Taylor, Texas, our fine little community in Central Texas, celebrated Blackland Prairie Days on Saturday.   Earlier in the week, weather forecasts predicted a rainy day.   Thankfully, the rain moved out of the area on Friday evening.    I’m posting just three photos, two of them calling attention to folkloric dancing in our area.   The second photo is a 1-year-old, watching her 12-year-old cousin perform.  Her mama says she’s about ready to learn! The final photo was taken in the petting zoo, where a 5-year-old boy fended off the ear-nibbling of a 4-month-old alpaca.  The alpaca was sweet and gentle, but the little human wasn’t having it!  

Not long ago, a photographer friend who sells his fine work to the public mentioned that customers, when given the option of color vs. black-and-white, will invariably choose color.    Part of that might be the fact that we see the world in color, not monotone.   But it begs the question:  can the addition of color in an image get in the way of the message?   I don’t have a set opinion on this, but as someone who began a career in the black-and-white world, it’s intriguing.   Presented here are two versions of the same photograph taken this weekend, a farmer, cane in hand, strolling through an expanse of corn.   Does the viewer need to see the corn’s hues, or does it get in the way of the photo’s intent?   The subject, with the aid of a cane, moves slowly through the field.   Is that the first thing you see?   It was for me.   Just thinking out loud here, folks. 

Since moving home to Texas a few years ago, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Wuthrich Hill (East Williamson County) has been among my favorite places  to document.   One of my UT-Austin photojournalism instructors, Frank Armstrong, photographed this beautiful church many years ago.   After he recently posted one of his vintage images, I took a drive over there last evening, after the day’s heavy rain had moved on.   That’s the first photo.  Photos that follow are something new, a visit there this morning.   The church was having a combination bake and garage sale.   Upon arrival, a church member asked if I’d like to see the sanctuary.   Well, of course!   What made that even better, however, was meeting their oldest member, who turned 100 in February.   I won’t mention his name, but area folks might well know him.  While  happy just to snap some photos inside, it made my day when this fine gentleman came in to visit a little.   So there it is, folks.  A look inside Prince of Peace.   

Two posts in one day?  It is what it is.   After the storms moved through East Williamson County tonight, the skies gave us a colorful little treat.  It only lasted a couple of minutes, but it was nice to see. 

There’s not much to add about the continued work with that Motorola smartphone used during my daily strolls.   All week the forecast in Taylor called for rain, but it arrived in earnest this morning.  There weren’t many people out strolling.   Anyway, all these were taken in Taylor, the walks usually 2-plus hours.   

When driving along this country road in East Williamson County this evening, I happened on a couple of very intent vultures.  For a few moments, I watched them from my car.  After a while, I got out and began taking photos.  Still, they persisted.  Finally, they moseyed on to other treats.  A few minutes later, the sun’s descent looked pretty sweet through a rail fence.   It was a serene night on the prairie. 

With the issue of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts topical this week, I dug into the files and came up with these photos taken in Shreveport, Louisiana in March 1977.  The Girl Scouts were teaching a group of local senior citizens how to folk dance.   It was a lively and fun slice-of-life.   

Recently, I found myself lost in areas west of Granger.   To remedy  that, I’ve studied maps to get a better understanding of where the heck I’m going.    While this site is called “ramblings,” it’s good to know where one rambles!    That said, here are four photos taken last evening, getting to know some other intriguing  areas in East Williamson County, Texas.   Included are (in order of presentation)  bright, abundant wildflowers,  a white horse I momentarily disturbed while munching on grass, a nifty barn resting above a stock pond and finally, an old set of railroad tracks, long past their useful life, light shining through the trees in just the right places.    I do like to ramble, especially when I know where I’m going!

While rambling toward home last evening, I noticed a fair-sized bird patiently watching the prairie landscape while perched atop a power line.   Among the avian life forms I know are  grackles, egrets, herons, ducks,  geese, hummingbirds and sparrows.   But I’m pretty sure this fellow (girl?) is a hawk.   This pretty creature was intent on finding a meal.   Of course, I pestered her/him for a few minutes while watching it move along the power poles.   After a while, it tired of the company, flying through a field to parts unknown.   This was a quick and athletic bird, a pleasure to see.

For the past few weeks, when not doing “real” work,  wheat has been the focus of my lenses.   This Blackland Prairie soil is welcoming to any number of crops.  I try to keep tabs on all of them on these wanderings.   Wheat, with its wispy tendency to flutter nicely with our sweet Texas breezes, is among the most visual of what grows here.   In this Spring wildflower season, wheat holds its own.   These are nothing special, just a collection of images, beginning with its “green” time, watching it mature into a warm plant, almost ready for harvest.  The final image, taken west of Granger last night, includes what passes for a full moon, but you have to look carefully to see it up there. It’s the nature of clouds to cover what we want to see.  But I see that wheat.