Try as I might, it’s hard to resist photographing the baby ducks that arrive in abundance each Spring at Bull Branch Park in Taylor, Texas. My daily walks usually take me right past these new examples of feathered life. Tonight, with little else going on, I stopped by the park before heading home. 
Anyone who has followed my posts, either here, the Williamson County Sun, or on Facebook, know about my little red barn in Jonah, Texas. Actually, it’s not “my” barn, but it’s a place I visit when the mood hits me, like it did last evening. The field surrounding the barn is now filled with a healthy-looking crop of corn. Every photographer needs to have a subject they return to occasionally. Each visit presents new ways to look at a subject. Light, for instance, changes rapidly at the end (or beginning) of a day. It’s a reason the barn’s red facade looks redder in some images, less so in others. It’s always about the light. Cheers, friends.
Recently, on an already-busy Red Poppy Festival day, I took a break from the outdoor activity on the Georgetown square to visit Bridges to Growth, a part of The Georgetown Project. Each month, Bridges to Growth offers free learning activities for kids. On this visit, it was yoga. It was obvious the kids enjoyed the class. Perhaps even more apparent, however, was the complete lack of photographer flexibility! 
While out wandering last evening, a road I’d been by frequently momentarily got my attention. It’s a dirt road, in East Williamson County, Texas. After living in metro-Atlanta for many years, I found these country byways intriguing. In Georgia, I found one road like that, but kept a lookout for others. Alas, the city had overwhelmed the land. Progress had taken over. Back home in Texas, however, these roads are more commonplace — at least where I live they are. But back to last night’s little road. I’d only passed by it, but never actually driving its gravelly surface. Honda coupes aren’t good fits there. As I slowly drove along, in the distance a very old house, obviously abandoned, came into view. This merited a stop! For about 30 minutes, I snapped away, at both the road and the house. During that time, only two vehicles passed. I waved, they moseyed along. With the light fading, I moseyed on, too. One last car coming my way was kicking up its own dust. I stopped one last time to take a photo, then headed home. Dirt roads are rough, but it’s nice to see a few still around. 
Maybe not many people know this, but today was National Therapy Animal Day. With that in mind, this morning I jumped in the car, my destination Wolf Ranch, in Georgetown, Texas, where several non-profit groups brought their therapy animals. While most were of the canine variety, and very sweet, a couple were miniature horses, brought to the shopping center by the folks from Miniwonders Texas. But here’s the interlude: en route to Georgetown, there was this field with a very frisky foal cuddling up to his mama. I know little about horses, other than the fact that I love taking in their beauty, with my eyes, and with my second set of eyes, my cameras. So I stopped for a few minutes to watch the interplay between mom and her little guy. Once at the shopping center, I spent a good bit of time watching those miniature horses, who are named Goodness and Mercy. The second-to-last photo here is Goodness, as she takes a wary look at Breeze, a 9-year-old therapy dog from the Sun City Dog Club. The last photo might be my favorite. It shows Wendi Threlkeld, the founder of Miniwonders Texas, showering Mercy with some love. For me, horses fall into the same category as birds: my knowledge of them is limited, but they are lovely to behold.
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! 
