It’s no surprise, but windmills might be my favorite subjects.   I take a lot more than you ever see.  Sometimes, they stack up on my computer’s desktop, leading to posts like this one.   Maybe 15-20 are regularly photographed, but sometimes a new (to me) one shows up when I wander a little out of my area.   The opening photograph is an example, one seen in early-november as we drove through McCullough County, Texas, about two hours or so west of us.   No promises, friends.   There will always be windmill photos lurking here.  

Photographs from this week’s daily walks in Taylor.  The flag is lowered at the Moody Museum, birthplace of Texas Governor Dan Moody, a Taylor native.   Following the death of a United States President the flag is lowered for 30 days.   It’s a tradition to honor, not politicize.    The others are this and that, including (yes) a squirrel making eye contact.  And a dandy dog out for a ride.

Mager Cemetery, in the Beyersville community, is beautiful all year long, but winter light gracing its spaces makes it even sweeter.   These are from near day’s end tonight, when the light was gentle and soothing to this old soul.  

Just some donkeys enjoying late-afternoon light near Structure.

If you’ve followed these posts for a while, you know my affection for unpaved roads.   Two visited last evening are presented here.  And something nearby, a cow grazing near the remains of a farmhouse.   These are in  North Williamson County, Texas.

One of my favorite views of the San Gabriel River is  from the long-retired truss bridge along County Road 366, not far from Taylor.   The bridge is rickety in recent years.  One must be careful when walking on its decrepit boards.   I’m just presenting the river tonight, not the bridge.   That will come later.   For now, the river.

Our January full moon is called a Wolf Moon.   These are photographs from this evening in the area around Noack, Texas, a few miles east of Taylor.   The post begins with a photo of Christ Lutheran Church, one of the last photos taken before heading home.   The moon had risen long enough to get that burned-out look, but it’s my favorite among these.   The other three were taken a bit earlier, but all in the same beautiful community.

After several days and nights of frigid weather in Central Texas,  temperatures climbed into the mid-upper 50s  on a sunny Saturday afternoon.   Hoping to find folks outside, I drove to Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park.  Only two days before, the park was almost deserted.   This time I found a dad coaching his identical twin 4-year-olds in the sport of tee-ball (also written as t-ball).  In a few weeks the boys will begin team practice.   Dad will also be their head coach.   I mentioned to the boy’s grandparents it might be challenging to tell them apart.   Grandma pointed out their slightly different shoes and socks.   Also one of the boys was right-handed, his brother a leftie.  After days of finding the area almost deserted this was a nice gift!  Another cold snap is expected by Sunday.   Enjoy it while you can, friends.

The moon was in its Waxing Gibbous phase when this photo was taken tonight, almost full at 98.6 percent visibility.  It was embraced by a group of old-growth pecan trees, a fine combination.   I see a lot of photographs where the moon is huge.  While that’s okay, it’s not what we really see with our naked eyes.   I want to see (and record) what you see.

Mostly, I’ve just been gathering photographs from walks for the entire week, but perhaps that’s too many.  If you post too much,  folks might have a tendency to grow weary.    This group has twelve shots from around Taylor, including a crested caracara, also known as a Mexican eagle.  A member of falcon family, they’ve been moving north from Mexico for a few years.    Perhaps it might be preferable to post stuff as I go along, not waiting until week’s end?   Just thinking, friends.   I’m still a Nikon guy, but sure enjoy toting that feather-light Olympus on these strolls!   There’s a lot of birds here, plus one furry creature who fancies himself a bird.   Squirrels are the animal world’s gymnasts.