Assuming you’ve kept up with things in Texas you’ll know how very much we need rain on the Blackland Prairie.   Thankfully, we got a very good dousing today.   When out for a drive this afternoon between Taylor and Hutto, a couple of rain-replenished fields merited some photos. Fog added to the scenes.   These are two fields presented in both color and black-and-white.   I think the black-and-whites get the nod here, but  always appreciate  your input.   Either way, the rain is a blessing.

It rained for most of my two-hour walk in Taylor this morning.  During that time I encountered only two other people, both walking their dogs.   It was probably better to stay inside, but there are things to see.

Crisp winter light recently  graced this quiet country road near sundown in Bell County, Texas.   There are a few roads I travel simply to embrace the feeling of serenity they provide.   This one’s particularly good at this time of year.   

You may recall a recent post highlighting Bartlett’s Pistons On the Bricks, a Texas Photography Festival (and Williamson Museum) pop up event  held today.   It was good event, with great presentations by the photographers on the program, plus an opportunity to see inside some of Bartlett’s historic structures.   The thing I was missing, however, was a photo that tied it all together.   With temperatures in the 20s and 30s, the car show entries were minimal.  One of my last stops before heading home this afternoon was a visit with the folks showing their cars.  As we spoke, along comes a tractor hauling a load of hay right through downtown.  As most know by now, I have an affection for the agrarian landscape on the prairie, much of it going away as development marches on.   That tractor’s presence was wonderful.   The photo presentation begins there.

I always hated getting photo assignments to photograph people outside during the winter months.    The light was harsh and very unflattering to humans.    For landscapes, however, the play of light and shadows can be a soothing balm.   These photos are from day’s end this evening  near the San Gabriel River as it winds its way through the countryside  just  north of Taylor.   There’s the river itself, but also quite a few old-growth trees surrounding the area.   A Waxing Gibbous moon hovered overhead.    It was cold, but also replenishing.  

Bartlett, a community of about 1600 residents just over 50 miles northeast of Austin, welcomes Pistons on the Bricks, a Texas Photography Festival pop up event this Saturday from 10a.m.-3p.m.  The “bricks” are a reference to the vintage brick street that adorns this town.    There will be vintage cars lined along West Clark Street, period-dressed reenactors and very cool historical buildings.   Photographers Tricia Zeigler, Egidio Leitao and Bridgett Piernik-Yoder will be making presentations during the event.   Photos posted here were taken this week to promote the event, but honestly, I don’t need a reason to document this community.   It’s a special place.  

A photo from this evening, a little west of Granger.   Temperatures climbed to the lower-40s today, but apparently not quite enough to thaw out this pond.   I think it will thaw tomorrow, when temperatures are expected to reach into the mid-60s, but another hard freeze is expected by the weekend.    You folks in colder climates probably laugh at these posts, but remember, this is South Central Texas, not Northern Minnesota.

From a few evenings back, before the deep freeze settled into Central Texas.   Another dirt road holds my attention for a few minutes in southeast Williamson County, Texas.  

Last weekend, right before the frigid weather set in, I spent some time at Georgetown’s Blue Hole Park to take photos of anglers trying their luck at catching a few of the 1500 rainbow trout placed in the San Gabriel River late last week.   While the humans were photographed,  it was a Great Blue Heron that held my attention.   At first the bird stayed pretty far away, nestled under a tree at the water’s edge, but she became interested in a 9-year-old fisherman cleaning the five trout he caught.   The youngster sensed the bird’s interest, tossing leftovers from his cleaning into the water.   The heron wasted no time finding these treats.  The youngster was too far from the bird to include in the photo.  And I didn’t want to disturb what was happening.
Even after the boy left with his family the heron remained, fishing on her own in the same cove.   I see herons all the time on daily walks in Taylor, but most of them take off as soon as a human nears.   Not this one though.   She stayed rooted to her area for over an hour.   I hope the extra food provided sustenance to help with the coming cold snap.    Fuel feeds the soul.

You’ve been warned before, right?   Windmills are a continuing obsession.   I find it hard to pass one by without stopping to record it.   Most of the two dozen or so windmills I see have been photographed multiple times, this one included.   It helps when the sky plays nice.   It did on this evening.