In May 2025, I briefly mentioned the Japanese expression shinrin-yoku in a post about national forests. Shinrin-yoku is a concept that was developed in Japan in the 1980s as a form of natural therapy and stress relief. In English, it … Read More

After the heavy rains on July 4 through July 6, Lake Georgetown rose 26 ft (8 m) according to The Sun, Williamson County’s newspaper. Eight days after that report, I captured these photos at Overlook Park in Lake Georgetown. Again, … Read More

Happy World Snake Day! Here in Texas, there is a common saying that helps determine whether a coral snake is venomous or not. It is all based on the sequence of the red, black, and yellow stripes. In the photo … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #356: Quiet Hours SH is our guest host for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge. In his post, he sets the theme with tremendous clarity: What are quiet hours? Among many things, this can mean an empty space. It can … Read More

The Heritage Park in downtown Round Rock is the city’s celebration of its history. The park is located in the Old Town section of Round Rock. The original “round rock” in Brushy Creek can be found here. This is near … Read More

The July 4th weekend in 2025 was tragic for Central Texas. The devastating flood of the Guadalupe River took many lives, and several of them were children. The areas near Hunt, Ingram, and Kerrville were severely affected. The Guadalupe River … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #354: Reflections This week’s Lens-Artists challenge comes from Anne (of Slow Shutter Speed). In “Reflections,” she provides several examples to help us find reflections in our photography. I strongly suggest you check her post for the beautiful images … Read More

There is a well-known rookery at Murphy Park in Taylor, Texas. Although the park is around 120 acres in size, the rookery is located in a relatively small lake. The big attraction is the sheer number of egrets, herons, and … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #351: Books Reading is essential and can put the world at your fingertips. It will bring mental stimulation and cognitive enhancement, not to mention knowledge acquisition and an expanded worldview. The photo above features a set of favorite books … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #349: The First Thing I Thought Of… I did a double-take when I first saw this scene at the Leonabell Turnbull Birding Center (Port Aransas, Texas). Does the duck think no one sees it? Well, maybe so, as I … Read More