Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound

This cross is the top piece to the entrance to Amazing Grace Baptist Church, located just south of Seguin on Hwy 123.

Bandera Windmill

Driving down Highway 16, I spotted this windmill and Richard pulled through a entrance way to some sort of church retreat and conference center. We could see a hugh parking lot to the right, and another entrance which passed two beautiful shallow ponds, winding up the road to the windmill, then to a picnic area, then up a hill to a stone house. I was really looking forward to taking some pictures, but as we drove up to the windmill, it was beginning to look like a private property, even though the entrance gate to the main area proclaimed the area a public space. So, we drove up the winding road to the top of the hill where the house was located (can you see the roof in the upper left of the frame?) we decided to turn around so we could leave the premises.

We turned around at the top of the hill, probably in someone's driveway, drove past the picnic area, past the windmill, past the two ponds, (did I mention they had the cutest realistic looking fake swans floating in the ponds, two black swans in one pool and two white swans in the other?) and I so wanted to stop, but I had Richard pull back onto the public right of way. I got out and walked outside the fence to take some shots of the windmill.

I hadn't taken three or four shots before a lady driving a Mercedes came tearing down the hill to stop and roll down her window and holler out across the field at me. Actually, she was very polite, asking me if she could help me, you know, like wanting to know what I was doing. I smiled, and told her that I originally thought the windmill was on public property, but as soon as we pulled in, we could tell it was private, and I apologized. She was very gracious, but I can tell you, I was so glad I had resisted the temptation to take a few shots of the ponds, for then I would have really been in trouble....

So now, you have a pretty good idea of how far I will go to get a shot. Just about as far as I can, without really breaking any rules.

It sure is a beautiful windmill.

Sebastopol Early Morning Light

Sebastapol is located just a few blocks from downtown Seguin, kind of off the beaten path, and very quiet, for the most part.

I was very fortunate to do an internship at this wonderful historical mansion in my senior year in college, since I was majoring in history, and specializing in the history of Guadalupe county.

 I learned about the families that lived here, and the children that grew up in this house. Under the house, as I recall, there is a bricked in room that has bars over the windows, but there is no access to the room.

Folks have speculated about it's use, since it is in the middle of the crawl/basement space. Very strange, but then, all old houses should have some stories and mysteries that remain through the years.

A Venetian Birthing Chair Made it's Way to Texas!

I spotted this chair when I was at the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera, Texas. The museum is filled with items used by the pioneers and settlers of central Texas. As Richard and I drove down the winding roads, up and down the hills, through the brushy pasture land, we envisioned the settlers arriving in their covered wagons, or on the trains that later criss-crossed the country, and realized that each household item had to be carted from the east at great cost or hauled in their wagon, where space was at a premium. It's a wonder that folks brought such things as pianos or other huge and heavy pieces of furniture. Someone valued this birthing chair enough to give it space in their wagon, or to pay for it to be shipped by rail. I do not know if it was still  being used as a birthing chair when it sat in some Texas woman's home. Who knows how many women gave birth while sitting in this chair...

The Three Amigos...three old trucks hidden off the beaten path

I always wonder what we will find when my husband and I go on a photography road trip. Richard, my husband, best friend, and chauffeur, drove me through some wonderful back roads, last week, and I gave him a list of things to look for. The list went something like this...windmills, donkeys, old run-down buildings, wild flowers, donkeys, and of course, old cars sitting in fields. 

He spotted these three beauties just outside Blanco. I missed them because they were almost completely hidden behind some brush. We turned around and pulled off the road and had to drive down a narrow path for about 100 feet or so to get a good shot. There was no fence or gate, so I didn't feel like I could get into too much trouble, but once I got out of the truck, some dogs started barking  further down the path. 

I am not real crazy about barking dogs. Especially when I am probably on someone else's property, so I took three or four QUICK shots and jumped back into the truck. How I wish I could have stayed there and set up my shots, checking the light, etc. Oh well, maybe another time.

Rosy Trio

Sunburst over WalMart

You never know how a sunset will look, even from one minute to the next, so if you really want to make a career of taking sunset or sunrise photos, you ought to get into place early, then plan on staying late. The colors and clouds change, and as the sun rises or descends, incredible things can happen....however, the beauty changes or disappears in the matter of a couple minutes. My husband and I were going to the local pizza place on Friday  night when we saw the myriad of rays breaking through the clouds. There was no time to drive to a better spot, so WalMart became my silhouette. I wanted a shot of just the sky, but was not in position. That must mean that I am not a career-oriented photographer, sheesh.