While wandering through San Gabriel Park last weekend, I saw a big sign. written on an old-fashioned chalk board …. Free Workout.   A group of women, some accompanied by children, were breaking a sweat and enjoying each other’s company.   Naturally, I pulled over and inquired if I could take photos for the newspaper.   They were all happy to oblige.   The workouts are held at San Gabriel Park the second and fourth Saturday of every month, all year long and sponsored by Juice Plus+.  The exercise begins at 9:30 and lasts approximately one hour.   Although this session was attended only by women, men are welcome, too.    The thing that’s really neat, however, is how kid-friendly this group is.   Saturday’s group included moms and grandmoms.   They spread out their yoga mats and weights right next to a playground area, but far enough away from the river to keep the kiddos safe.   What’s cool was watching the children joining their family members on the mats.    You can find out more about this group via their Facebook page, SweatSesh With Healthy Living. 

Something I’ve noticed in the years we’ve been back home is how things stay with us, perhaps long after their usefulness has past.   Consider old homesteads, like this one on a county road a little west of Granger this week.  The fields surrounding it are filled with cotton and corn, but the old house remains, with no real purpose other than to be … just be.   Just down the road a piece is yet another windmill, holding its spot under a blanket of cumulus clouds.

It continues to be astonishing how photographers haven’t felt the urge to document my area of Central Texas.   The land and sky here on the Blackland Prairie continue to fascinate my senses.  The opening photo takes you to a gentle hill adorned with cotton and corn.  That image was taken last evening.  The other photo?  Just another sunset in Taylor, seen a little over an hour ago.  

During all those years in metro-Atlanta, it was rare to find an actual dirt road.  I did manage to find one in Cobb County, a road that bordered a portion of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Marietta.   Back home in Texas, I try not to take for granted our many dirt roads, like this one seen in my rearview mirror on the Blackland Prairie tonight.

If you want to assign a theme to this post, let’s call it the river.   The San Gabriel River meanders through Williamson County, Texas, making its way into Milam County, eventually meeting the more-famous Brazos River before the final destination, the Gulf of Mexico.    On Thursday, I watched an egret for about thirty minutes, hoping she’d take flight.  She did not.  Today, I watched a fly fisherman from Austin enjoying the cool water on a very toasty day.   And there was a Plein Air artist, adorning her canvas this morning with her own view of the San Gabriel.   Rivers are one of the life bloods of this planet.   Take care of them.

These are just some photos I took while wandering around a little earlier this week.   The skies were looking pretty nice.  There was even a rainbow, but I never got the image I sought for that.   The old truss bridge is one I’ve spent a lot of time around.  It’s no longer in service, but I like that it’s still here.   Another thought about light …. the photo of the old-growth pecan trees was taken at a wonderful time of the day. The bark was glowing orange and the grass below had a nice resonance, too.  Don’t even ask, friends.  It is not manipulated by me.  God takes the credit here.   The last photo?  It was about a mile from home.  I almost passed it up in a rush to call it a night, but in the far distance, you could see sheets of rain along with the clouds.   It was a good conclusion to a nice night.  By the way, does anyone else notice the face in the clouds in the bridge photo?

As old photos go, this one’s not that old, taken in 1997 during my tenure at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution.   Emmy, a 5-year-old Exotic cat, gets bathed in preparation for the Cotton States Cat Club’s 59th Annual Cat Fancier’s Association Cat Show.   It was amazing to see this kitty submit to this feline indignity.   She did not look happy.

I think it was early last year when I visited this pasture just north of Taylor.  In fact, it may have been this very horse, but there are several horses stabled here so  I’m not sure.   This one’s a little different, with some late-day dark clouds hovering above.   At any rate, it’s always a nice thing when a white horse places itself so nicely in a dark area! 

Sunday afternoon I stayed pretty close to home, not leaving the Taylor city limits.  About mid-afternoon, a storm system rolled through our area.  Since storms are pretty interesting, I hopped in the car for a look around, ending up in front of a huge grain elevator at Williamson County Grain.   If you follow my posts, you know I go on about how changing light will transform most anything.   Around 3pm, when I took the first photo, that grain elevator looked regal.  When I stopped by again, about 3 hours later, the sun’s rays fading away, it looked completely different.    On the way home from that evening excursion, I stopped in downtown Taylor to admire the windows at the McCrory-Timmerman building.   It’s interesting (at least to me) how the west-facing window on the left in the final images reflects the warmth of the setting sun, while the windows at right, facing south, take on a cool blue set of tones.  

I’ve always found it nice when folks find some way to hold onto historic structures in their community.   Since moving to Taylor, Texas in 2009, I’ve admired the Old Taylor High building on 7th Street.   It’s been used by several non-profits for a number of years, but its future had been uncertain until Cliff and Kaitlin Olle purchased it from the school district.  Renovation is ongoing for multiple uses, including apartments and retail space.   Thankfully, some of the non-profits who’ve been tenants, like Meals on Wheels, will remain.  The school opened in 1923, finally closing its doors in 1969.   The gymnasium, a Works Progress Administration project, was added in 1936.  An annex came along in 1956.   I’m told the lockers will remain, which is kind of neat.   My favorite part of the structure is its 900-seat auditorium.   What a grand space!    Not all old buildings are worth holding onto, but this school is a classic … and a gem.