Tonight, while on the lookout for something else, I came upon this scene, a father and his 4-year-old daughter enjoying an early-evening together near Weir, Texas as they strolled along a not-so-traveled country road.  Thank goodness, we have plenty of “not-so-traveled” roads in my area.   Sincere apologies to my favorite singer/songwriter, James Taylor, for the title.   I do love my Texas. 

Here’s one from December 1976, kids taking turns riding the family goat in Elm Grove, Louisiana, one of my little adventures for the Shreveport Journal.   Believe it or not, there was a time before television and the internet took over.

This morning, stepping outside a little before sunrise, I looked up and saw, through a tree, Waning Crescent moon.  It may only be 46% visible right now, but before the sky filled with unwanted light, it looked mighty fine.  These morning distractions can be pleasant.

This was a photo I took Monday morning while en route to a 9/11 event.   Since I was ahead of time by a wee bit, it seemed to be a good idea for a brief stop at the Jonah Community Center, formerly known as Jonah School.   The school’s been documented a few times, but I like the tree, too.   This was maybe 10 minutes after sunrise.   Texas skies, friends, are wonderful.

Because Taylor is my town, but also because they do this well, I’m posting twice today.   This evening, Taylor held its annual commemoration of 9/11/2001 events, their Patriot Day.   Patriot Day included a parade down Main Street, followed by a program at downtown’s  Heritage Square Park.   I’ll include a few photos here.  The ringing of the bell, at the end of this post, is rather nice … not necessarily my photo, but because it’s a tradition of fire departments everywhere.  

On this, the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I attended Georgetown’s Memorial Stair Climb, held at the GISD Athletic Complex.   The event remembers the date, but more than that, it honors the first responders who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.   Participants in today’s climb walked the number of steps equivalent to the 110-story towers that fell.   One firefighter toted his 4-year-old son on his back the entire way, followed closely by his wife, expecting their second child in November.   I was impressed to see some members of the Georgetown High School football team pause during their morning practice to view the commemoration.    Much of this year’s anniversary has been overshadowed by hurricane coverage, but it’s good to remember the day.  I recall being in a elementary school classroom for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution when the towers came down.   Everything stopped there that morning.   As it it did in many places.  

Friday evening, rather than wander too far from home, I opted for a visit to Taylor’s  Murphy Park.   As the crow (or egret, duck, cormorant, goose) flies, it’s only a mile from our house.   Sometimes,  on these park excursions, I’ll bring along a book and my fold-out chair, but this time, it was just yours truly and the camera.    At some point, the rookery will become less active as the egrets move on for a few months.   They’ll return in spring, of course, but that’s a while off.   For now, it’s a good place for a bit of personal photo therapy, even without birds.  The water’s nice, too.    If someone happens to like an image or two, all the better.  

Today, as are many Saturdays, thank goodness, was very busy!   I had not one, but two similar events meant for our some of our best canine buddies.   The first one I visited,  for the Williamson County Sun,  was the K-9 Kerplunk, held in Georgetown at the recreation center’s outdoor kiddie pool.   This event was held by Georgetown Parks & Recreation.   The second event, down the road a piece, was the City of Pflugerville’s  Summer Splash Party for dogs, held at the city’s Scott Mentzer Pool, at Heritage Park.  This event, for my friends at the Austin American-Statesman, benefits the Friends of the Pflugerville Animal Shelter.    Both happenings were grand.   The oddest thing was seeing Boston terriers at each pool, each wearing the same orange life preserver!  Zoe, the Boston in Georgetown, was a little smaller, while Tucker, in Pflugerville, had some size, attributed, said his owner, to having a little French Bulldog in his blood.   Neither dog cared much for the water.  Is that a common trait with Bostons?    Anyway, it was a whole bunch of fun!   The first four photos are from Georgetown, the rest from Pflugerville.    I’m glad to see our communities giving our canine pals some positive attention. 

The Georgetown Palace Theatre, after a few years’ absence, is reprising “You Can’t Do That Dan Moody,” set to run weekends through October 1.    The production, written Tom Swift and Ken Anderson, chronicles Dan Moody, a native of Taylor, born in 1893.   In 1923-1924, during a 5-month period, Moody, then Williamson County’s District Attorney, successfully won convictions against four members of the Ku Klux Klan.   At the time, the Klan was a dominant force in this country, spreading its hate throughout  communities all over.   Nobody had ever won convictions against the Klan … until Dan Moody came along.   Three Klan members were accused of tarring a salesman they suspected of adultery.   It was interesting that the salesman was white.   All three were convicted, as well as.a fourth, convicted for perjury.   All this occurred in the 26th District Courtroom of the Williamson County Courthouse.   What makes this production so fine is that it’s presented in that very courtroom, lovingly restored.   This production, directed by Mary Ellen Butler, presents Moody as a child, moving to the time of the trials, when he was 29, and into his late 60s.    I can’t imagine that Klan members actually showed up to court in their robes, but it was powerful seeing it presented in this manner.    After these convictions, the Klan’s power diminished considerably in the United States.   Moody went on to become the state’s youngest governor, at 33, serving two terms.   Among the photos here are a portrait of Governor Moody  hung in the 26th District Courtroom, as well as a statue of Mr. Moody on the courthouse lawn.   This may be a Georgetown production, but it honors a Taylor native. 

I try to see the moon in all its forms.  Large, colorful and bold, like the one posted here recently. Sometimes, however, the moon, although full, can be a tiny part of the scene.   Of course, that’s just fine because that little full moon can still emit some sweet night light, as it did last evening along a section of the San Gabriel River as it coursed through Jonah, Texas.    Even though this is a color image, you might not know that.   Monotone evenings are nice, too, even when standing on a bridge to get the photo.