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.