It was a pleasant surprise to find out the Texas Senior Pro Rodeo Association was once again returning to Taylor.   I spent a few good hours today at the Williamson County Expo Center to observe the action.   Founded in 1978, the group welcomes participants 40 and up.  Most of the competitors I saw today were in their 50s, 60s, 70s and. 80s.  Note the gentleman in the green shirt.  That’s 86-year-old Dayton Harper of San Angelo, the oldest participant this weekend.  He’ll be 87 in January.   As someone in his 70s, I appreciate what they do.

Some photographs from Thrall and Noack, communities east of Taylor.   I begin with Noack’s Christ Lutheran Church, resting under a Waxing Gibbous moon, 68.1% visibility.   The other two photos are from Thrall.   Hopefully peaceful scenes for you.  

These recent photographs were taken at the Granger City Cemetery, just east of downtown Granger, Texas.   The land can’t hide the fact that extreme heat has beaten cracks into its surface.   This historic burial site needs rain.

The intense heat and lack of rain have combined to produce pronounced drought conditions in Williamson County, Texas.   Last evening I stopped by Berry Springs Park & Preserve to see how it’s faring.   It was sad to see the park’s pond completely dry.  So dry, in fact, I was able to walk where there had been water a few months ago.   An artificial duck decoy that’s floated in the pond for several years was the only evidence of what was.   The heat isn’t helping resident deer to find sustenance either.    Every morning I pray for relief for our area. Future posts may be related to this continuing weather pattern. 

It’s been a while since I’ve taken photos of this regal old barn, but a setting sun got my attention as I passed by earlier this week.   There’s a reason to record  these places.   Many I’ve photographed the past fourteen years are gone.   This barn sits on land ripe for development.  That applies to a lot of land in East Williamson County, Texas in recent months.  At some point the owners, or their families, will part ways with this site, but history needs to be documented.

This facade and window have intrigued me for a while, but morning light rays seen during a walk got my attention this week.   At its core, photography is just about watching light.

I was really hopeful we’d get a good soaking due to a tropical depression in the Gulf this evening, but only a few sprinkles made their way to our area.   South of us, Austin actually got some showers.   We did have some nice clouds.   A few photos taken this evening while wandering around East Williamson and Southern Bell Counties.  The church is Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Wuthrich Hill.   We need rain very much.

Robert Halstrom, who along with his wife JoAnn, purchased the circa 1904 Granger United Methodist Church in late-2019, will text me when an updated set of photos might be good.   This most recent milestone was reached when Robert hired crews from San Antonio to replace the old roof with one made of cedar shake composite, very durable stuff.    I stopped by to take some photos last week.   When not working himself, Robert spent some time with Monica, one of his three dogs.  Things slowed down in Spring 2022 when JoAnn sustained life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle.   She’s doing well, but Robert takes care of her before any work is done on the church.   When the work is done, they think it will become an event venue.   Much more remains to be done.

The intense heat and drought has taken a toll on our crops in Texas, cotton included.   It’s been hard to find something to post here, but did recently find this field near Bartlett, Texas.    We continue to pray for relief.

Sunsets don’t always work out, but the one tonight over Granger Lake was pretty nice.   I hope the angler had some good luck.