Tonight will be the final free concert of the City of Georgetown’s Summer Concert Series.  Last week, when I took these photos, the music was provided by Adan Davila and his band.   Kids young and old, and sometimes their dogs, like Otis, the happy fellow shown in this post, chill out on the courthouse lawn until the sun goes down on one of the most beautiful town squares, not just in Texas, but anywhere.  

Just before sunset in Georgetown tonight, I stepped outside the Palace Theatre, where I was getting ready to photograph a dress rehearsal for “42nd Street.”  On the way over from Taylor, however, I noticed the cloud patterns and felt compelled to take a peek.  This is Grace Heritage Center, once the home of Grace Episcopal Church, not only repurposed, but saved from the wrecking ball.  That’s a good thing.  As were the clouds.

With apologies to friends who yearn for endless hours of daylight, the diminishing  hours of harsh rays is a good thing for what I do, a time when hues, tones and textures create  a blessed palette of light.   This was taken last evening, on a county road west of Taylor, Texas, a  county road where my cameras and I sometimes like to go.  

Today was the first day of school for public school kids in Georgetown, Texas.  I spent my time at Mitchell Elementary School, a fine school with a good principal, Rob Dyer.   This year, says principal Dyer, Mitchell has 550 kids, from pre-k through 5th grade.   One kindergartner is presented twice … the poor little thing just couldn’t find her sweet spot on the first day, but I know she’ll get there.    Rather than expound a lot, I’ll let the photos do the work this time.   .

In Georgetown, Texas, since 2009, there’s been a low-key race,, Vern’s No Frills 5K, held the third Saturday of each month at Berry Springs Park & Preserve, a beautiful bit of Williamson County adorned with old-growth pecan trees.   There are no t-shirts given out, but it costs little.  Club members run free, as do kids.   Non-members enter for one dollar.   Any money collected goes toward upkeep of this lovely park.  The race was named in honor of Vern Cantwell.  Vern was not a runner, but his wife, Donna, was.   He was, however, a dedicated volunteer.   The first time this race was held, he was still with us.  Four days later, Vern died of a massive heart attack.  To honor his service, the event took on his name.  It remains to this day.   Last Saturday morning, when I took these photos, rain was coming, but not yet.  There were 237 entrants, including two high school cross country teams, and a youth running club, the Texas Thunder Track Club.  One participant was assisted by Ainsley’s Angels,  a good group of folks.  As someone who ran for 33 years, I can say this:  each “race” is a race for the person running it.  In fact, so is each run.   One person who summed this up, the lady in the burgundy Texas A&M t-shirt, was a good example.  “This is my first race ever,” she said before the race.  “I’m excited.”  I was overjoyed to see her finish.   It meant a lot.

Earlier this week, I stayed out a little later, stopping by Taylor’s Murphy Park, specifically the area close to the rookery, watching the birds, this time mostly ducks and geese, with a few egrets passing overhead.   Partly it was an excuse to make sure I’d done a good job of cleaning the camera’s sensor, but it was also an opportunity to wait for the night’s blue light to settle in on the landscape.   Thank goodness, the days are getting shorter.

Here’s two more photos shot last evening, both of these near Taylor.  As usual, I’m enamored of these stellar skies near the end of a given day.   Rain is the dominant story this week in Central Texas.   These fields, recently cleared of their corn crops, are soaking up a lot of moisture as we wait on the planting of a new crop.   So far, flooding in the area isn’t a big issue.  Let’s hope it stays that way.   We need rain, but not the pain of too much.

After last week’s scorching days (and nights), a dousing of entered the picture starting late Saturday afternoon.   Here it is Monday and we’re still getting drenched.   You won’t see me complaining though … temperatures are barely reaching 80!   Some roads are a bit treacherous, but even with warning signs, some drivers don’t seem to have a lot of common sense.   At San Gabriel Park Monday afternoon, two sisters, visiting their grandparents for a few days, really wanted to dive into the river, but smart grandparents put a stop to that.   Back in Taylor tonight, the clouds were dark above recently-cleared corn fields.  A county road in Taylor was also partially covered with water from a creek.  Thankfully, this driver, after considering it for a couple of minutes, turned around.   A windmill, at first toting a humongous cloud, eventually, at the end of the day, gave way to a wee bit of sunlight.   The rest of the week, however, will give us rain, and cooler temperatures.   We need both.

Driving through San Gabriel Park in Georgetown Saturday afternoon, I was parched, in need of hydration after a taxing morning photo assignment.   My focus abruptly changed when driving by  the rodeo arena, where I saw a lot of folks on horses, kicking up a little dust.   Curiosity won out.   It turns out this was the monthly Playday (it’s written as one word, capitalized) for members of the Brushy Creek Saddle Club.   The club, with members throughout Central Texas, hold their Playdays the second Saturday of the month at the Williamson County Sheriffs Posse Rodeo Arena.   It’s an opportunity for members of all ages  to hone their equestrian skills in a fairly non-competitive way.   As the name implies, it’s about having fun.  There are probably groups like this all over the place, but  I didn’t notice them so much in other places lived over the years.   In Texas, however, these groups are a part of the landscape.  This was the first time, for instance, I’d seen a thing called goat-tying, where kids 7 and up ride their horse into the arena, hop off and rope a goat.   The goat is on a 10-foot tether so it won’t go too far, but it’s interesting to see.   Think of it as calf-roping, but for smaller folks.  I suppose this is where the term “goat-roper” originated!   Like many other things about my home, I don’t take part in equestrian pursuits, but it doesn’t mean they’re not appreciated.  The culture of Texas is unique.  By the way, I did finally get that hydration drink!

Growing up in Texas, I have an appreciation for football.  Being a smallish kid, I opted out of playing the game, but attended all the games as a member of the marching band.  As my profession took hold, many hours were spent on football fields, from high school to the pros.  These days, I prefer to let others handle the task of covering those games.  Being on the sidelines with a camera doesn’t ring the bells anymore.  But I do appreciate the game, even with its hazards.  This little field was photographed last evening, at Taylor Middle School.   It’s an iconic Texas field.