Haunted by waters

Like many folks, I saw the movie "A River Runs Through It", and though I am not a skilled fisherman, I do enjoy wetting a line sometimes.  I am drawn to water, not just for the photographic qualities it possesses but also as a student of nature and a member of the human race.  It is mesmerizing and captivating.  It refreshes my soul, especially running water.  There is something about the solitude and the calm consistent flowing of the water that speaks to all of us.  

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters." - from A River Runs Through It

This is the Guadalupe River, in Central Texas, with all the glory of fall represented in its colors.  It is shaded by many pecan and cypress trees, which also provide a home for a lot of Spanish Moss, hanging on and swinging in the wind.  Believe it or not, this river is also a pretty good trout stream, though it is not a natural occurrence but rather the result of annual stockings.  It is spring fed which keeps the water nice and cool, good for both the tourists and the fish, though I am not sure how many survive over the course of our long hot summer (the fish, that is).

Autumn reflections

This was an excellent morning in Austin.  The temps were in the mid-50's, which I find very comfortable, and there was an awesome low fog hanging around for quite a while.  Basically, it was perfect.  It was made better by the fact that I was able to get out with the camera for a bit.  I went down to the greenbelt at Bull Creek and hiked around the creek and the various trails.  It has been raining some here, so the water was moving nicely (that is to say, there actually was water!) and in no time at all I was a happy, muddy mess.  Ah, but what fun! I was also excited that we are in fact getting a touch of fall color, and I was the only one there to enjoy it.  It was just me, my camera and the quiet burble of a distant waterfall.  

Gruene at night

The town of Gruene, TX sits between Austin and San Antonio and is a historic place.  Their town motto is "gently resisting change since 1872" or something to that effect.  It is small, quaint and old-fashioned and definitely full of character.  I think I could hit a golf ball the length of the town - it's that small (and I'm not a skilled golfer).  Anyways, I passed through there one night, and had a few minutes to spare, so I ran around quickly and snapped off a few shots.  This is one of their historic buildings with their famous water tower in the background.

The fishing hole

Everybody loves a fishing hole, and I am no exception.  It is great to find a secret spot that delivers, every time.  Too bad this isn't the place.  I don't think I have ever caught a single dang fish in this place!  It's crazy. Every time I have been, people are fishing, but when you ask if they are getting anything, they always say no. I am not sure why anyone goes back - apart from the scenery.  This time I was fishing for images, and I caught a lot of them.  That was the most productive visit I've ever had here.

Taken at Fawn Lakes, outside of Red River, NM.

Flutter by

I popped over to Zilker Botanical Gardens today so that I could take a few shots.  There are some interesting things to shoot there.  While I was finishing up one of my HDR shots, I noticed a flower bed behind me, and this butterfly was flitting (flittering?) around, looking for the best place to land.  He finally made a choice, and I quickly got in place to snap a few.  I thought all the colors were awesome...