Last weekend I spent a few hours photographing the annual Sterling Gloves Boxing Tournament, once again held this year at Georgetown High School.   Boxing isn’t a sport where I’ve been in a participant, the exception being school yard tussles as a kid.   But it’s a sport, if you apply yourself, becomes all-consuming, the mental part of it, too.   These photos mostly include a lot of young boxers, but the oldest entrant was actually 59.  He’s the fellow waiting in line for a pre-bout physical exam.   Attendees to these events are just as likely to see female boxers enter the ring.    It’s an interesting, focused sport, steeped in culture and tradition.

On the way home from viewing the Elliott Erwitt exhibit at UT-Austin’s Harry Ransom Center last evening,  the cloud patterns, as they often do, got my attention.   My route home took me through Manor, then up F.M. 973 so I veered off course and paid another visit to New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church, gracing its slice of Texas prairie since 1922.   For a different look, it’s presented here in black and white.  Those are cotton fields on either side of the road.  That urge satisfied, I meandered on back to 973, but stopped for a pair of nice red barns on my right.  For obvious reasons, it’s in color.   I never tire of Texas skies.

Taylor’s Bull Branch Park was once again host to KidFish, an event designed to encourage the love of fishing.   The scenic little pond at the park was stocked with extra catfish, but those rascals apparently stayed close to the bottom all morning.   That didn’t stop the kids, and their parents, and grandparents, from having a grand time, even if it was a tad warm!   My little town may be small, but it’s got a whole lot of heart.

The Georgetown Palace Theatre begins its run of “42nd Street” tonight on their Springer Memorial Stage.    Most of what I’ll post from their productions will be on Facebook, but let’s represent it here, too.   It’s a grand production running weekends through September 25.

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.