The experiment continues.  Tonight’s images are once again taken with my pretty inexpensive mobile device, a Motorola cell phone.   They were taken on my daily walks around Taylor, Texas.   While snapping a photo of the house being painted, the young man who lived in the house, sitting on the porch, took a moment to show me his iPhone.  I have to admit, the screen looked pretty good.  For years, I’ve seen things on these long strolls, usually about two  hours long, but didn’t want to tote something large.   While still open to some sort of point and shoot camera, these phones are becoming interesting tools.   Understand that I am not now, or ever, putting the “real” cameras away, but let it be known that yours truly is open to change.   For me, that’s saying a lot.  That last photo is yours truly … a self-portrait.  I don’t use the word “selfie.”  Some things won’t change.

Today is International Women’s Day.   With that in mind, I’m posting some photos taken of Native American women in 1986 and 1987 for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution.   The 1986 images were taken in Arizona, on both the Navajo and Hopi reservations.   Reporter Ron Martz and I visited the area for coverage of the long-standing Hopi-Navajo land dispute.   I expect it’s still a tense subject today.   The lady outside her home, with a bicycle at left, is Hopi.  The others are Navajo, various scenes .. a mother dressing her baby, a smiling Navajo girl, a Navajo woman sweeping hay in her barn.   The lady in front of the American flag is Navajo, taken during a protest.   The 1987 images, taken in the Spring, are  from a gathering of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation in Snowbird, North Carolina, including bean-washing in the river, clothes washing, also near the river, and just a portrait I like   They are the last three photos in this post.   Native American women are some of the strongest personalities I’ve met through these many years.

They’re ever so small right now, but my farmer friend Larry Raesz assures me these little sprouts of corn will command these fields very soon.   This Blackland Prairie soil is some of the richest anywhere on the planet.  Trust me, friends, when that soil is wet, you don’t want to walk around in it.   You’ll get stuck.   Last night when I took this set of photos, I put on my rubber boots.   Thankfully, the soil had soaked up recent rains and they weren’t needed, but it helps to be prepared.   I suppose it must be a sight to see a guy crawling around a field at dusk.  During the session, I looked over my shoulder to see two vehicles stopped,  folks out of their cars, concerned.   “I’m just taking pictures,”  was my response.    They waved and moved on, but it’s nice to see good people checking up on weirdos like yours truly!

Last weekend, an unplanned assignment fell into my lap on short notice.  The occasion was “Chase the Chief,” a series of activities culminating in a fun run and a 5K race, all held at East View High School in Georgetown, Texas.  The “chief” is Georgetown Chief of Police Wayne Nero.   You can see him running in full uniform in one of these photos.  The proceeds from  this event, which attracted 1700 participants on a slightly-wet Sunday afternoon (thankfully, past rains held off), raises money for the athletic departments at Georgetown schools.   Naturally, a lot of kids took part.   My favorite moments are at the top of this post, a fellow carrying an American flag in the 5K race.  Joining him for the race (at the right in the opening shot)  was his 7-year-old daughter, who took a turn or two at toting that flag.  Dad was there to lend a hand as needed, but the little girl did her part!   These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

I noticed that we go back to Daylight Saving Time this Sunday.   For many friends, that’s a good thing.  That extra sunlight gives you more time to pursue your  outdoor interests.   Count me in the minority.   I love evening light.  A blaring sun in the sky isn’t always conducive to a soothing scene.   But I digress.   Here are two night photos taken in recent days at Taylor’s Murphy Park.   One is a young man, fishing with his dad.  That new Coleman lantern was mighty handy.   The other one shows the same area where the young man was fishing, taken a a few nights later.   It’s one of those tripod-mounted scenes, the. view beginning in Murphy Park, then Lake Drive, and in the distance, the winding path of Bull Branch Park.  

When growing up in Texarkana, my friends and I used to love those pickup games of basketball we played on the grounds of Grim Elementary School.   Our fun was had on goals without nets.  We played not on concrete, or wooden surfaces.   Our surface was dirt.   With the aptly-named March Madness nearing, tonight seemed like a good time to post a little basketball action at Taylor’s Fannie Robinson Park.   While I’ve photographed those grain elevators a few times, the occasion to photograph them with basketball hasn’t happened … until this evening.   I like the juxtaposition of elements here, in small-town Texas.   The photo session concluded when I was beaned by a basketball.  My own fault, of course.  I told the young fellows not to worry about hitting me.   Ibuprofin is a handy thing to have around.

It’s been years since I’ve been to a movie theater.  Actually, it’s been a while since seeing an Oscar-nominated movie in any form.   If you guess I’ve not tuned into that little awards ceremony tonight, you’d be correct.    These are photos taken not long ago in downtown Bartlett, Texas, population a little over 1600.   Part of the town is in Williamson County, some in Bell County.  The main thoroughfare, shown here, resides in both areas.   This might be one of those posts nobody sees.   It is what it is.   Truth?  Maybe I’ll watch “Trip to Bountiful” again … very soon.

For coming on close to nine years, I’ve taken photos of Immanuel Lutheran Church, known around here as “The Church on the Hill.”    An image I’ve yearned for, however, has been elusive.   My first view of this church was from a distance, driving on U.S. 79 from Hutto to Taylor.   On Friday evening, however, returning from a little task in Hutto, the sun, almost down, reflected some wonderful light on Immanuel’s windows.   Those windows, even without the sun’s help, are quite nice.  Last night, they looked resplendent.    I’m including different, but similar versions here.   The original part of this old church is shown at right.  Other sections have been added, with windows, through the years.   What you see here are with, and without, those extra sections.    If you find yourself driving east, from Hutto to Taylor along Highway 79, and the time of day aligns with the setting sun, look to your right.   I think you’ll like what you see.

For quite some time I’ve argued with professional photographer friends about the use of cell phone cameras for imagery.   While still on the side of pro-quality cameras, I’m starting to look at this in a different way.   Here’s why.  For years, I’ve taken long walks most days, usually about 2 hours.   While I’ve not wanted to tote the “real” camera on these strolls, there have been times when a camera, a tool, would’ve been nice to have. Every photo presented here was taken with a phone’s camera.   And not a really fancy one, either.  It’s a low-end model that cost just a little over $100 brand-new.    Never let it be said I’m not willing to change.   These mobile devices have their places.    Because they allow more controls, I’ll stick with the “real” cameras, but am learning to appreciate other ideas.   

On this first day of March I ran some errands in Georgetown.   Driving east toward home, the setting sun by a grain elevator south of Weir looked mighty nice around 6:20pm.   Because of clouds, I hadn’t expected to see tonight’s full moon, but a little before 7, driving through Circleville, there it was, near a pair of grain elevators topped by its blue star, a bit of a night beacon, joined on this evening by a lunar beacon.   I’m glad the clouds didn’t spoil the view.  These are for my good friends at the Williamson County Sun.