Some places just bring a feeling of calm and peace.   Other than morning walks, it’s been months since I’ve just gone to Taylor’s Murphy Park and just observed the birds.   The awful hot and dry summer left the lake looking sad.   When stopping by last evening, however, I first saw a duck gliding across the replenished water, then Great Egrets and Ibis in flight over the cormorants.   The presence of the Great Egrets and Ibis were a welcome gift.  I stayed until the light diminished.   Serenity.

At certain times of day,  trees, even without an abundance of colorful leaves, can transform into something divine.    That  time  for these recent photos near Coupland is when the sunlight begins to take its final bows, just ahead of evening’s blue light.   It’s mighty pretty, but appears and disappears quickly.   Autumn leaves are very nice, but autumn light is downright elegant.

Except for a couple of missed years due to the pandemic, it’s been a pleasure through the years  to photograph the Pilgrimage to Bethlehem, the live nativity at Taylor’s Immanuel Lutheran Church.    I was there Saturday evening as the outside temperatures began to fall, but not enough to damper the spirit of participants and guests.   Although the event is based at Immanuel, a number of other churches have members participating.   Each year’s visit is made even better with the presence of the angels.   The church will conduct a second performance beginning at 5:30 p.m. this evening.    At the end of this post is a photo taken Friday evening from nearby U.S. 79.   There’s a very large presence just over the hill from Immanuel.   Some are embracing  a 6 million square foot semiconductor plant.   Some aren’t.   A friend recently said it it wasn’t Samsung, it would’ve been something else.   He’s probably right.   The prairie changes.

In Georgetown this morning for some non-photographic errands, I took a about an hour to hike along the Katy Crossing Trail that runs parallel to the San Gabriel River.   Members of the Georgetown Trails Foundation were somewhere along the trail,  working on  more areas for cyclists  and hikers to explore.  They’ll be doing the same on Sunday.    I just wanted a different place to look at signs of autumn.  Hopefully, that dog found its way to its human.  As mentioned before, our autumn season stays around a little longer.   You may see more seasonal posts this month.

Daily walks are good for the body and soul.   Seeing a bit of seasonal color along the way is also good.   I may post others from these walks, but here are a few taken the last few mornings, all in Taylor, Texas.

Tonight I attended the first of Southwestern University’s two candlelight services held at Lois Perkins Chapel.   When the school first conducted these services in 1915 they were called the Christmas Carol Service.   In what appears to be a new tradition, begun last year, the service ends outside the chapel as attendees sing “Silent Night.”     It was a pleasant and quiet evening.

These photos were taken over a week ago, before I got busy with other assignments.   A Taylor friend has an elegant little Sweetgum tree I’ve admired since moving here.   Perhaps I could’ve photographed the whole tree, but the details were good.     I’ll have other seasonal offerings, but wanted to get this one on the books before getting swamped again.  

Just a little bit more from the Williamson County Livestock Show being held this week in Taylor.  The steer and heifer competitions are Thursday.   Since I won’t be there for those, I stopped by this evening to get some of the kids working with their cows.   But one last look at pigs, too.   The last event in the Swine Show this evening was Future Feeders, where little folks under 7 got a chance to show their skills in the arena.  I enjoyed watching one nifty little 4-year-old making a mighty fine appearance.

A return to the Williamson County Livestock Show today in Taylor, Texas.   Today and much of Wednesday are devoted to Breeding Swine and Market Swine shows.   I just call them pigs.   Right after arriving at the Williamson County Expo Center this afternoon, I saw a young man chasing a pig named Ronnie, who decided to race from the show barn for a little outside time.   His owner finally got Ronnie back inside.  An 8-year-old girl was competing for the first time this year.   She proudly shows off her third-place ribbon, also enjoying a hug from her mama.  An 11-year-old was competing despite a broken leg.  And a two-year-old wasn’t fond of all the pig noise.  The others are just scenes from today’s activity.   I might return for another outing on Wednesday.

Another interesting day was spent at the Williamson County Livestock Show in Taylor.   Today’s competitions included lambs and goats.    This is one of those posts where I don’t feel the need to say more.