One of the joys of the holiday season is my annual visit to Immanuel Lutheran Church, just outside Taylor, for their live nativity, Pilgrimage to Bethlehem.   Or, as local folks call it, The Church on the Hill.   If you’re driving east on Highway 79, coming from Hutto, you’ll understand how it got its nickname!   As it is each year, Immanuel is in charge, but this excellent  holiday treat is held with the help of several area churches.   I won’t say more, but let the photos do the work.   Okay, I’ll say one more thing:  the angels, each and every year, are wonderful, whether they’re warming themselves by a light on a cold, drizzly night, or resting in the comforting arms of mama angel.

When we came home a few years ago, I had not heard of Blue Santa.  If we had that in Georgia, it was unknown to me.   Since returning to Texas, however, I’ve grown to know the program well, through my coverage for the Williamson County Sun.   In Georgetown, Blue Santa is a program coordinated by the Georgetown Police Department, with a host of volunteers.  Through Blue Santa Georgetown, families who might otherwise not have a merry holiday season get the help they need.   On Saturday, I spent part of my day at the police headquarters.  Families who qualified came there to fill a void so cherished by children.   Thus, the photos posted here might have a few adults, but mostly, it’s kids.   The last photo, by the way, is one of the police department’s officers, spending time with her own children when not doing volunteer work.   She and her husband are both career police officers.   There’s a lot of negativity regarding police officers around the country, but I’m happy to know a number of compassionate ones.  And yes … there is a Blue Santa.  I know him.

A Boy Scout volunteer at work.

One of the volunteers on hand.

My daily walks take me through Taylor’s Bull Branch Park.   The park’s trees are mainly green, but for the past few weeks, they’ve been a subtle shade of red, with a hint of orange.   Honestly?  I wasn’t sure what these trees were.   Rather than guess, I went to the source, the Taylor Parks Department,  the  folks who planted them.    These lovely gems are cypress trees.   So here I present to you some cypress tree images on this late-autumn evening.   They aren’t as showy as some I’ve seen back east, but I like them.   Happy autumn, friends.

On this chilly Thursday evening in Central Texas, I ended up wandering around Weir, Texas, a lovely little burg of about 450 people just a short hop east of Georgetown.   Despite its size, Weir has been holding a Christmas parade for many years.   If all goes as planned, I’ll be there Saturday.   From tonight, however, I present to you the Lights of Weir.   The town’s community center, adjacent to the tree, is where kids will have an opportunity to visit with Santa Claus.    And just because it’s there, I snapped a few hay bale photos.  Those were just north of Weir, on the road to Walburg.   Christmas in the country is cool.  Stay warm, friends.

In December 1982, a group of children in Austell, Georgia “adopted” seniors at Austell Nursing Home.  While some of the kids weren’t sure how to conduct themselves, this young lady had no trouble at all.   It’s good to give back to one’s community.

There’s nothing special here this evening, just wandering around town, and up the road  a bit.   While I don’t miss much about the southeast United States, autumn color is one thing I love.   In Texas, if I had the funds, I’d wander over to East Texas.  Folks around these parts tell me that Los Maples State Park is nice, too.   For now, I’ll settle for a somewhat bright yellow tree just up the street from my house.   Also in Taylor, I noticed a couple stringing holiday lights on their 2nd Street business.   It’s good they’re getting it done now because we have a strong cold front moving in by early-morning, bringing some anticipated strong wind.   The other photo, a black and white, is a fallow field north of us, and a little south of Granger.   A longtime photojournalist friend, Martin Waidelich, has moved from his home on the Washington (state) coast, across the mountains, to the Spokane area.   He’d posted an image on Facebook that looked similar to our Blackland Prairie.   Martin mentioned how he liked the curvature of the earth in his new area.   When I saw this tonight, what he said makes sense!

It’s not always a given that I’ll find something to document when trolling around the Blackland Prairie.   Tonight, in fact, was one where I thought to give it up, go home, eat, and read some more on my current book.   Then, driving along one of our sweet country roads, I noticed an unusual light source in the distance.   When I got closer, this Noel-adorned barn came into the view.  A young man was driving out of the driveway.  I asked if it was okay to stop and take a few photos.   He was fine with that.  This is one I consider a little early Christmas gift … to myself, and perhaps, to you.    The faded red barn, which I actually shot a few minutes earlier than the Noel barn, was a quick grab shot.   It was only when I started editing this evening, I noticed, at the lower right, what at first appeared to be a large white dog.  When I zoomed in on the image, it appeared to be an alpaca staring out my way!   This was another little gift as well.  The last one?  That’s a barn I’ve photographed a few times, one I call the Long Barn, for obvious reasons.  ‘Tis the season, friends.

The photos posted here were all taken this afternoon and evening, a rainy, misty, foggy Monday in Central Texas, with temperatures from the upper 40s to lower 50s.  I like this kind of weather.  Later in the week we’re expecting some much chillier stuff, dropping into the 20s.  Now for South Central Texas, that’s cold.   All images, of course, are from the Blackland Prairie area of East Williamson County.  One is presented in both color and black and white.   The post ends on one of my favorite unpaved roads.

It’s been a wet and cold weekend here in Central Texas.   That didn’t stop organizers from holding the annual Christmas Stroll in downtown Georgetown Saturday.    Things were scaled back a bit.  The parade was cancelled, and Whoo Village, as well as Bethlehem Village, decided it wasn’t to be with all the wetness.  Nonetheless, families showed up, vendors showed up, and most wonderfully, Santa did, too, making funny faces, even sitting with a Georgetown police officer.   What a hoot!  And let’s not forget a few princesses, in front of the Palace Theatre, from Princess & Co., an Austin-based troupe of (wait for it) princesses.   Here’s a few photos from the wet, but fun day.

There is something special about subtle light.   As you’re probably aware from previous posts, I cherish its purity.   None was more pure than the light of candles filling the Lois Perkins Chapel at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas as I once again attended the school’s sweet gathering for the Season of Advent.   Two services were held.  Knowing it was a school night, I pointed my cameras at the first one, where I suspected more children would be present.  Having covered this for a few years now for the Williamson County Sun, I know that my best place is in the balcony, where the light’s presence has the most impact.  On a side note, the first time I attended the service, I got in a wee bit of hot water with a university vice-president for taking photos on the ground floor.   These days, I stay up above the fray.   It’s also where parents with small children like to go, probably due to little attention spans.  Everyone was nice last night though.  While this post focuses on the younger candle-holders, I like the gentleman pictured, too.   When most everybody else had filed out of the chapel, he remained, holding his candle, singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”    He was so intriguing, he’s included twice.