Recently, a friend, knowing my affection for trees, told me about one in Bell County with “a great canopy,” a massive and regal Live Oak resting atop a hill east of Bartlett, Texas. It’s that time of year when things slow down, giving this old retired fellow a little more time to wander around the Blackland Prairie. And I do enjoy wandering. So, at the beginning of the week, I did some rambling. The photos were taken over a two-night period. While possible to get a pretty good image from the road, I wanted to get to know this tree a little better, leading me to pull into the driveway of the house nearby. There I met the nice fellow who has lived here for quite some time. He graciously allowed me access to a few better angles. Honestly? No photograph presented here can do this tree proper justice. But I sure enough tried. Us Texas folks are lucky to have such royal trees in our midst.

Bartlett, Texas is an interesting place to ramble around on pleasant January night. Actually, the photos presented here were taken both Monday and tonight while pursuing other images in Bell County. More on that later in the week. This community of between 1600 and 1700 people exists in both Bell and Williamson Counties. It’s about 50 miles northeast of Austin, a significant cog in the nomenclature of the Blackland Prairie. The last image is offered twice because it’s interesting to observe how this business lights itself up like a color wheel. Oh, and the moon sliver you see? That’s a Waxing Crescent moon, kind of small at 8.1% visibility. All versions of the moon, as I’ve said before, are good.

There are many reasons to love this state. Tonight’s sunset presented one. Oh, I know you’re going to say “but Andy, we’ve got great skies in (fill in the blank). Granted, there are some good ones elsewhere. But ones like tonight, from Bell County? I don’t think so.

Sometimes it’s best to let the images do the talking. This morning’s fog in Taylor is one of those times. En route to an errand, the palettes at Murphy Park and Bull Branch Park were too sweet to ignore.

There are times, when watching a 3-day-old calf find its way back to its mama, that my days of devouring red meat come close to ending. In fact, I was a vegetarian for a while, when digestion issues came into play. The only reason I returned to animal protein was because I wasn’t getting what I needed (protein) to keep running marathons. While visiting my friend Joyce Friday night, she mentioned the ranch had a recent birth. Intrigued, I stepped outside for a look. There I found the little calf, on the wrong side of the fence, alone. Mama, seeing her baby’s distress, made her way over, coaxing the baby across to the other side. It’s a simple thing, this post, but maybe one that makes us think?

Simple is best sometimes. One lone tree, but one with character, a day filled with clouds on the Blackland Prairie.

The rain may have moved on from Central Texas, but the remnants remained at Berry Springs Park & Preserve on Thursday afternoon. Although there is a fishing pond at the park, what you see here are not fishing areas! The old-growth pecan trees make this a beautiful place regardless of the weather.

We’ve had a whole lot of rain today. It began late last night and continues tonight. It left many areas filled with unwanted water. This evening I visited Bull Branch Park in Taylor. It was flooded during my morning walk and continues to do so tonight, as seen in the last four photos of this post. Rain is one thing, but rain and cold? I’m not liking that, friends.

Our Texas weather can change in no time flat, particularly when what passes for winter sets in. Saturday afternoon, a cold and cloudy day, I took a drive through the community of Noack, in Southeast Williamson County. Despite the county’s rapid growth, Noack (so far) has kept its calm persona. Since the subjects were almost monotones anyway, let’s go with black-and-white treatment, shall we? Included: Christ Lutheran Church, a congregation in the area for 125 years; an old shack, or maybe a barn, overtaken by growth; a farmer uses his tractor to haul a horse trailer; finally, grain elevators, fronted by a generous helping of Blackland Prairie soil.

After a night of heavy rain leaving a few fields saturated, the sun returned to our Blackland Prairie today, this last day of 2018. Never mind fireworks. The skies where we live provided their own luster. I hope your new year brings you peace and joy, friends.