patch at Georgetown’s First United Methodist Church, but there is this year. This afternoon and evening I watched as volunteers unloaded 2,478 pumpkins. The sale begins Thursday, continuing through October 30th. The pumpkin patch is a fundraiser for children and student ministries, plus church missions. As always, my focus is on the kids, who have much more fun. 
This is one of those times where I need to send some files to the archives so offer some recent images which have been sitting on my desktop too long. Plus I like the colors. It’s been a gray day here. I love cloudy days, but this one was dull. 
As cotton harvest continues, fields around the Blackland Prairie are returning to their original state, just dirt. I’ve taken a similar photo of the opening image before, but it fits this post nicely, land cleared on either side of a county road east of Granger. The second photo, west of Granger, are harvested modules of cotton awaiting the ginning process. Both photos were taken tonight. 
While we don’t have the vibrant fall colors seen in other areas, we do okay here, particularly at Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve, where these photos were made late Saturday afternoon. There’s a certain crispness to the light at this time of the year, apparent when looking at a Waxing Crescent moon shining above the park’s trees. The couple in the opening photo certainly enjoyed the view. As did I. 
There’s not much to say about these photos taken Friday evening as I watched light evolve over the San Gabriel River in Georgetown. Cloud reflections in the water are pleasing to my eye. If you look closely at the last image, you’ll see a Waxing Crescent moon, 9.5% visibility. And the little dot at upper left is Venus. 
Most seasons, after documenting a cotton harvest, I follow up with a visit to a gin, where cotton goes when it leaves the field. Once again, I prevailed on the kind and welcoming co-owners of Waterloo Gin, just east of Taylor. Clement and David couldn’t be more helpful. And I enjoy seeing Red, the resident dog. This set of photos includes three outings. The first one was on a very stormy night, creating some super duper skies above those huge modules of cotton. I didn’t do much that night. The other images came later. By nature, gins are very dusty places. Long before the pandemic took hold, staff working inside the gin wore face coverings. it’s pretty much a necessity. The final photo in this post is a portrait of Pete, 89 when I took this photo last year. Pete had been here for decades. When I first got there this year, I asked about him. “Pete died,” exclaimed Clement, his head lowered. The February storms took him away from us. Rest in peace, Pete. I’ll miss seeing you. 
Tonight’s moon on the Blackland Prairie. In its Waxing Crescent phase, it’s just 3.8% visible, but that tiny brightness caught my eye for a while. 
Simple subject matter tonight, adorned with golden evening light. These are two scenes taken not far from Thrall, Texas, at the eastern edge of Williamson County. Good prairie land, friends. 
As daylight hours grow shorter, I’m starting to see things not usually seen. For years, I’ve driven past Granger City Hall, but just recently I began to notice light emanating from its interior at night. The warm light enhances the American flag resting by a front window. It’s not something noticed during the day. It’s a neat old structure anyway. The opening photo gives a sense of place. The final image contains no flag, just another spot of light. It was erected in 1908-09 as the Farmers State Bank, closing in 1926. In 1929 it was recast as Granger City Hall. I’ve always admired the structure. I hope the city continues to keep the light on at night. 
One of the concluding events of the weekend’s Popptoberfest, held in Georgetown as a replacement for last spring’s Red Poppy Festival was a Pet Parade around the town square. Keeping up with Ollie and his mom (opening photo) was tricky, but he was happy to wear his reindeer antlers and be there. At the end of the parade, an English Bulldog named Tyson got a welcome drink from his mom. Tyson’s siblings, Foxy and Fergie, were also participants. And there was Koda, the Georgetown Fire Department’s favorite dog, wearing her poppy finery without complaint. The event honored and paid homage to the 75 dogs who recently lost their lives in a fire. 
