These four photographs were taken Sunday.    The bits of autumn color we have here usually come later.   A good cold wind and rain usually disposes of them quickly.   The leaves in the opening photo were mostly gone when I drove by there this afternoon.  I’m guessing the trees in the last couple are history.    But stay tuned because I’m still seeing snippets of color in our city parks.   More from there at week’s end.  

As the area where we live around Taylor gets hammered by development, I sometimes cast a net into surrounding counties.   This evening it was Milam County.  Driving north of Thorndale near sunset, I remembered a peaceful country road leading to St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery.   German immigrants in the Detmold community established a church and cemetery here in 1900.   The first known burial, in 1903, was Gottfried Eschberger.  The cemetery is a final resting place for more than 175 residents.   In 1963, St. John’s Lutheran Church relocated to Thorndale, but the cemetery remains at  this impeccable  site on the Blackland Prairie.   Since the road leading to the cemetery offered a windmill, it’s included in this post.   As most know, I’m fond of windmills.   If you don’t cotton to them, you’re barking up the wrong visual tree.

In recent years, the only Live Nativity I document is the one at Taylor’s Immanuel Lutheran Church, held the second weekend in December. The church was formed in 1888.   It’s quite an undertaking.   While the Nativity is  held at Immanuel, it’s made possible by members of eighteen area churches coming together.     Their first one was in 2008.    I’ve been at each one since 2009, the year we returned to Texas.    These photographs were taken Saturday evening.   It was a pleasant surprise to see a full moon shining over the church, appearing when it was high in the sky, a bright spot in  otherwise cloudy skies.  A second night is underway as this is written.   If you’re in Central Texas, put this on your calendar for next year.   You’ll be enthralled.

Much of this morning was spent at the Georgetown Public Safety headquarters for the annual police department gift distribution of gift boxes for 2,660 kids.  Blue Santa makes it possible for families to have gifts for children who might not otherwise have something under the tree.   You’ll always find a lot of volunteers (and police officers) there to make it all come together.   The police chief is the fellow embracing a 6-year-old dressed as Elsa, from the movie “Frozen.”   Her mom is an Assistant City Attorney who works closely with the police department.   Blue Santa is a wonderful offering to area families.

That livestock show kept me on my toes all week, but I managed to get in a few photographs from daily strolls around Taylor.   Things seen from Monday to Friday, all with a small Olympus camera. We still have autumn color here. 

A last set of photographs from the 79th Annual Williamson County Livestock Show, held at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor.   On this last evening of the show, it’s all about heifers and steers.   The photos don’t require explanations, but I do like the last one a lot, a young fellow taking a much-needed nap after showing his heifer named June.   It had been a very long day for many of these students and their families.

A few more from this week’s Williamson County Livestock Show, held this week in Taylor, Texas. The Market Swine competition was the main event today, but I always enjoy seeing the little folks taking part in the Future Feeders events, designed for kids too young to compete in the big event.   The first three are from Future Feeders.  The little guy in the first shot is only 2-years-old.   Before leaving this evening I observed cattle folks taking care of their livestock in advance of Thursday’s main event, the heifer and steer competitions.   The first cow photograph is of Topaz, a two-week-old calf being hand-fed milk by a young lady who’ll be showing steers and heifers on Thursday, but tonight she was feeding formula to Topaz, whose mother died in childbirth.  Topaz consumes five-gallons of formula a day.   If they’d left her home, someone would need to return to feed her there.   Topaz  joined the family at the show instead.    Maybe I’ll post something Thursday.  We’ll see.

Late this afternoon the Breeding Swine competition was held at the 79th Annual Williamson County Livestock Show and Sale in  Taylor.  Only 42 pigs were entered in the Breeding Swine event.  The larger competition, Market Swine, is Wednesday.   Since pigs, whatever their category, look very much alike, I may forego the Market Swine event.  Little explanation is needed, but I liked seeing the 9-year-old visiting with her grandparents after her first time to show a pig.   The last couple show a 17-year-old who won the overall Showmanship award, with mom celebrating the win at the end.  It was a fun evening at the Williamson County Expo Center.

A continuation of photographs taken at the 79th Williamson County Livestock Association Show and Sale held this week in Taylor, Texas.  Lambs and goats took center stage today. The post opens with a young fellow, now 14, hugging his lamb for a least a minute after they were named the Grand Reserve Champion for lambs today.    I’ve photographed this kid fora dozen years.   He’s mostly reserved, but I like that hug.  Other photos are generic coverage, including grandparents in the audience watching their teens.   I liked watching the Future Feeders event, where kids too young for the actual livestock show had the chance to enter the arena for the opportunity to learn more about livestock shows.   This and that, friends.   Probably more to come this week.

The Williamson County Livestock Show, which began in 1946, opened today with rabbit judging at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor.   Immediately after walking in this morning, a celebration unfolded in front of me as a jubilant 12-year-old from Florence celebrated her win as the Breeding Rabbit Grand Champion.  She’s embracing her rabbit named Milkshake.  It was a nice moment to begin the day.   In most livestock shows, this one included, the rabbit judging takes hours.   There are many rabbits to be judged.   It takes a while!   When I left early this afternoon, the competition was still in play.   The really young kids pictured are there to support older family members.   The last couple are a young lady from Jarrell, adorned with personality. She earned a ribbon for her efforts in the Market Rabbit category.   Hopefully, I’ll be at the show a little more this week.