When making my way through the Blackland Prairie before dawn this morning, I was looking for moon images, but along the way I found a few other tidbits, including a pooch standing guard on the hay. Morning light is heavenly. I’ll leave it at that.
When sleep doesn’t take hold, as so often does these days (sigh), I find ways to be productive. Generally speaking, “productive” means taking photographs. I had awakened just after 4a.m. for one of those nightly calls of nature. After that, the night’s rest was over. By a little after 6a.m., I rose, threw on some clothes, slipped on a pair of Crocs, grabbed the cameras and out I rolled. Before going, however, I determined that the Super Moon, which really started Sunday evening, was still with us. That big old moon would go down at 7:59a.m. These photos begin about 20 minutes ahead of dawn, ending at the grain elevators of Taylor farmer Arnold Raesz, who was gracious enough to allow me to record the moon’s passage before returning to finish his breakfast. Thank God for the early-rising habits of farmers. The grain elevators were adorned with some lovely golden light just after dawn. Since this special moon wouldn’t be as close to the earth again until 2034, I felt the need to record what I could. The moon is worth the effort.
The Super Moon tonight was interesting, but I liked what I saw on Sunday night at Murphy Park a lot more. At any rate, I’m offering up some moon photos taken tonight, as seen through street and park lights in downtown Taylor. But you know what? Before all the Super Moon hoopla, the last light of day looked pretty nice, too. That’s included with this post.
Okay, so there’s a Super Moon on tap for Monday, but you know what? It looked pretty nice tonight, too. I wandered up the street to Taylor’s Murphy Park for a peek. The original plan was to just watch the egrets, but then there was the moon. I’ve been photographing the moon for 40-plus years. It never gets old. 
It’s been a day where I wish I’d felt better. The pizza consumed last evening, or some other bug, has been a chore. One thing that made me feel better, however, was wandering up the road to Taylor’s newly-remodeled Williamson County Expo Center. Firefighters were hopping on their ladder trucks to position a gigantic American flag at the center’s entrance. Once inside, I enjoyed watching kids from a dance school in Georgetown show off their moves. The big surprise, however, was the arena was hosting the Williamson County Hoofpicks 4-H Horse Show! It made a tough day a little bit nicer. 
On the way back to Taylor tonight, I noticed the moon was looking especially nice. The facade of Georgetown’s First United Methodist Church always looks grand, but add a moon to the picture and it becomes more grand. A Super Moon is forecast for Monday, but my feeling regarding the moon? Record it often. You never know when clouds will cover it up. Strike while the iron is hot.
On this Veterans Day I once again had the honor of attending the ceremony held today in Sun City, Texas. The photos mostly speak for themselves, but one of the moments I like a lot is from the first photo. That shows Army veteran Deleon B.L. Weston, 79, a Purple Heart recipient, taking the time to chat with 95-year-old Geraldine Knapp, a World War II veteran who served in the Women’s Army Corps. A few drops of rain fell, but not enough to put a damper on the day. I also found the intensity of Sun City resident Betty Schleder reacting as Taps was played. The post ends with Mr. Weston, donning his cap to head for home after the ceremony. It was a good day for honoring our veterans. I took these photos for the Williamson County Sun.
On Monday evening my cameras and I once again made our way to Walburg, Texas, where 
Zion Lutheran Church and School held their 45th annual Wurstbraten feast. At this year’s fundraiser, the church smoked 13,500 pounds of sausage. A couple of days before the event, church members come together to prepare the sausage. Despite a cloudy, drizzly evening, cars lined up for to-go plates, or chose to dine in Zion’s huge gymnasium. The part I enjoy documenting, however, is out back, where the sausage is smoked at several huge pits. A few years ago, during our drought, church members built a huge incinerator, where the wood was converted to coal before being placed into the pits. The sparkling thing, with a slice of moon in back, is the incinerator. Even on a chilly evening, church member Darren Almazan had no trouble staying warm as he waited by the incinerator for more coals. Inside the dining hall, young lasses wearing colorful aprons bussed tables as diners finished their meals. Among the diners was 90-year-old George Taylor, a World War II veteran, and 3-year-old Travis Mueller, with his dad, Kevin. By the time I made their photo, Travis was too full for another bite, even if it was our state’s official dessert, pecan pie. Wurstbraten is a hoot!
We’ve been getting periods of rain over the last several days. I like that because a) we need it and b) it’s cooling things down nicely. Friends in Georgia, from what I’m hearing, aren’t so fortunate. I’m hearing they’re experiencing drought conditions. I know how that can be disheartening. Hopefully, this front will mosey about 900 miles to the east pretty soon. At any rate, from tonight: an old barn along County Road 409, sitting in a very wet field, and one of my favorite places, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Wuthrich Hill, Texas. This election has caused much stress among friends. This is a small contribution to easing their pain.
En route to a paying assignment Monday afternoon, I stopped a couple of times to record some scenes. The stand of pecan trees, with a smattering of foggy mist, took on a different persona. I pass this spot often, but am usually not inspired to stop. Included here are both color and black and white versions. As for the color, the grass below the trees was a pleasant shade of green, but monotone treatment does an admirable job of stripping things down to the basics. Assuming you like either, both have merit. The other photo was taken just south of Walburg, Texas. The clouds above the field of hay bales worked well without the distraction of color. With the presidential race dominating our thought processes, I’m trying to add a distraction, or two. Or three.
