The spooky old house 7/100

By far one of my favorite compositions and also places in this whole Project. I often wonder how it must have been in the old days, back before the giant fire that destroyed half of Hutto. It must have been an amazing town. In the two years living here I have seen nothing happening to the house, I wish someone would renovate it, I would hate to see it go... :(

The Yards of Hutto 6/100

The people living in Hutto take pride in where they live and what they live in, and I love that so very much. Many yards have the hippo displayed and you can even buy them here at the local Homedepot.When we first arrived in Hutto, we thought the hippos in the yards were the coolest things ever. Also coming from a military town, where many people are constantly on the move and just cant find to spend the time on gardening etc) it is nice to see people working outside decorating and all these little things that make life just a little more beautiful than it already is !

Hutto Highschool 5/100

The Hutto High school, the home of the hippos. It is also located on 101 FM 685 and a large addition was built just recently and further more are yet to come. The large Hippo is standing right in front of the main entrance and greets everyone happily. Looking over my "100 things project" at first, I didn't think about taking schools into it but the sleek, modern design of the school kept getting my attention that I simply couldn't resist and stopped one late afternoon to take this shot and I'm glad I did.

Chili's Restaurant 4/100

The Chili's restaurant is the only chain "sit-down" restaurant in Hutto so far. At first,coming from much bigger cities, I was a little shocked about not having other restaurants close by, but then after going there for a few times we realized how much more special it is to only have this one big restaurant in town. Even though it is a big chain restaurant the spirit of the town has taken over. Everyone seems to know everyone, the style is relaxed and friendly. Almost a family type atmosphere. And the food... is simply delicious...The bar seems really crowded during football season and I can only imagine the fun that must be going on around that time. Chili's you are one fine restaurant, thanks for serving Hutto.

The dragonfly Hippo 3/100

The dragonfly is the local florist in Hutto,TX. The unique flower shop shows its artistic site even before you enter. Beautiful giant art of flowers and dragonflies decorate the outside of the store and of course the amazing beautiful Hippo guards the little building which used to be the old town bank.
My husband has gotten me many,many flowers from there, and I of course have photographed each and every one. I don't get the chance to stop by there very often, often it would be easier to just buy the flowers at the supermarket, but supporting the local business is more important than ever in today's economy. So I will share the link to the store http://www.dragonflyfloralandgifts.com/index.html and maybe next time you see this hippo you will remember and stop by and say hello and buy some beautiful flowers as well  !

My thing with firehydrant 2/100

Never would I have thought I would like Fire hydrants or be able to find the beauty in something like this. But looking through the viewfinder of a camera opens your eye to all kinds of things. And that's how I fell in love with fire hydrants. Many people have told me that many cities have themes so you could be able to find all kinds of crazy looking hydrants. None is ever the same. They are exposed to the elements, which makes the chains and textures on it is awesome looking to me. And that's simply why I love them. And whenever I see an awesome looking one I will stop and catch another picture.

Co-op Silos Of Hutto 1/100

Why start with this image...real simple. Any resident of Hutto would probably be able to answer you this question right away. Simply because they are the first things you see from miles away when you come off the Highway and they have been there for a whole century. They make quite a beautiful location and the area hosts the Hutto Farmers Market every Saturday in the early morning hours. Newest plans reveal a $7 million project to turn the Co-op into the new city hall of Hutto by the end of 2011.

Intro....the world as I see it in and around Hutto,TX

Hutto,Texas might be a small little town for most. 30 minutes away from austin, simply the suburbs. To me it's just a bit more, when we moved here nearly 2 years ago,it opened my eyes to a whole new world. I have gotten to know this town and have fallen in love with it. Photography was always fun and a slight passion but has grown and is now a serious part of me, of who I am.

I would describe myself as rather laid back. I dont need the everyday hectic of running many errands. I enjoy going out every so often but I enjoy the late afternoon stroll with my children and love to get lost in nature, a whole lot more. Hutto has given me the possibilities to do so and taught my sweet daughters to appreciate nature to its fullest.

Hutto is famous for its Hippos. Yes the hippos that we can find all around town. And one goal of this project was to find as many hippos as possible and capture them all. Those were the easy pictures to take and the "Hey sweetie, I spotted a new Hippo on the way home from work" news have been music to my ears throughout this last year. At first I thought "100 things:, c'mon how hard can that really be. For many it might, for me it hasn't been easy to find these 100 things... just because most aren't just things. Every picture I have taken throughout Hutto and a few surrounding areas, captured a moment. A moment for me with my camera, a moment by myself, with the town or nature.
I often find myself taking pictures when my souls needs it the most, it gives me comfort. Capturing these moments, the beauty around us, the moments of every days life. Seeing children smile, leaves falling of the trees throughout autumn. Just to stand outside in the pouring rain and look up at the sky and scream...."thanks for the rain" ! Silly little things.... a leaf being chased down the street by the cold wind...

For me all these moments are beautiful.

I have gotten to know Hutto a little and yet there is so much more to experience and so many more people to meet. I have yet to work on my courage to step out more and be a bigger part of the city. The people I have met here in our beautiful small town seem to be proud to live here. We have gotten close with our neighbors,even had Block parties. Things that are very rare these days. Most people here smile at each other when they greet, and a smile can make someones day.

We simply love Hutto, and it has been a pleasure to do this project, or well at this current moment..it still is an ongoing one. My daughter smiles every time we see a hippo and she eagerly awaits to paint one herself next year.

We truly hope we can stay here for a very,very long time...maybe even forever....

Thank you Hutto....

yours,
Julia.