Since photographer Elliott Erwitt’s exhibit, “Home Around the World,” opened at the Harry Ransom Center, on the University of Texas-Austin campus, I’ve seen it twice.   Mr. Erwitt, born in 1928, remains to this day my favorite photographer.   The exhibit comes to an end on January 1.   If you’re a fan, or even if you’re not, you owe it to yourself to see it.  While Erwitt is known for his photos of dogs, my favorite image remains the little boy in the car, Pittsburgh, PA, taken in 1950.  

Tuesday evening, was a night staying in East Williamson County, but instead of stopping at the grocery for brown gravy, my primary destination, I ambled a little further east.   And it’s good that I did.  Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Wuthrich Hill, had a light shining on it, giving it a glowing persona.  Of course, it always looks lovely, but with a little night light, it really shines.  While there, a tree on the church property caught my eye, too.   

After a 43-year photographic absence, something I noticed right off the bat….parking around the East 6th Street area in downtown Austin, Texas is a little harder.   In 1973, while a student at University of Texas, I spent quite a a lot of time here, documenting what I saw.   In those days, parking was no problem.   Since returning to Texas a few years ago, it’s been on my mind to return for another look with my camera.   On Christmas afternoon, I finally reconnected.    What’s changed?   In many ways, a lot.   East 6th, like the rest of Austin, has gentrified.   These days, those few blocks are full  of clubs, bars and restaurants, catering to visitors as well as the locals … all, apparently, with plenty of disposable income.   What hasn’t changed?   The street is still a destination for those living on the edge of life.     Reasons for that I do not know.  It’s not my place to make that judgement.  In 2016, many carry hand-made signs, something not seen back in the day.   If I do return with a camera, I’ll continue to remain respectful of whoever comes in front of my lens.   Because the 1973 work was black and white, these will keep that continuity.

We took an afternoon drive today to downtown Austin.   It was a good way to spend part of the Christmas holiday, enjoying the scenes on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol, where the first few photos were taken.   There’s also St. Mary Cathedral,  a portion of which is reflected in a nearby building, then inside its beautiful sanctuary.   Let’s not forget the historic Driskill Hotel, always resplendent.  The last photo was on the way to the State Capitol parking garage, which had a nice glow to it, particularly when you top it off with Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in the distance. 

These photos were taken Friday evening on the stunning Blackland Prairie in Central Texas.    They fit well into the name of this site … they are ramblings.   Sunsets,  skies, barns, farm houses, lone trees.   Happy Christmas, or whatever makes you happy at this time of year.  

On this Christmas Eve 2016, I dug through old files, finding two visits from the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission.   The first two photos were taken on Christmas Eve 1978, the first a service, the other a checkers game to pass the night.   The second two were also taken at the mission, in December 1975.   The last photo, a young girl keeping her doll close in a room at the mission, always catches my attention, reminding me that there are any number of less fortunate souls out there.    While I like to say that my left-leaning political views were formed early in life, well before college and newspaper work, when I see children going without,  through no fault of their own,  it bothers me.   The thing about this work I do is this  … I’ve seen things up close and personal for years, not via the spin of television news, or talk radio, but right in front of me.   It can’t help but color how I feel about the world.

Most of the day on Friday was foggy, cloudy and just generally misty, a good day to visit Taylor’s Bull Branch Park.   This kind of weather simplifies the landscapes.  Normally, I prefer to stay away from making photos in the middle of the day, but not when days like this come along.   One I particularly like in black and white is here twice.   It’s presented in color as well, but the monotone grows on me.

Each year since returning to Texas, I vow to take a photo of the City of Round Rock’s iconic water tower in full holiday lights mode.  Alas, each time Christmas rolls around I forget.  Tonight, en route to somewhere else, it came into view.  So I stopped this time.   That’s one heck of a lighting job.

Winter began today, but came in quietly, and warm.   Highs Central Texas made it to 70 degrees.    It was apparently suitable for fetching and water diving at Georgetown’s Blue Hole Lagoon though.    Back in Taylor tonight, the evening was made complete with beautiful skies above St. James Episcopal Church, and a lovely sundown.  

The photo posted of the Lampasas River last evening was taken from this  abandoned, but (somewhat) intact bridge built in 1914, commonly referred to as  the Maxdale Bridge.   The location is northwest Bell County, Texas, a little over ten miles south of Killeen. I’d tried to find it a few months ago, but on this slow Saturday, luck was with me.   It’s a popular destination for those like me, who love old truss bridges, but apparently it’s a hit for those who crave ghost stories, too.   One story about the bridge says that if you park your car near it’s entrance and honk your horn, you’ll see breathing on your windows, from the outside.   These “breaths” are the ghost of children who were said to have perished in a school bus accident on the bridge.   Another story tells of a man, despondent after his girlfriend perished in the Lampasas River, hung himself from the bridge.   He’s another ghost presence … or so the story goes.   For the record, I didn’t honk my horn, or see anything unusual, but by dark, I was well away from it!   Also included in this post, not far from the bridge, is a vintage church, Maxdale Baptist Church, now home to Maxdale Cowboy Church.   Compared to some of the impressive churches I’ve documented, this one’s simplicity was nice.   There’s a large structure adjacent to it.  My assumption, if correct, is that it’s the fellowship hall.    It’s actually much larger than the church itself.  Before leaving, I watched the sun go down behind a nice tree on the church property.   Wandering, or rambling, is fun at times.