Photos tonight are again from Nacogdoches, Texas, this outing at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, along the Tucker Wood Trail. Like the Gayla Mize Garden from the previous post, this area is maintained by the Stephen F. Austin State University Arthur Temple College of Forestry. I really like this quaint East Texas town! 
Observed Tuesday evening while waiting for moon sighting through the clouds. I’m thinking this group was en route to Taylor’s rookery. Note that I won’t be chasing the dang moon this evening. Moonrise here is not until after 9p.m. That means we’ll not see it for a while. Enough of that. 
Why the heck do we get cloudy skies, but no rain? This makes it quite difficult to get a photo of a nearly-full moon. It peeks out in the first couple photos. In the end, I turned the camera around and just looked at the colorful cloudy skies. We need the dang rain, friends. 
Although living in Central Texas, I grew up in the Pineywoods of Northeast Texas. When we left Georgia in 2009, we chose an area near Austin because it provided more work opportunities for us. We’re still in Taylor, but a recent weekend drive took us to Nacogdoches, a community of 32,000 where I studied for a year at Stephen F. Austin State University. One of the places we visited was Gayla Mize Garden, near the campus. The site, adorned with towering loblolly pines and native plants, is maintained by the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. The opening photo brings back childhood memories of standing in the middle of a forest of tall pines on the farm of my Great-Uncle Harry Bradley, near Queen City, Texas. Born in the late-1800s, Uncle Harry was pretty much my grandfather. His brother, my real grandfather, died when I was very young. I was probably about 7 or 8 when Uncle Harry led me through two pastures. We circled around the stock pond to an area beyond, a forest of aromatic pines, the ground covered with pine needles. “This is my church,” he explained. We stayed there a while, enjoying time together in this serene and quiet place. Back to current time. Will we stay in Taylor? We thought so in 2009. Now, however, the quaint community is about to experience tremendous growth as a Samsung chip factory is built here. Scheduled to open in 2024, it’s already prompting home prices to triple in value, along with taxes and insurance. If we go (a big if), it would be to a place like Nacogdoches, far enough away from metropolitan spread. We got enough of that living in Atlanta, Georgia. At any rate, enjoy these images from the Gayla Mize Garden. 
Tonight’s Waxing Gibbous moon, 96% visibility, shines over St. Peter’s Church of Coupland. Even though we’re dry and hot, clouds formed enough to shield a complete view of the moon. A so-called Super Moon is on tap. I may or may not hop on that bandwagon for photos. 
A simple livestock post tonight, friends. Donkeys and friends share a pasture north of Rice’s Crossing. It’s an area with rural character, but perhaps not much longer. 
These photos were taken at the rookery in Taylor’s Murphy Park in late-June, a few days before the city’s July 4th fireworks show. The fireworks panicked a number of the egrets, causing them to fly into a transformer, knocking out power in the area for a few hours. Since moving here in summer 2009, I’ve spent quite a bit of time documenting these migratory birds, a federally-protected species. Locals, craving their fireworks, weren’t happy. Honestly? I don’t like fireworks shows at all. They disturb any number of animals. Why every city in our area felt compelled to conduct fireworks shows in the middle of extreme drought is beyond me. Now is not the time. As for the birds, they may be a nuisance to some, but I find them enchanting. 
Circumstances don’t often allow an opportunity for sunrise photos, but I take advantage when possible. Presented are two slight variations of the same scene, just east of Taylor. A farmhouse once stood under those trees. It’s still a nice setting. 
There’s been a lot of talk about the decision by Samsung to build their gigantic chip factory in Taylor. Most of our city leaders seem to be fully on board with it, as are many of the town’s citizens. I’ve been on the fence, but have concerns. This post begins with Immanuel Lutheran Church, an historic church along County Road 401. I’ve photographed this church for years. Just over the hill, along the same small road, construction cranes abound. When you get away from the actual site, you’ll still see evidence of farmland, as seen in the last photo. The change in the landscape aside, there’s the impact the plant will have on Taylor. Prices of homes here are skyrocketing. The house we bought in 2009 has nearly tripled in value. Along with that, our taxes and insurance are on steroids. When we moved here, the city of a bit over 15,000 was dominated by many living tenuous lives, nearing poverty. Today, if they own homes, what impact will increased taxes and insurance have? Will they be impacted by gentrification? I’m thinking back to East Austin in the early-1970s, when I was a student at University of Texas. Back then, it was a working class neighborhood. If you visit there today, you’ll see the effects of gentrification. Many longtime residents have been priced out of that community. Consider Samsung. What will be the outcome? Things change. I accept that, but progress isn’t always kind. 
While not fond of the mid-day light, I was compelled to stop for a photo of this ancient church a few miles west of Nacogdoches, Texas. This was during a recent road trip. 