After 40-something years of documenting high school commencements in three states, they run the risk of becoming dry and mundane.   Richarte High School in Georgetown, Texas rises to the top every time I have the opportunity to document their graduations.   Richarte is the Georgetown school district’s alternative school, designed for students who might need a little extra help in wading through that difficult time for any kid.  Maybe they have credit deficiencies, or health issues, or they’re teen moms.   Richarte welcomes students who might otherwise not make it to the finish line that is graduation.   I was honored to spend  my Thursday evening at  Richarte’s 2019 commencement.   This year 64 students completed their course work.   Included  with. this post are a teen mom, getting ready for a school class photo, but taking special notice of her 2-year-old daughter.   That mom’s also pictured near the conclusion of this post, being congratulated by her boyfriend and their sleeping daughter.   I was particularly impressed with Kaitlyn, one of the graduates.   Born with Cerebal Palsy, she’s not let that hold her back.  On hand for her grand finale were members of her family, including older sister Raven, cheering her own from the audience.   2-year-old Faith was in the audience, too, there for her big sister’s graduation.  Faith, however, was enthralled by a video game on a family member’s phone.   After it was all over, Christopher, one of the graduates, celebrated outside with a bouquet of flowers presented to him by a friend.   These kids, or shall I say young adults, deserve a big kudos.   As does the Georgetown ISD school district for making Richarte available.

This was from a little wandering this week near the Williamson/Milam County line.   As mentioned before, development on my beloved prairie results in going further into the countryside where I can get some relief and enjoy the views.   Corn is abundant right now.  A white horse with a few black spots was a nice counterpoint to the dark stalks.   While I considered this in color, the black-and-white seems right this time.   Sometimes both versions are offered.  Not tonight, friends.  By the way, I was able to remain stopped on this little road for several minutes without one pesky interruption.  

My friend, rancher and writer Carol Fox, recently asked if I could take some photos of some the newborn calves on her ranch in Circleville, Texas.    If you’ve followed these posts for a while, you know that’s a labor of love.   Carol is working on a writing project she hopes to illustrate with photos, specifically the newest bovines among us.   The cows, being cows, aren’t always easy to get to.  If they’re grazing in a pasture close to the main road, it’s a breeze.  When they’re on the back acreage, however, it requires a bit of work!   Thankfully, I have access to a truck for those adventures.   These are photos taken at the ranch on two different visits. They are cute little critters, aren’t they?

It’s another of those times where there’s no specific theme to photos included in a post.  These are here mainly because they were made earlier tonight:  a rainbow at the end of a cornfield, a Great Egret foraging for a meal above a pasture and a sunset I happen to like.  Have a wonderful evening, friends.

For the past several years, I spent part of this Memorial Day at the observance held at the Georgetown-Williamson County Veterans Memorial Plaza.   It’s always an inspiring assignment.  Rather than wax poetic about all these images, why not just take a gander at what yours truly has been up to on this very warm day in Texas.   By the way, the keynote speaker was Senator Ted Cruz, sporting a beard these days.

As I neared completion of an evening rambling tonight, not feeling good about what I saw, a drive by Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and cemetery in Wuthrich Hill, Texas brought it home.   The flag at half-mast, hours before Memorial Day, felt right.  And warranted.   Memorial Day honors men and women who gave their lives during their military service.   A few years ago, covering a Memorial Day observance, the morning’s speaker, a member of Congress from Texas, felt the need to bring politics into his speech.   How regrettable.   Honor the sacrifice.  Nothing else.

Perhaps the donkeys don’t belong in this post, but that’s what you get tonight, friends.  While I see quite a few donkeys on the Blackland Prairie, the addition of white ones is intriguing.   This pair of beauties were observed last night near Beyersville, Texas.   From there, I ambled west, to Coupland, where a sunset above a stock pond was refreshing.   And this morning, on the road to Georgetown, morning light above a field of corn just after sunrise was nice to see.  

Anyone who follows my posts here, or on social media, will occasionally find photos from the rookery at Taylor’s Murphy Park.   Spring, summer and early-autumn are times when the rookery is more alive than ever.   That’s when egrets arrive to give birth to new life on the little island at the park’s lake.   Throughout the year, there’s activity there, but it’s at its peak right now.   What you’ll see here:  Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, cormorants, geese, and ducks.   The cormorants, geese and ducks are here all the time, but the level of activity right now is good to see.  These are a few images taken over a couple of recent visits.

Just a little of this and that tonight, friends.   The first image was one taken a while back.  It’s been sitting on my desktop, needing to be either filed or trashed.   The golden light on this stretch of highway near Rice’s Crossing was worth a few frames.  The second photo was made last night.  It’s on a rural road that I like a lot.  And not just because of the windmill, either.  The thing that makes this path so good?  So far, I’ve been able to get out the car, take photos for a few minutes, not once having to move out of the way for traffic.  That’s a big deal to me, friends.   By the way, I like sunsets.  Has that registered with you yet?

At some point I’ll start tossing a lot more photos, or post them.  The desktop, like my collection of external hard drives, is getting overloaded.    Tonight’s images call attention to grain elevators, among my favorite subjects.   We have plenty of them where we live.   The way light dances around their facades continues to fascinate.   Maybe it’s boring to some, but I like the exploration of subject.