This whole thing about photos taken with cell phones is something I’m mentally working through my old noodle.   For a long time there’s been a hole in my picture-taking when on those daily walks.   I don’t walk very fast (purposely), but stay out for a long time, usually about two hours or more.    After searching for something small, something that would fit in my pocket, I decided to try my inexpensive Motorola Moto smartphone.   These are some of the photos taken this week while on those strolls.  If you see kids in some, it’s because we’re in spring break week.   So far, the cameras on phones won’t do what I need for “serious” work.  While they do zoom, they don’t do it well.   They don’t perform well in low light, most of them don’t shoot RAW files (yet), but in the end, they are a tool at my disposal.   Maybe I’ll upgrade to a better phone, or get a pocket-friendly point-and-shoot camera, but for now, I’m playing with this idea.  Never let it be said I’m not subject to change.  Call these townscapes.

Try as I might, Taylor’s rookery at Murphy Park is one of those places I’ll return to time and time again.  At only a mile from home, it’s a simple jaunt.   I’m thankful it’s so close because the therapy received from observing the meanderings of ducks, egrets, cormorants, geese  and the occasional heron is one of my  most calming pastimes.   While trolling the Blackland Prairie is rewarding, many of those images are hard to come by because of their locations.   With the rookery, I can park my car, load up the gear … and watch.   People can be standing right next to me and it’s as if they don’t exist.   Not that I don’t like them, mind you, but meditation is meditation. 

These are from tonight in Coupland, Texas, a little community of around 300 people a few miles south of our home in Taylor, Williamson County, Texas.   After the obligatory sunset, you have differing versions of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, built in 1905 and 1906.  If you look closely at the first church image, you might notice a large aircraft, which we can assume is making its approach into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.   The final two were taken right up until the time there was little light left in the sky.   The stained glass windows in the last one were the deciding factor to include that one, even though the focus is a little soft!

Isn’t Princess beautiful?   She’s a sweet girl.   She was born August 7, 2010.  Her daddy was KJH Lonestar Warrior, her mama was CWR Minnie’s Pearl.   She belongs to a good friend who lives north of Granger, but south of Bartlett.  Princess graciously shares her pasture with other cows, even a few donkeys.   Mostly, she’s camera-shy, but on this particular day, she was open to a few photos.  I’ll start this post with a black-and-white photo of her, one I happen to like a lot.   

Debating which direction to wander tonight, east seemed good.  Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Wuthrich Hill, is east.  Just a short drive to something beautiful on this peaceful Monday evening.  Different views, different light.

An engaging assignment  I had this weekend  in Taylor was the Heart of Texas American Pit Bull Terrier Club’s show, held Saturday at the Williamson County Expo Center.   The show attracted entrants from around the country. Since we have a rescued Pit Bull terrier, I try, whenever possible, to make sure the breed gets some positive publicity.   Heaven knows, they get plenty of the other kind.   Some of it’s valid, much is not.  Too much painting with a broad brush, perhaps?  I think so.   My favorite part of the show was a 4-year-old young lady exhibiting her dog, Red.  It was the first show for both.  Daddy was there to lend a hand.   Beyond that, it’s just basic coverage.   But at the end of this post, you’ll note Boston terriers, and even a French bulldog puppy named Remy.   There are few dogs I don’t like.  It’s how they’re raised.  I truly believe that.  These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

In just a few short hours, we transition to Daylight Saving Time in Texas.    With apologies to friends craving that extra hour of daylight, I don’t like it.  The reason is a selfish one.   I love good light.  Postponing sunset by an hour means the sweet evening feel comes later.    Someone posted on Facebook that the Florida legislature has decided to stay with Daylight Saving Time all year long.   While Florida is lovely, that is not, but I suppose the tourist trade will benefit.   If Texas ever decides to do this, I won’t leave.  It took too dang long to get back.  But I won’t like it.   So with that in mind, friends, here are some photos that pay homage to comforting light.  Some are from tonight.

012318 EAST WILLIAMSON

031018 TAYLOR, TEXAS: A

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!