There are moments when our Texas skies take it to another level.  This was what I saw last evening in Granger.  I’ll leave it at that tonight, friends.

22 miles north of our home in Taylor is a Bell County community called Holland. The population hovers a little under 1200, at least according to the last census.  My last visit there was two or three years ago.   Another visit was in order this week.   A few images are included here.  That 4-month-old fellow is one of the town’s newest residents.   I met him and his mom on their evening stroll.   A bank building which opened in 1905 is still in operation today.   So is the town’s post office.    Paying visits to these small towns in my area is always a treat.

Although there seems to be less cotton growing in our area this season, I was fortunate to find a little while wandering this evening  in the area near New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church, one of the prettiest areas in Travis County, Texas.

Early Sunday morning, Star, our wonderful pooch, gave a gentle knock on our door, ready for breakfast.   Star gets what she needs.   I took advantage of Star’s wakeup call, heading out the door for some pre-dawn photos.  Only a mile from home, I stopped at Taylor’s Murphy Park to watch the egrets.    While I arrived before sunrise, the photos posted tonight are from just after sunrise.  Just some egrets  at the start of a Taylor, Texas morning.

While documenting other harvests here on the Blackland Prairie is nice, cotton is perhaps the most enriching.  Once again this year, I returned  to the Boehm family farm in Norman’s Crossing, Texas.   Troy Boehm planted 750 acres of the billowy crop this season.   Initially, they didn’t think it would fare well, but I would say it looks wonderful.  The  family, like others in the area, leave the actual cotton harvesting to a crew from the Panhandle, but the planting and care is all Boehm.  Troy brings it to life.  These photos were made over a two-night span.   On Facebook, I’ve spoken quite a bit about today’s digital cameras.   While mirrorless technology is taking hold, I change lenses quite a bit, often in dusty places like these beautiful fields.   With my heavier DSLR cameras, the sensors are afforded more protection from the elements.   I’m not so sure about mirrorless, where, when a lens is changed, sensors are staring me in the face.   It makes me uncomfortable.  Whether my thinking is right or wrong, I prefer to stay in my comfort zone, especially in these remarkable  prairie fields.

A while back, I was asked if the windmills I photograph are still in active use.   I didn’t know then, nor do I now.   But know this.  They are elegant to me.   My guess?  They’re rural adornment these days.    The one offered tonight,  with its blades relegated to history, is officially retired.    It’s still there,  adding to the landscape of my Blackland Prairie in Texas.  I hope it remains for a very long time.   

Late  Wednesday afternoon, with temperatures in the low-100s, I stopped by Blue Hole Lagoon in Georgetown for a few photos.  This was its first day open to the public after being closed for weeks because of the ongoing pandemic.   Honestly, I expected the place to be wall-to-wall people, but was surprised to find no more than ten people there.  Granted, it was a weekday, but well past working hours.   The summer drought has also brought the water level down quite a lot.  The few people on hand seemed to enjoy the cool water while having no trouble social distancing.    With temperatures still high, I wonder if Blue Hole will be crowded.   If so, I do hope visitors will be careful.  Honestly, I was glad to find the small numbers present during my visit.

These were taken along two county roads a little east of Granger on an evening filled with warm and inviting light.   Just some recently-harvested fields, soaking up the last rays of sunshine on the Blackland Prairie.

A few photos from an outing this week just south of Granger, another corn harvest in progress along a scenic county road.  While the harvest photos are okay, my favorite images from this little session are of Mike, the gentleman driving large truckloads of harvested  corn to a granary in Circleville.   Mike is an essential part of making harvest times go well.    I appreciate him letting me spend a few minutes chatting on a warm Central Texas night.

These two photos have nothing in common, but I decided to post them together tonight anyway.   The first image is  the facade of a famous barbecue place in Taylor, seen on a recent night.   I like the design, but not the dang trailer at right.  No, I don’t Photoshop things like that out.    The second photo is just a grazing scene outside Granger.    Just this and that, friends.