Whenever energy levels allow, it’s nice to begin a day before dawn.   On the Blackland Prairie, where we live, being able to grab a camera and go is a wonderful thing.   In the years since we’ve been back home, I try to do early-morning ramblings that begin ahead of sunrise.   These  photos were taken this morning, beginning about 30 minutes ahead of dawn, which occurred at 7:22 Central Standard Time.   Note that when I resolve to do these things, there’s no set plan, just wandering, letting light and nature lead the way.   These images were made in approximately 45 minutes. There’s a stand of trees that border a portion of the San Gabriel.  Minutes before sunrise, they looked elegant.   At least they did to me.  I couldn’t decide which Farmall tractor photo was preferred so both are presented here.   The first body of water you see is a pond nestled in a valley.  The last water is the San Gabriel River, as seen in Circleville about fifteen minutes after sunrise.    By the time I finished, around 7:40, I made a stop by our local HEB Supermarket and bought a Sunday Austin American-Statesman.

The community of San Gabriel is part of Milam County, Texas.   Like other areas in our state, San Gabriel is not so much a town as an area.   Think about other places visited:  Wuthrich Hill, Beyersville.    Perhaps they were actual towns at one time, but not today.   These photos were taken on a recent evening as I wandered around the area for a while.  I do like the opening photo, late-day light warming a grove of trees.   Only when editing did I notice the deer.   The San Gabriel River courses through the community.   It has purpose in this post.   The other photos are this and that, but all in this quiet county east of where we live.

“Gotta go,” I mentioned to the librarian tonight at the Taylor Public Library, “the sun’s going down.”   Mostly, I don’t know where my radar will lead me, but tonight it was just west of town, along a county road close to home.   Here are three images taken within a short span of time.   This prairie land is so nice.  As are the skies. 

Most of the theater photos I take find their way to Instagram and Facebook.   That is where you’ll find most of the images from the Georgetown Palace production of “Peter Pan,” opening tonight in Georgetown, Texas.   I like this one a lot though.   The play has its run through March 1st.

If all goes as planned, I’ll be offering some early-1970s photos from Austin’s East 6th Street on occasional Thursdays.   When studying photojournalism at UT-Austin, I spent a good bit of time there.   Back then it was a very blue collar area where people caught city buses to and from work.  It was also a place for many folks down on their luck.    Since that time the street has gentrified, a big club scene for locals and out-of-towners.   The down-and-out citizens, however, remain.  

Only a couple of photos tonight, friends.   For lack of a better word, let’s call them pictorials.   The pond, photographed tonight, is one I pass by occasionally, but it looked particularly sweet this evening.   The sunset is from Monday night, one of those photos I thought about tossing in the trash bin, but decided to keep.   You never know what I’m liable to toss.    Have a good night.

There’s a place on the San Gabriel River, Dickerson’s River Bottom,  that I like to visit with a camera from time to time.  It takes some work to get down there, but it’s worth the effort.    Fisherman in particular love Dickerson’s, especially at this time of the year when White Bass are running.   These photos are from two different visits.  The first couple are from a few evenings back, a cloudy time.  The other four were made tonight, a sunny night made even better by a fast-approaching cold front.   Even though getting back up to the car was a chore, it was one I’d do again in a heartbeat.  

There’s a beautiful old building in downtown Taylor that I’ve admired since we moved here in 2009.   Born in 1883, it rests at the intersection of 2nd and Main Streets.   A friend who knows about historic structures mentioned it needs much work, but its bones are strong.  Recently, I couldn’t help but notice two very large political candidate signs affixed on two of its facades.  My first impression:  it was tacky.  A Taylor Facebook page group apparently agreed.   These photos were made this evening, the signs now removed.  While I have no issue with political campaign signs, placing them on historic buildings is inappropriate.  While the owner of the building has every right to do what they like, it doesn’t mean it’s right.   I’m glad common sense ruled the day here.   And I wish this building could be returned to its former glory.

There’s no real theme with this post, just photos taken last evening, then first thing this morning.   While wandering along the prairie last evening, I noted the lighted windows at Waterloo Gin.   As far as I know, they’re way beyond cotton harvest season, but it looked interesting.   And this morning I cut my reading time short to take a peek at a layer of fog descending over Taylor’s Murphy Park.   This and that, friends.

On January 23, 2017, 19-year-old Tommy Ketterhagen, an experienced cyclist in Georgetown, was struck and killed by a motorist.  Tommy was a graduate of East View High School, where he was a star athlete in both soccer and cross country.   Since his death, his family and his cycling team, Austin’s 787 Racing, have kept his memory alive.   A Ghost Bike remains at the site of the crash, about a mile from East View High.   This morning I photographed the annual Tommy Ketterhagen Memorial Bike Ride that began at East View High.   Along the route was the Ghost Bike, where cyclists and family members signed its surface.  All photo but one (the lady in the red jersey)  include members of the Ketterhagen family.  The most poignant images might be of Tommy’s youngest sister, Zelie, now 4.   Since Tommy’s death, his family has been actively-involved in efforts to make Georgetown’s streets more bike-friendly.  The Ketterhagens are one amazing and resilient family.   As a cyclist, I applaud their efforts.   Be kind to cyclists, friends.