Butterflies At Walnut Springs Park

 The days are getting cooler, but there are still some butterflies in the area. Here are three I spotted in Walnut Springs Park, today.

The first is the regal Monach atop some yellow lantana.

 Next, a Pipevine Swallowtail is sipping nectar from what I believe is called Turk's Cap.

Finally, a brilliant orange and white butterfly called a Gulf Fritillary.

Enjoy.....

It's All About Pumpkins

 Once a year, First United Methodist Church of Seguin, Texas, focuses on pumpkins. They truck in lots and lots of bright orange pumpkins from a farm in New Mexico and set them up all over their front lawn.

Then, the Pumpkin Patch opens...from October 1st to October 31st, volunteers are available to assist pumpkin shoppers. Originally a youth ministry project when it was first started in 1995, it has grown and now, the proceeds from the sale of pumpkins benefits many of the church ministries. The youth still participate, but there are lots of older church members who volunteer their time to work in the Pumpkin Patch.

 There are pallets spread out on top of the grass, and rows and rows of pumpkins for a person to pick.

There are also several scarecrows standing guard. They're not really scary, for they are church scarecrows, you know.

Here are some of the volunteers who were working when I visited the Pumpkin Patch.

The schools and day cares come and visit, too, and sometimes, they get to play with one of the volunteer storytellers. I met Helen, the lady in the pink blouse, after she told a pumpkin story to one group of pre-schoolers. She told me that there are many storytellers, each taking an hour or so of the day. I could tell she really enjoyed meeting the children.

This young man is one of the youth from the church. He has been coming to the Pumpkin Patch since he was a little boy, and now, he helps out as a volunteer.

 There are many different sizes of pumpkins to choose, from the mini all the way up to great big pumpkins.

The hardest part is choosing which one is your very favorite!

Watching the Parade...Guadalupe County Fair 2012

The annual parade celebrating the fall harvest, in tandem with the Guadalupe County fair, took place on Friday morning, October 12. After photographing the participants as they waited for the parade to begin, I made my way to the historic Aumont hotel to continue photographing the parade as it took place. Here are a collection of some of the sights....

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Guadalupe County Fair Parade Preparations 2012

In a small town, anyone who wants to take part in one of the parades simply needs to fill out the application and pay a small fee, when required. So, parades like the annual county fair parade are filled with a broad cross-section of the folks who live in the area. 

The participants start lining up on College Street to get ready for the 8:30 judging. I like to walk up and down the street, talking to the people as they wait for the parade to start at 10:00 a.m. With my camera in hand, I take pictures of whatever or whomever catches my eye. Right off the bat, I spotted a group of ladies dressed in pink and white, astride bejeweled horses. There were lots and lots of horse groups waiting. Many of the riders visited with each other, but a few of the horses were figety, so they were being walked up and down the street, here and there.

There were also several cars and pick up trucks decorated for the parade. Some of the trucks were just used to pull floats, but the cars were chariots for various dignitaries. This beautiful woman, with her sweet smile and silvery hair, looked so charming with her tiara and sparkly jewelry.

Now, as I approached this gentleman, I had a little dilemna. I could not tell if his wild hair was part of a novelty cap, or if it was his actual hair. I had to ask him if I could take his picture, but I did not know whether to reference his hair or his fancy hat. I chose to call it a hat, and all his friends burst out laughing, because it was not a hat, it was his hair. Well, he laughed to and posed for a photo.

This young man was getting ready to drive his dad's tractor in the parade for his very first time. His dad was going to walk next to him. Behind them, his older brother sat on a large green and yellow John Deere tractor.

These folks are part of the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Mounted Posse. They are carrying the flags of the six different nations which have flown over Texas in the last four hundred years. In case you are wondering, here is the list of flags which have flown over Texas:
Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and  the United States of America.

Here is an example of how folks decorate their cars....

And finally, here are some of the volunteers in one of the local fire departments.

Well, by the time I took this picture, it was almost time for the parade to start, so I got into my truck and headed for my favorite spot to watch the parade. More on the actual parade in the next post....

Guadalupe County Fair 2012

Every fall, farmers celebrate the harvest. In America, there are fairs, both very small and very large, with all kinds of fun events for folks. Since I live in Seguin, the county seat of Guadalupe county, I make it a point to attend some of the fair events. Yesterday, right at sunset, Richard and I went to the carnival. I had to ride the ferris wheel (all by myself, since Richard is not crazy about ferris wheels). The two fellows in charge of the ride were so nice. I told them I wanted to take some pictures from the very top, so they rotated the ride and moved my car up to the very highest point, then stopped the ride for a little bit. I was the only one on the ride, so it did not bother anyone else, and I appreciated their kindness. As you can see, the view was incredible.

We walked around, just taking in all the sites....

There were a lot of carnival games. Here is the gold fish game, which I did not play, because I did not want to have to carry around a plastic baggie with a fish in it, if I won.

There were a couple of different fishing games, which are easy ways for little children to try their luck to win a cute stuffed animal.

You can get funnel cakes, if you have a sweet tooth. I have never had one, but lots of folks love them. There are also barbq turkey legs, cotton candy, and corn in a cup (whatever that is!).

Vendors sell lots of trinkets and silly stuff, like this neon colored wig that this young man is wearing. It's kind of hard to tell, but he is also wearing blinking dentures. I asked him if I could take his picture and he stopped and smiled this sweet smile. I was not planning on including his buddies, but they scooted close so they could be in the picture, too. Kids, go figure!

There were several very tame rides for the pre-school crowd. The motorcyles were popular. This young man is buckling his seat belt, so he won't fall off when the ride starts.

There were also quite a few wilder rides for the more adventurous. Mom, here is telling her son to be careful, I think. He assured her he would be ok. At least, that is what I think they are talking about. I was using my telephoto lens, so I couldn't actually hear the conversation.

I love carousels. And, I love brightly lit carousels on a dark night. Beautiful!

Finally, here is where I took the most photos. I am a glitz and bling kind of person, so all these flashing colored lights just drew me closer and closer. I don't know how many different photos I took of the ferris wheel and the Blizzard, but I can assure you Richard was pretty bored. Nonetheless, he patiently waited for me to get my fill. I love that man!

 This morning, I attended the annual County Fair Parade. I look forward to telling you all about it, so watch for the next post.