It was essentially an aimless rambling last night, but when driving down a county road south of Bartlett, Texas, the old section of the city’s cemetery got my attention. The lights in the background are from Bartlett proper. The moodiness of this scene suits my own mood today.
While everyone else was getting excited (or not) about the mid-term elections Monday night, I was at Zion Lutheran Church in Walburg, Texas for their annual Wurstbraten, a celebration of sausage, friends and some really amazing smoking pits. As in past years, church members prepared 12,500 pounds of sausage, then smoked it over coals created from some fine chunks of oak wood. While the pits are cool (maybe hot?), the gigantic metal thing posted here is the steel incinerator built in 2011, a year when Texas was in the midst of a huge drought. Fire officials in the county said they couldn’t burn the wood for coals unless the fire was contained. In response, church members built this incinerator, where the fire is kept well in control. Included with this post are a few photos of young folks enjoying their meals in the huge church gymnasium. One little guy, age 3, shows up in a few shots. His expressions are priceless. 
These are a few photos taken a few weeks ago at Berry Springs Park & Preserve, just east of Georgetown, Texas. It’s a place I enjoy visiting. While not exactly off the grid, it often takes second fiddle to its neighbor to the west, San Gabriel Park. Both are wonderful. These are just a few images taken after a bit of rain. On this election night, my guess is most of you will be focused on that, but I wanted to offer something without the stress of political discourse. 
101618 GEORGETOWN,
Another post from the Field of Honor, 2000 American flags flying at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown through November 12th. In its second year, the Field of Honor is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Georgetown. Two photos from Sunday’s official opening ceremonies. In the first image, an Air Force veteran, 89, was concerned that a flag was off kilter. Not liking that, he paused a few moment to make it right. While the flags were being placed the day before, a couple of veterans did something similar, a simple, but touching act. The second photo is a member of the Buffalo Soldiers, based at Austin’s Camp Mabry. He, along with three other Buffalo Soldiers, took part in an interfaith Blessing of the Field and Celebration of Gratitude. The gentleman pictured, I am advised, is a Vietnam-era veteran. 
After months of dealing with the effects of poor lighting assured by Daylight Saving Time, tonight was an opportunity to once again enjoy just the right amount of daylight without need of artificial directives. These are photos taken this evening, all close to home. Other than to say they were all taken in about thirty minutes, and close to home, I’ll let it be there. 
The Field of Honor, 2000 American flags dedicated to veterans, came together for the second time today at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas. The Field of Honor is sponsored by the Georgetown Rotary Club and will be standing through November 12. This morning, I visited the field where volunteers were placing the flags, which took about two hours. Workers included veterans, first responders, Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol teens, plus good citizens interested in service to the community. After an afternoon back home in Taylor, another look was merited this evening. American flags have been one of my go-to subjects for over 40 years. These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.
On the Blackland Prairie we don’t have the knock-your-socks-off colors other areas experience each autumn, but it’s here if you take the time to find it. On one of my daily walks this week in Taylor, I was impressed by a regal cypress tree in Bull Branch Park. Later, near daylight’s conclusion, I returned with a camera. The morning light was really better, but I made some photos anyway. As the sun faded, however, the tree’s qualities were enhanced by light from a baseball field where a team of youngsters were practicing. I dashed to my car, grabbed the tripod and made a few more photos. The lights from the ball field stayed on until I was finished. As I packed up the tripod, the lights went out. That’s okay. I was done. 
Since the weather forecast tonight called for heavy rain and thunderstorms, it wasn’t a certainty I’d find much to photograph on this Halloween night along Main Street in Georgetown’s Old Town neighborhood. Silly me! Of course they showed up, in large numbers. The rain finally did come after about two hours, sending folks heading for the dry safety of their cars. That aside, it’s always to document this tidbit of Americana for the Williamson County Sun.
Just a few late-day and early-evening photos taken around Taylor last evening and tonight. After the first couple of photos, all others utilize a tripod, a really good tool to keep on hand. Camera exposures on numbers 3 and 4, both near Fannie Robinson Park, are 30 seconds. The last one, tonight where ducks were settling in on the dock at Bull Branch Park? That was only 20 seconds long. Ducks, being ducks, will move a bit, but that dock is tack-sharp!
Bear with me while I continue to extoll the beauty of night imagery, friends. These photos were at two small cemeteries in East Williamson County, Texas. Perhaps it seems odd to enjoy being in a cemetery at night, but I find them wonderful, peaceful, soul-stirring places. Throughout the late-spring and summer months, I had to deal with the profanity of bright daylight lasting far too long. As we approach the conclusion of Daylight Saving Time next weekend, I am a happy fellow. Let there be light. Good light. And good night.
