Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Taylor, Texas

All around Austin,





tucked away in the hills or on crossroads between farms,




are small towns full of history and amazing architecture.






Surrounding them are old farms, dotted with tin-roofed barns, windmills, rickety fences...




One of these days I'm going to grab my camera and just drive,






stopping when I want to stop and shooting photos from all angles.



Until then, I'll make do snapping what I can from the car window




or in stolen moments at our destinations,



like these from a trip to Taylor where we met friends for dinner the day after Christmas,


 just as the sun was settling in for the night.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Fire in the Sky


"With each sunrise, we start anew."

My days have gotten longer and longer; I stay busy from before the sunrise until long after sunset.
I still snap photo after photo, but haven't had time to share them here.
But this morning I stepped out just as the sun touched the clouds, setting the sky on fire.
I had to share.

 (no editing of this photo at all - this was truly the color that met me. Sigh.)

"You don't need somebody to interpret for you what a beautiful sunrise it is." 
~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh




I looked the other direction and saw this ... splashes of sunlight way over there ... again, no editing.


A few minutes later, the fire was out, but look what was left behind - like sheets billowing in the wind.
I felt I could reach up and touch them ... 
I imagined they'd feel soft as silk ...




There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope. 
~ Bern Williams

Last week I captured these shots in the morning...






But just a few seconds later, the magic was gone.
Timing is everything.

"Sunrise doesn't last all morning, a cloudburst doesn't last all day.
Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning. It's not always going to be this grey. 
All things must past, all things must pass away." 
~ George Harrison










But look what appeared that evening.
Glorious sunrise.
Glorious sunset.








And then one morning I saw this...








...and on another, this...









As you can see, I spend a lot of time looking up.
But if I have to be up this early, at least I get to see a wonderful show.





What is the good of your stars and trees, 
your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? 
 ~ E.M. Forster