Lake LBJ sunset

I just want to thank everyone that visited my blog last week and especially those that took the time to leave comments on my pictures.  I really appreciate that.  I haven’t had a chance to return the favor yet because I was traveling overseas last week.

I spent the week in London and Dublin – two towns that I really enjoy visiting - and both were fantastic.  Although I got rained on a bit in both places, I still came away with what I believe will be some beautiful shots, and of course I had some wonderful experiences, saw some fabulous sites, and even had the good fortune to meet up with some great photographers in London.  It was a great week!

In the meantime, please enjoy this sunset from Lake LBJ in the Texas Hill Country.  Thanks for stopping by!

Best friends

I am a city person.  I live in a city, mostly travel to cities, and spend most of my time in them.  But when I am driving in the Texas hill country and see a scene like this, I get a little wistful thinking about playing in my grandfather’s barn as a kid.  I loved that barn, and still do.  The only problem is that it’s in North Carolina, so it’s not easy for me to go play in these days!

Bluebonnets in a field

Springtime in the Texas hill country can be just incredible.  Bluebonnets (the state flower) start popping up everywhere, and we actually get a little rain at times, which is nice too!  One thing that’s very popular is to go and check out all the wonderful wildflowers which seem to arrive (and sadly, depart) almost overnight.

Driving through Austin, you frequently see patches of bluebonnets on the side of the road, and inevitably, you see someone who has pulled over to take some pictures of them.  They’re just special to us, and probably that is partly due to their brevity.  It’s a sure sign that Spring has arrived.

I took this photo up in the Texas hill country back in 2010.  We had a serious “bumper crop” of bluebonnets that year - it hasn’t been nearly as nice since.  I am seeing some around Austin right now, but nothing that has made me get the camera out and pull over to the side of the road - yet!

Shooting in Luckenbach

Luckenbach, TX is a tiny little unincorporated hamlet up in the Texas hill country, not too far from Fredericksburg, TX.  It would be a stretch to call it a town, as there are only a few permanent residents, and a couple of buildings (one of which is the old post office-general store-saloon).  But thanks to the popularity of an old country song by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, many know of this place and even more visit.  It stills hosts a lot of country music concerts and usually hosts a big shindig on the 4th of July.

I was not there during any of those events however, as my preference (as you may know by now) is to shoot places when they are empty (plus, I have never been much of a concert-goer).  So I got up early one Sunday morning while we were in Fredericksburg, and made the short drive out here to grab some shots.  It was really just me, some chickens, and a couple of cats - which oddly didn’t seem to care about the chickens.  If it wasn’t for those critters, it would have felt just like a ghost town.

St. Mary's, Fredericksburg

I love going to church - with a camera.  :-)  

I caught this shot in Fredericksburg, TX at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  I had been in here a couple of years prior for a Christmas Eve service, and knew how beautiful it was.  In this case I just timed my visit for the middle of a weekday afternoon.  Presto!  All mine.  That’s the way I like to visit churches.  It’s best when they are empty.

I never seem to make it to church at home, but whenever I travel I find a way into a church for a little quiet time.  Well, it’s never totally quiet, because my Nikon is firing some brackets.  But’s it’s a religious experience nonetheless!