It was night just to clear my head.  After dropping off a book at the Taylor Public Library, I wandered pretty close to home, along County Road 401, where you’ll find Immanuel Lutheran Church, the little church on the hill, and also County Road 404, which intersects with C.R. 401.   There I found a nice old barn, a car cresting a hill toward home, and another sweet little stock pond, or tank if you prefer.   That blazing sky was seen from the church parking lot at Immanuel.   It was  fine night.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting, and photographing  novelist/educator/rancher Carol Fox on her cattle ranch in Circleville, Texas.  Carol’s novel, “Ask Me Nothing,” is available on Amazon.     For our initial photo session, we took a few photos at the Circleville Store, then ambled up the road to her ranch for more images.   Carol expertly navigated her truck through the rolling prairie land, her two dogs chasing not far behind.  Carol spent her childhood on this land.  Day or night, she knows every dip in the pasture.    After a  few photos, including some on the San Gabriel River, we made our way back.  En route, Carol pointed out a Bur Oak  tree that has been around, she thinks, for 100-150 years.   I found it lovely, too, and said it would be a good subject for photos.  Initially, I had spelled the tree’s first name with two r’s, but the Texas A&M Forest Service says it’s just one, as do other sites.    Recently, when our schedules aligned, I met Carol at her ranch, hopped in the truck, and visited the tree.   Bur oak trees aren’t abundantly-charged with color.  In the Spring, the leaves are a vibrant green, which eventually fades to brown, but this old tree has presence.   My photos began with a few hungry cows around.  Carol got their attention with some fresh hay and the photo-taking commenced, well past sundown, the stars lighting the sky, and the trail of a passing aircraft, too.   I hope Carol’s okay with it, but I’m putting a photo of her into the mix, too, at the San Gabriel, with Miles.  The tree, with Carol’s blessing, of course, may become a little ongoing project.

When I arrived in Georgetown Friday afternoon, a little after 4:30, the town square was already tightly-packed with families and individuals gathered for the annual Lighting of the Square.   The festivities wouldn’t start for another hour, but the event, through the years, has grown in popularity.  And that’s as it needs to be.  Much of this post will concentrate on children, but I would be remiss if I didn’t include one lovely lady,  on the planet for 90 years, her eyes as bright as any child in attendance.  Some of the kids singing Christmas carols with the Austin Carolers on the courthouse step were in heaven.  One 3-year-old, bless her heart, was overwhelmed by the crowds, but daddy was there to make it all better.  The opening photo was taken atop the roof of my client, the Williamson County Sun.   It would be extreme understatement to say that I am afraid of high places, but sometimes, for an image, one must strive to overcome.   In the process, somewhere on the square, I lost the small umbrella attached to my belt.   And it didn’t even rain.   Life continues.

Georgetown, Texas has a good heart.   Today, on Thanksgiving,  free meals, including turkey with all the trimmings, were offered at the Georgetown Housing Authority, First Baptist Church and the Georgetown Public Library.   The massive undertaking was aided by local caterer Alycia Tandy, owner of Do Yourself a Flavor, whose company smoked 76 turkeys for the day.    It’s good to see the happy faces, from not only diners, but volunteers like members of the Georgetown Police Department. 

On this cool Thanksgiving morning, I found myself on the Georgetown square for the 4th Annual Turkey Trot, a Georgetown Running Club event that attracted 650-700 participants this year.  The day included a kids’ fun run, a 1-mile walk and a 5-mile run.  It was  fun, low-key events with no times recorded, kind of nice, really. 

On Thanksgiving morning I was on the road before dawn.   The minutes before the full light of a day begins, like those at the end of a day, are magic, but the mist associated with dawn is really cool.    I’ll leave it at that.

These are photos taken Tuesday evening as I took a drive around East Williamson County, getting in touch with the Blackland Prairie once again.   It’s interesting to see the color shift in images as light rapidly changes at the end of a day.  The first and second images were taken short minutes apart.  In the first the sky holds onto a blue cast, but the next photo, the skies seem purple.  Note that I don’t manipulate things.  If so, I may have “color-corrected” the purple sky, but I leave it alone.  The only difference in shooting was zooming in a little more on the second photo.  Otherwise, the camera exposure and ISO are the same.   Later in the evening, rain would come.  The clouds, however, were darkening in an ominous, but beautiful way as I pointed the camera at a distant windmill.   This works well in black and white.   The body of water is an-early night version of one I took a week or so back, but at dawn.  It’s fun to see the differences changing light patterns can create.

You might have noticed the past couple of posts have a connection to the Williamson County Courthouse, the centerpiece of the Georgetown square.   It opened its doors for the first time in 1911.   For me, a highlight of the building is the 26th District courtroom, a grand space on the second floor.  It was in this room, in 1923, and early 1924, Williamson County District Attorney Dan Moody, a Taylor native, successfully prosecuted five members of the Ku Klux Klan.  In 1926, at 33, Moody became Governor, the youngest in the state’s history.   On Saturday evening, however, the courtroom the romping space for a Cowboy Birthday Party honoring Marshall Greger.  Marshall’s parents, Stephanie and Ryan Greger, won the birthday party spot when they attended the Williamson Museum’s Cattlesman’s Ball in October.   For a full two hours this weekend, Marshall, along with his family and a few friends,  had a birthday party to remember.   If you have the funds, you can rent the 26th District courtroom for your event, too.  Check the museum website here for more details. 

I’ve had fun lately toying with color vs. black and white.    This staircase at the Williamson County Courthouse looks grand, however it’s presented, but here’s the black and version, just because I like it, too.

This weekend I spent a bit of time around the town square in Georgetown, Texas, most of that time at the Williamson County Courthouse, the square’s centerpiece.  The courthouse opened in 1911 and looks grand in 2016.    The images begin inside, with one of the spiral staircases, continuing outside, where a few holiday decorations are already in place.  Before leaving for Taylor, I pointed the camera across Austin Avenue, to the Williamson Museum, where the county’s namesake, Robert McAlpin Williamson, stands sentry.   Williamson, also known as Three-Legged Willie, began his life in Georgia, but wisely moved west.