Pixel Eyed

Hummingbird -- That's a lot of nectar, by golly.

2011-09-15T21:39:00.004-05:00

This is something new for the Hummingbirds that have been hanging around our backyard. This guy stands on top of the plastic petals and stares at the nectar reservoir. It's like he's planning how long it will take him to drink it all.

The rest of them will take their drink and then fly away or fly up to the top to play King on the Hummingbird Feeder -- chasing after any rival that comes near it -- including, one time, giving me a ear-popping buzzing as I was walking past.

Fountains whet appetite for concert

2011-07-17T14:51:00.001-05:00

Sometime back, we were at a concert in the courtyard by the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, LA. I don't know if this is a common occurrence, but many of the kids were splashing in the ponds and fountains. It was great relieve from the heat, I am sure. This young man took it up a notch, lying in the water and leaning over the waterfall. It was not long, though, before dozens were as immersed in the water as the adults were immersed in the music.

Sunny Serenity of Selected Seats.

2011-02-26T11:20:00.001-06:00

Looking out from a baptismal font in a church into which we wandered in Washington D.C. The sun had found a trio of windows it could blaze through and was adding real ambience to the scene. It's nice to have a production assistant like that when your shooting photos.

Ferris Wheel wait

2010-09-11T08:59:00.001-05:00

These two are waiting to go soaring at the Aquarium in Houston. Big Ferris Wheels always get my stomach quesy.--steve buser

Smiley Gators

2010-02-12T18:18:00.002-06:00

Well, snap my finger!

It looked like a chorus line of Alligator mississippiensis. They sat staring out at the crowds from their French Quarter shop perch. They seemed almost to be saying "Come on, snap me up."
Okay, it was a bad joke, but I tried didn't I?
-steve buser

Aligators, New Orleans, French Quarter

Duck -- the water is your world.

2010-01-27T21:40:00.000-06:00

When you live in it, swim in it, and eat from it, even a little extra murkiness in the water can't stop you from appreciating its vitalizing power. Yeah, that's refreshing.
--steve buser

Nightfall hush

2010-01-26T20:20:00.000-06:00

Nightfall out in the backyard. Calm, quiet, still. As if the night had sucked the sound as well as the sun from the horizon.
-steve buser

Black-Crowned Night Heron

2010-01-22T17:30:00.000-06:00

I go all over the place trying to find these birds, then I walk out my door a few months back to find one is there in the ditch. This is a Black-Crowned Night Heron.
--steve buser

Rules of the road: buffalo rule the road.

2010-01-20T16:00:00.001-06:00

Don't get out of your car to get close to wildlife near a road, the park rangers tell you at Yellowstone Park where this was taken. Still, people do it all the time. The buffalo looks calm and peacefule moving across the road, but apparently they can get riled easily. If they do get riled, they can put up such a tantrum that a car can be the loser.

--steve buser

Yellowstone National Park, buffalo

Giraffe ballet anyone?

2010-01-19T17:30:00.001-06:00

A little giraffe ballet anyone? These giraffes were just checking me out -- trying to guess if I was going to feed them or something. I was standing about eight feet back from the fence at Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, LA. Nonetheless, the attendant wandered over and suggested that giraffes have a longer reach than that, should they decide to lean across. I had no problem moving back.
--steve buser

Giraffes, Louisiana

Giraffe, eye-to-eye.

2010-01-18T20:35:00.000-06:00

Seeing wildlife is an up close and personal thing at the Global Wildlife Center near Folsom, LA, north of New Orleans. The animals come up to the wagon train to eat from the visitors' food cups.

--steve buser

Crystal flowers from Yellowstone

2010-01-02T22:40:00.000-06:00

I love these lovely crystalline structures that grow in the pools of geysers at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Unless I am mistaken, that is a quarter that someone dropped (hopefully accidentally) on the "flower" -- it gives a sense of the dimension.
--steve buser

Yellowstone National Park

Cool journey home

2009-12-15T21:44:00.000-06:00

In the cool of the evening and in frigid mountain waters, this gal was slowly making her way back home up in the mountains. This is on the west side of Yellowstone National Park, shortly before you exit the park.
--steve buser

Yellowstone, Mountains, Wyoming

Skipping Sanderling

2009-11-27T22:08:00.003-06:00

A Sanderling (Calidris alba) skips rapidly across the sandy beach at Perdido Key, Florida, finding a lot of good things to eat on the shore because of the high wave action in the Gulf of Mexico.
--steve buser

Sanderling, Florida, Perdido Key

Chipmunk

2009-11-21T13:45:00.000-06:00

This little chipmunk pounced out of the rocks in front of us on this trip to Colorado. I don't think it was because he was not afraid of us -- more than he just wasn't paying attention to us.
--steve buser

Duckling sitting -- Salt Lake City

2009-11-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

Mama watches over her young ones (although they are getting pretty big) as the sun rises and the joggers come out.

