Often I’ll return to a place where bluebonnets were found in past years only to find nothing there at all, but this barn near Jonah again plays host to a field of the Texas state flower. It’s good to see them back. It helps that I also love this barn. 
Great Egret numbers are increasing at Murphy Park’s rookery in Taylor. Cormorants continue holding onto their slice of the pie, too. Hopefully they’ll find a way to peacefully coexist, but I’m fairly certain there will be many more egrets landing here. Maybe they’ll have a wetter and cooler time this year. These are from Friday evening, when the clouds were nice to see. Time at the rookery is relaxing. I just unfold my chair and enjoy the scenery. 
Daylight Savings Time returns to Texas in a few hours, but I will miss what we lose for a few months. Tonight’s post pays homage to the sweet evening light I love. The grain elevators and tracks were taken a couple of nights ago. The other two are from this evening, including a fisherman enjoying the last bits of light at Dickerson’s River Bottom, a section of the San Gabriel River filled with white bass at this time of year. And a windmill, seen tonight under a gathering of clouds, one never photographed, but right here in Taylor. The good light will come later for a while. 
A couple of years ago a friend, knowing my interest in cemeteries, mentioned Lilac Cemetery, a picturesque resting place in Milam County. It’s a few miles northeast of the community of San Gabriel, but also just two miles west of Sharp, Texas (no relation to my family). The first burial here was in 1870, continuing to be a final destination today. Interred here are four Civil War veterans, one Spanish American War veteran, nine World War I veterans, plus a few from other conflicts. During this recent visit I noticed a new gravesite. The area is cradled on all sides by bits of the Blackland Prairie. The outhouse is a nice addition, giving us another nod to the history of this place. 
On the way home from a short visit to Milam County last evening I was inspired to stop and record this relaxing scene as a horse relaxed next to a little pond. White horses (and blue light) tend to draw me in.
Just a few photographs taken during those daily walks in Taylor, Texas. A camera is always with me on these strolls, usually a well-worn Olympus OM-D E-M5 purchased used in late-2021. Since they are walks, I don’t allow much time for any particular subject, but it’s nice to be able to make a photo when moved to do so. They’re town walks, friends. No rural landscapes here, only my versions of snapshots. 
On most of these evening wanderings I don’t know if anything will get my attention, but it sure did near sunset on Tuesday when driving into Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park. There I found a daddy and his 3-year-old daughter enjoying some great father/daughter time fishing in the San Gabriel River. The little lady was reeling fish in left and right! The worms they were using as bait seemed to do the trick, but the young lady, maybe a bit squeamish, let daddy bait the hook. They caught five or six fish in no time at all, returning them to the water to swim another day. Before full darkness set in, they headed off to enjoy the park before dark. The arrival of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday will give area residents more time to bond. I’m usually not a fan of the time change, but if it gives families more time together outside, it’s all good. 
My fixation with barns continues with tonight’s post. Three are included here. Versions of two of them have been published before. The opening photo is an old metal barn I like a bunch, a few miles outside Granger. Someone living nearby told me it was probably coming down soon. It’s still here for now. The second barn adds a windmill to the scene, just outside Thrall. And then there’s barn cats, relaxing in the late-afternoon sunlight outside their barn south of Granger. There’s actually five cats in this shot. See if you can find them! 
While massive fields of bluebonnets create opportunities for sensational landscapes, I sure like getting up close and personal with just one flower. That’s the same bluebonnet in each of the three photographs offered here. It was nearing sunset when these were taken this weekend. Naturally, I had to give my aching back a workout by getting down to the flower’s point of view. Flopped there on the ground, it seemed like a good idea to just stay there for a while as the sun continued to go lower. After about fifteen minutes the session was done. I’d run out of excuses for getting up. Ouch. Mentioned a few times before, but it’s instructive to take one subject and study it. Things change over time, even in the space of a few minutes. As to which of these is a favorite, who the heck knows, but it was a good exercise. Those colorful fields might come, but small landscapes are nice, too. 
This afternoon I was in Georgetown to cover the 12th Annual Chase the Chief races, a 5K and Fun Run conducted by the Georgetown Police Department. Proceeds from the even help fund grants for physical education programs at area schools. The turnout was excellent, with approximately 1800 participants. My favorite photograph opens this post. It shows a 10-year-old girl taking part in the Fun Run accompanied by her mom. She uses a walker, but gets around very very well! And that smile is priceless. Other photos are just general coverage, but take note of the young ladies being assisted in their 5K races. The group is Ainsley’s Angels. Click on the link for more about them. There really are angels among us. I like Cooper, a German Shorthaired Pointer getting a pet from his human after they ran the 5K event together. Cooper got his own finishers medal, too. I don’t usually post my community journalism here, but will this time. 
