These were a few photos taken late Thursday at Georgetown’s San Jose Park, a very popular place when the temperatures start rising. Temperatures were in the mid-upper 80s, making this the place to be, but a towel to share after playtime was a good idea, too. Summer weather arrives early in Central Texas!
All of us need a place to go to clear our heads, sometimes finding solace. When growing up, oddly enough, it was the roof of my house. From up there, I could gaze at the northeast Texas skies and just relax, just me and the birds. As an adult living near Atlanta, Georgia for many years, that sweet spot was a patch of woods, with a gentle stream flowing through them, at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Now back in Texas, one of those restful spots is maybe a mile from my Taylor home, the rookery at Murphy Park. During the winter months, the rookery, at the center of the park’s little lake, is mostly quiet, with the exception of our ever-present ducks and geese. Spring’s arrival brings the egrets back in large numbers. For them it’s a place to provide food (fish), but mostly to give birth to newborn chicks. All I know is this: I like watching them, with or without my camera (but mostly with). These I took just last evening. People filled the park, to play on the playground, or fish, or walk, but not me. I just watched the birds. 
One one of my drives in my area recently, I recalled a nifty old barn, just north of Walburg, Texas. I’d seen it a few years ago while on a bike ride. While stopping to photograph it, I noticed a sign on a tree. This barn is part of a very old Texas farm. It’s registered in the Texas Family Land Heritage Program, meaning the farm has been in continuous operation by the same Texas family for at least 100 years, qualifying it as a Texas Century Farm. I like that.
On my way home tonight, after wandering north of Walburg, this caught my attention in Weir, Texas, a little before 8p.m. Please accept my apologies for posting this type of thing, but not once in Georgia did I see things like this. I’m in awe.
The Red Poppy Festival, in Georgetown, Texas, is three days of happenings, including music, vendors, road races, bicycle rides, a parade, a car show and food. Once again this year, I covered this for the Williamson County Sun, but concentrated on one day, Saturday. The morning began with a few photos from the start of the 12th Annual Red Poppy Bike Ride, coordinated by the Georgetown Sertoma Club. From there, it was on the Georgetown square, for the parade, car show and a little bit of the musical entertainment. One group of performers I liked a lot were the Wilson String Band, a family of six very talented folks. They hail from Spokane, Washington, but have now moved to the Austin area, a big plus for the music scene. One person that I really enjoyed meeting was 91-year-old Beatrice East, who came from Houston wearing her red poppy hat and handing out poppies for the Ladies Auxiliary at V.F.W. Post 581. She was cool! 
With Red Poppy Festival work to my west, in Georgetown, Saturday began before dawn. On the road this morning, just as the sun had risen to my east, the full moon hung in the sky a while longer, over a farmer’s field along County Road 366. The little structure in the field is not a barn. It may have been someone’s home at one time. It’s quite small, but interesting to see. Someday, when someone is working in that field, I’ll find out more about this “house,” but for now, a full moon is worth a photo.
Normally, you won’t see two posts in a day from me, but seeing that today is Earth Day, I wandered. While at the grocery store this afternoon, a friend mentioned she and her husband had a new baby. This friend, mind you, is my age. When she says “baby,” she means Texas Longhorn. I stopped by tonight for a look. The new baby, born sometime Wednesday, has a nice mama named Tulip, a very protective lady. Baby’s dad, Sancho, isn’t pictured here, but he kept an eye on me, too!
“Camelot.” with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe, has come to the Springer Memorial Stage at the Georgetown Palace Theater. This lively production is long, about 3 hours, but it moves well. It’s my guess that you will not be bored! This local production is directed by Mary Ellen Butler, the Palace’s Artistic Director. If you in the area, it’s well worth your time. It plays weekends through May 22. 
There’s little to say with this post. I was picking up a loaf of French bread at the grocery store. On the way home, I stopped for this.
There’s nothing special with this post: a photo from last night, another lovely white horse in a field close to Taylor. And on the way home from an assignment tonight, the clouds lifted enough to reveal an almost-full moon, which is always a pleasant sight to see.