The pond was near our hotel where we stayed on a recent trip to Salt Lake City.
--steve buser

Ducks, Salt Lake City, Utah, ducklings

Sunset breath-stealer at the Grand Canyon

2009-11-10T21:47:00.000-06:00

The Grand Canyon at sunset is one of the real treats at this national park. There are good spots and better spots to do this. We kept traveling along the rim of the Canyon looking for that perfect spot. Finally as the hour grew late, we pulled into a parking area and found a "suck-the-breath-out-of-your-lungs" view. The scenery, the colors, and the shadows made a constant play as the sinking sun skimmed its rays over anything it could still hit.
--steve buser

Grand Canyon, Sunset

Egret -- just winging it.

2009-10-31T16:11:00.000-06:00

A Great Egret takes a leap into the air and glides away from his perch. The picture is from the Oil and Gas Park in Jennings, LA. His companion for the the morning, the Anhinga on the right side, doesn't give it much attention.
-steve buser>

Great Egret, Louisiana

Sniping Stripes --Zebras zerks

2009-10-29T18:27:00.000-06:00

My biggest surprise at Global Wildlife Center where we visited this past weekend was the orneriness of the Zebras. They would push their way to the front nearthe wagon train we were in and then chase away any animal that would push on them. We were warned not to feed them from our hands because they will bite -- apparently an expression of affection. Apparently, from the way I see it, the stripes are just to a make them look more friendly.

--steve buser

Zebras, Global Wildlife Center

Wildlife are happy to greet you

2009-10-26T20:41:00.000-06:00

We had the grandkids and a bunch from Linda's family at the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom this weekend. I don't think I have ever seen brighter kids' eyes thatn when they found out they got to feed giraffes, zebras and buffaloes and more. It's a vast open range prairie that the animals roam freely.
--steve buser

Global Wildlife Center, Louisiana

Elk eye contact

2009-10-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

A young buck elk in full velvet in Yellowstone National Park stops eating leaves for a second to check me out. I guess he was wondering what that big eye was sticking out of my face. This was on a recent vacation Linda and I took at the end of the summer. There was a big buck looking over the herd of about 12, mostly females. He was laying in the grass and barely looking around.

--steve buser

Yellowstone National Park, elk

Great Egret,

2009-10-18T21:41:00.000-05:00

This lone Great Egret (Ardea Albus) was ranging around the pond at the Oil and Gas Park in Jennings today. I managed to get in a spot, just behind a tree, that allowed me some camoflauge and a place to steady my shot. He quickly found me, though, and took a couple stares right at me to check for threats.

The fishing wasn't so good, so he soon decided to head to his (seemingly temporary) nesting place in some bushes near the bank.

What surprised me on this shot, was how limber you have to be, to be a Great Egret and keep your feathers straightened.
--steve buser

Great Egret, Ardea Albus, Louisiana

Pasture perfect

2009-10-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Old school buses, put out to pasture, now just lineup behind a fence and watch the I-10 traffic flow by. Near Winnie, TX (to the east of Houston)
--steve buser

Texas

Green Heron

2009-10-15T22:46:00.000-05:00

This Green Heron at Austin's Arboretum was wary of me, but didn't fly away as long as I kept my distance and didn't make sudden moves.
--steve buser

Green Heron, Austin

Washington Monument at the edge

2009-10-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Our son, Charlie, and my wife, Linda, check out the map of Washington D.C. in the portico of the Washington Monument during a recent trip there.
-steve buser

Washington D.C., Washington Monument

Black-capped Chickadee

2009-10-09T22:20:00.000-05:00

I had to shoot between the legs of a railing to catch a shot of this Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) eating on some tender shoots of a branch in Yellowstone National Park this summer.
I think the railing provided just enough cover to keep my friend here unfrightened by me.
--steve buser

Black-capped Chickadee

Blowing off steam

2009-09-30T18:53:00.000-05:00

Will the geyser blow soon? If you know the ways of this beast, you can probably guess the time it will blow within a couple hours. A Yellowstone National Park ranger would come out to the site periodically to check the signs and give her prediction.

When the geyser blows, it really puts on a visual and sound phantasmagoria.
--steve buser

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

A Peek at the Peak Peak

2009-09-26T14:28:00.000-05:00

At the top of the photo is the peak of the Grand Teton. The photo is from our trip to Yellowstone earlier this month. We were climbing to Inspiration Point on the far side of Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons National Park.
--steve buser

Grand Tetons, Wyoming

Do not spindle.

2009-01-23T21:37:00.001-06:00

How willing would you be to assume that the cloud shape overhead was just an accidental formation as the clouds swirled around?

I walked outside and saw this one day back in November. I then ran into the house, grabbed my camera and started shooting. I'm still perplexed by what it was all about. Despite what you see, it didn't seem to be spinning rapidly. At least it wasn't spinning any more rapidly that anything else in the sky which look more like a ocean full of splashing clouds that a sky.

This is a SkyWatch Friday post. Hundreds of other bloggers post sky-based photos each Friday
Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!

--steve buser

clouds, weather, swirling.

