Just some photos from my evening around Granger, Texas tonight.   Walking the dog.  A windmill.  Granger City Hall (at lower left) in silhouette.   And a driver heading home at day’s end.  Nothing special.  Just stuff. 

When Daylight Saving Time approaches each year, I get a bit melancholy.  Granted, I realize this  feeling isn’t shared by many friends.    When DST begins, the sun goes down later and later until we reach the Summer Equinox, when daylight just seems to hang around.  For me, that means light that I consider inferior stays around.  As far as night photography goes, forget about it.   My whining aside, here’s some evening photography taken over the weekend.   I saw a nifty ban, fronted by a vintage Ford tractor.   Naturally, I pulled into the driveway, knocked on the door of the nearest house and asked the barn’s owner if taking photos was okay.   He said yes, but said “It’s getting a little too dark isn’t it?”    To which I replied, “no sir. It’s just fine.” Note that all three photos were taken with a 50mm lens.  It’s been nice getting to know one of those again. 

Something found while wandering around Georgetown Saturday afternoon.  Dad and son enjoyed a nice day practicing their inline skating technique while at Blue Hole Park.    I like the moment, perhaps subtle, of the young fellow getting a thumbs up.   There are numerous slices of life happening all around us.   I miss being able to do more people photography.  

Cemeteries, large or small, continue to hold my fascination.   The Saul Family Cemetery, in what I call Norman’s Crossing, is one I admire.   It rests on a now-busy road outside Hutto.   That road continues to get packed with motor vehicles, but thankfully this cemetery hasn’t been impacted.   Members of the Saul family settled along Brushy Creek in Williamson County around 1850.  Charles Saul purchased 640 acres in 1862, including what would become this burial site.   Mr. Saul died in 1870, becoming the first person interred here.  The last burial, 23 in all, was in 1918.  The cemetery is still part of the Saul family.   Someone does a good job of keeping it looking nice.  Included at the end of this post is an expansive farmer’s field behind the cemetery.  I hope that family holds onto that field.  It would be a shame if it becomes a subdivision.

The other evening, standing on a bridge overlooking the San Gabriel River,  my hope was to spot a fly fisherman.   Instead, these beautiful bits of flowing color caught my eye.   I had to get closer!   These were two friends practicing the dance art called Silk Fans, or Silk Fans Flow, accompanied by relaxing music they brought.  With the setting sun adding warm hues  to the river, I snapped away.  This is something new to add to things photographed.

While I photograph a lot of horses,  occasional visits to Norman’s Crossing provides visual relief with some sweet and intelligent examples.     When stopping by, I try to remember to bring them some carrots or apples, but alas, this visit was on short notice.   Next time, friends.  I promise I won’t forget.

Each year as Daylight Saving Time nears, on March 14th this time, I get a little melancholy.   Night imagery is something I like quite a lot, but with more daylight hours, it gets harder to do. These photos were taken this week in and around the square in Georgetown, Texas.   Included: the new cupola atop Gumbo’s (the Masonic Lodge building), a tree at the corner of 9th and Church, enhanced by ambient light, Grace Heritage Center, formerly Grace Episcopal Church, and Coreena’s Bridal Georgetown, at Rock and 8th.  

When looking for things to photograph on Saturday, I asked the park manager at Berry Springs Park & Preserve if there was anything going on that day.  “A wedding,” she replied.  Since I didn’t want to just show up, my park manager friend made calls to the couple, to be sure it was okay.  The couple, Connie and Melissa, were happy to oblige.  I’m only posting tonight because I wanted to see if my client, the Williamson County Sun, would publish photos.   I’m glad to tell you that they did.  Now in my late-60s, one of my childhood friends, beginning in our 6th years of life, was Bill.  We remained friends through high school.  From an early age, Bill was my friend.  As we grew older, it was apparent  that Bill was gay, I was not.   In no way did that knowledge lessen our bond.  Bear in mind, this was decades ago in Northeast Texas, not known for its accepting ways.  Among my regrets is losing track of my friend.  That brings  us back to 2021, witnessing the joy of Connie and Melissa.   Try to be understanding, friends.   Judgement solves nothing.

No explanation needed here.

Normally I don’t spend a lot of time photographing Taylor’s Murphy Park during the winter months, but I did stop by Sunday evening for a few images.   If things stay true to form, we’ll soon see an abundance of egrets coming to the park’s rookery to deliver new life into their avian world.   In the meantime, cormorants, plus a few ducks and geese, make themselves comfortable here.   It’s a lovely park all year long, even in winter.