Clouds hovered over our area throughout the day and evening. Rather than post something ready to go, I wanted to represent the sky tonight. It wasn’t working out so well until about 20 minutes or so after sunset, when crisp blue night light came into play over a pasture in East Williamson County. If that horse sharing hay with cows was dark, this wouldn’t have worked at all. Thank goodness for white horses. 
Georgetown’s Grace Episcopal Church held their Blessing of the Animals Sunday morning at San Gabriel Park. It’s a sweet service in a quiet setting. In the opening photo Buster Brown receives his blessing, relishing the attention. He’s shown in another photo wearing his human’s cap. Buster came into his owner’s life when he was losing his wife in 2021. Buster Brown and his human nuture one another. Pets deserve all the blessings we can give them. 
A good portion of a productive Saturday was spent at Windsong Farm in Georgetown, site of the 30th Clayman Rodeo, an event created by Kelly and Jim Bob Clayman, two former rodeo champions. Throughout the year, the Claymans instruct students, kids and adults, in equestrian skills far beyond rodeo skills. This annual rodeo provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they’ve learned. You won’t find the more dangerous events here. No bull riding, no bareback riding. You will see barrel racing, roping and pole bending. This rodeo is an early-fall highlight for me every October. I’m posting quite a few photos here, with a few on social media, Facebook and Instagram, but more of the feature photos there. 
A photograph taken this morning over the San Gabriel River near Taylor, taken 32 minutes before dawn. Because of a slow shutter speed, you may not be able to see it, but a bird is flying overhead. Day’s beginnings can be magical. 
Autumn skies tonight, all near Granger, Walburg and Bartlett, Texas. The photos can speak for themselves. 
“Jekyll & Hyde” opens tonight on the Springer Stage at the Georgetown Palace. I post most of my theater photos on Facebook and Instagram, but include a few here of Cayden Couchman, wonderful in the dual roles of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. The production is onstage through November 5th. 
As we anticipated rain Wednesday evening in Central Texas the cloud patterns gave us hope for relief. The photos were taken perhaps 20-25 minutes apart, beginning with a nice row of grain elevators in Coupland, cattle settled into a pasture nearby. From there I traveled east, to Beyersville, where Texas longhorns commanded presence on their hill. Early Thursday morning a gentle rain graced us with its presence. 
Last night on the prairie, considering the approaching rain.
As daylight hours fade it’s nice to reconnect with my nighttime photography pursuits. There’s an elegance to the quiet time after the sun’s rays have faded. These photographs are from recent outings in downtown Taylor. 
While not finding many first responders during National Night Out parties in Georgetown, it was a good night at Stonehaven Apartments, the city’s public housing project, and San Jose Park, an event hosted by City Council member Amanda Parr. One of the best quiet moments was at Stonehaven, where Orville, an 88-year-old resident, expressed his appreciation for the work the officer does. Also there was Daniel, who says he’s been homeless most of his life. From San Antonio, Daniel eventually hopes to make it to Dallas, but was welcomed to the party at Stonehaven while on his journey. At San Jose Park, I did run into Koda, the fire department’s 6-year-old official mascot. The YMCA of Georgetown provided peddle carts, a popular attraction for the kids. 
