I made a trip to the Waco Wetlands Thursday. It won't be long before the scenery changes. This week there were still lots of butterflies, frogs and dragonflies. Very few water foul, but with the cooler weather arriving, it won't be long before I'm in search of ducks and such. I don't like cold weather, it makes my body ache, but I do like the birds that the cooler weather brings into the area. The good thing is, the nice people at the Wetlands provided a nice cozy blind for photographers and bird watchers to sit in. I'm looking forward to spending a few hours in the blind.

The Cat and the Canary

Earlier this month I photographed the Hillsboro High School theater production of "The Cat and the Canary". I must say, I was very impressed with the talent of the students. Ms. King is doing a great job! I was there to photograph at the dress rehearsal, but I kept having to remind myself to photograph. I found myself caught up in the play, and forgetting to get photos. I'm really looking forward to the next production. I believe it will be in December. 

I photographed Youth Football in Venus Texas today. Many of the boys and girls were sporting their pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of them had the names of Aunts, Grandmothers, and moms written on the back of their helmets. I'm thinking that to most of the kids this is just "the thing to do", but to others the disease has touched members of their families. Either way, I feel they are helping to remind women to go get their check-up. When I asked the boys (and girl) to pose for this photo, they all fought for position to make sure their feet got included in the photo. Afterwards they wanted to see the photo on my camera, and they were all proud to point out their own feet to the others standing around looking.

The Hill County Courthouse is, in my opinion, the most beautiful courthouse in Texas. It can be seen for miles away when entering the city of Hillsboro from almost any direction. I grew up 3 miles away from the courthouse, yet when the wind was blowing just right, I could clearly hear the bell from my home. I also remember that the only public elevator in town was in the courthouse. As a young child growing up in a small farming community, it was a real thrill to get to go to the courthouse and ride the elevator. I will never forget the night it burned. Word spread so quickly. People from all over the community came and stood on the street corners and cried. I felt like we weren't crying over the loss of a building, we were crying over the childhood memories of this place, and the thought of never being able to share those experiences with our children. In just a short period of time, our hope was renewed as talk of rebuilding arose. It wasn't long before the burned out shell of our courthouse began to be rebuilt. Our forefathers had built a sturdy building, and the shell of it had withstood the fire. Now we have a beautiful place where we can once again take our children and grandchildren and tell them the stories of when we first rode an elevator.

Hillsboro was really a busy little town this weekend. Friday was Homecoming Night, and there was a great turnout for the downtown parade and pep rally. Lots of folks showed up for the football game. Hillsboro got defeated, but they played a great game that was a lot of fun to watch. Saturday began with lots of gatherings for class reunions, and downtown Hillsboro was host for The Cotton Pickin' Fair. The night was topped off with a street dance, and I heard that the City Park was filled with people for a night of Praise Music. Several class reunions were also held that night. Pretty busy weekend for a small town!

I photographed Youth Football in Tolar Texas on Saturday. On the way home I spotted 4 airplanes practicing their tricks. I pulled off on the side of the Hwy and photographed them for a while. They seemed to be having a blast. They would twist and turn, then dive and pull up, and then do it all over again. When I got home and enlarged the photos, I noticed that this guy has spotted me.

Busy Times

I had a really busy Saturday with 7 games in Waxahachie Texas. I photographed from 8 AM until 7 PM.
This week I will be at Hillsboro Independent School District doing some photos of teachers and students. I also plan to make some appearances at the schools for some Homecoming Week activities. You can look for me on the sidelines for HHS Homecoming Friday night, and probably back to Tolar Texas for Youth Football action shots on Saturday. Hopefully I will find time to make it to the Waco Wetlands one day for some more bug and frog shots. Have a great week!

Interesting day...

Yesterday I went to the Waco Wetlands for a day of photography. I found several things that I expected to find, but I was surprised to witness a few things that I had never seen before. First, my photo friend and I noticed a bee that seemed to be stuck in some greenery. I leaned in to take a closer look, and discovered that the "greenery" was actually a Praying Mantis. It was having the Bumble Bee for breakfast. The scene made for some interesting photos that not just everyone wants to look at, but it was something that most people will never see in their lives, so I photographed anyway. The bee eventually escaped, but was injured so it probably died soon after escaping. The Praying Mantis then did another thing that most people will never see. Did you know that they fly? This one had yellow wings, but I saw a brown Praying Mantis two days earlier that flew, and it had some interesting color in it's wings. No matter how busy you are today, I hope this article will encourage you to take time to stop and look at the "little things" in life. God has a lot of little surprises out there for all of us to see. Take time to look for them and you will be blessed.

Hello again

It's been a long time since I updated my blog. I hope to start using it now to update you on where you can find me. Saturday, September 15, 2012, I will be in Waxahachie photographing Youth Football for 8 games. There's a chance of rain, so even though the teams may be able to go ahead and play, I won't be able to photograph in the rain.