Rolling during the marathon

2009-01-20T23:17:00.001-06:00

While the older people were running the Houston Marathon Sunday, a fewof the kids took to the hill in from of the George R. Brown center to enjoy the art of rolling down the hill

--steve buser

Houston Marathon, kids, sports, Houston, Texas

Looking down on Atlanta

2009-01-17T10:43:00.001-06:00

A shot out my hotel window in downtown Altanta,GA from a trip there a few years ago.

--steve buser

Home away from home

2009-01-03T20:45:00.001-06:00

Stairs lead to the second floor of a home and then to a deck on the third floor.

The home itself was last seen shortly before Hurricane Ike slammed ashore on the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas.

In the foreground, not even the pilings remain of a home that was washed away. On the other hand, the slab is still there for the parking area under the house. Many homes even had the slabs washed away on the finger of land facing the Gulf just southeast of Houston.

In the background, two homes remain standing, though most homes on the island that withstood the fury of the massive 400-mile-wide beast still have to be gutted to return them to a livable condition.

--steve buser

Lost and found, but not fixed

2009-01-01T23:02:00.003-06:00

While driving on the Bolivar Peninsula a few days ago, we came across this collection of found items.

There was a man wandering around, and I assumed it was his work. All around stood sticks where houses and been -- gutless houses with nothing below them -- and every kind of destruction you can imagine.

It has been more than 90 days since Hurricane Ike unleased its destructive force on the defenseless finger of land. Still little has been done to restore the island to life. Building codes, financing, real estate laws, insurance, FEMA assistance, flood elevations, work to restore utilities, roads, dunes -- it is all in a snarled mess.

So, this man does what he can. He places things he finds in this pile, hoping that someone will recognize something that was theirs. Maybe it will restore a little, though very little, order to their life.

Behind his foundlings laid out on the driveway is a gaping hole where homeowners used to park their cars on a slab beneath the house. The slab is cracked into pieces, some in the hole, some missing.

Meanwhile, on a internet forum board for the peninsula, volunteers saying they are working to get donated ladders so that people can enter their houses and see what is left.

--steve buser

Technorati Tags: Hurricane Ike, disasters, hurricane recovery, Texas, Bolivar Peninsula

Peek morning

2008-12-29T14:12:00.001-06:00

The early morning sun peeks through a glen in west Houston.

--steve buser

Technorati Tags: Sunrise, Houston, leaves, bright, trees

Shine On.... you

2008-12-23T13:51:00.000-06:00

May the Star of Bethlem shine your way this Christmas.

--steve buser

Blind kiss

2008-12-19T15:58:00.000-06:00

Our grandkids came to visit a while back and their friend, Jenna Anderson, took them to see her FFA project -- Randy the goat. Sophie gets in close for a kiss. Do you close your eyes when you kiss a goat?

--steve buserTechnorati Tags: kids, children, goats, animals, kiss, FFA

Blanketed with Christmas spirit

2008-12-12T15:13:00.004-06:00

The weathermen and weather ladies said Beaumont received three inches of snow this week. Maybe at the weather station it did. There were lots of places that clearly got five to six inches.

Let us not quible over inches. It was a rare event, in terms of 1) it snowed at all 2) how much it snowed 3) that it snowed so early

It, put me in the Christmas spirit, though.

Oh, see the green in the foreground, by they red curb. That is a helium balloon that lost its spartanic battle of trying to stretch to the heavens. I suspect it sucumbed to the cold before it sucumbed to the snow. The shot is at the Preserve on Old Dowlen Road. ( I left this picture pretty big, so double click it to get a good blast of snow in your face.)

--steve buser

Flag still wave into the sunset.

2008-12-08T09:52:00.001-06:00

Flags in the sunset from a couple years ago at a church in Beaumont Texas. You can tell the flags had quite a whipping in the wind.

One thing about flags, they may get a bit frayed, but their message just intensifies.
--steve buser

The unbelievable adventures of Dr. Jones.

2008-11-10T17:31:00.006-06:00

We ran into Indiana Jones at the mall in College Station. TX, this weekend. (Actually, he prefers to be called Dr. Jones, if you please.).

From the look on our grandson's face (I mean Dr. Jones' face) you can tell he was letting his imagination and his energy run wild in the play area. He has the whole garb -- the whip, the hat, the khakis, the Crocs (Dr. Jones does wear Crocs doesn't he?) and the case (do not call it a purse, handbag, satchel or anything like that, if you don't want to feel the crack of a deadly whip!).

This is his daily garb now. You are probably thinking that he got this as a Halloween costume. Actually, he got it before Halloween and began the daily drama immediately. When his mother went to ask him "Do you want to dress up as Indiana Jones for Halloween?" he was quick with the retort. "Mom, I AM Indiana Jones. You can't dress up for Halloween as someone you are!"

YOU probably would've known better thnt to ask that silly question. Wouldn't you? Never mind, I know you better than that.

My daughter is wondering where he got this drama streak. I was not brave enough to tell her that when she was just a little older than he is, she decided she was going to be the first kid astronaut. I decided I needed to "manage her expectations" in the parlance of today. I said very politely, "You know, Vicky, they don't have any kid astronauts."

She didn't miss a beat -- she popped a pose, arms akimbo and head bent in that "I can't believe what my dumb dad just said" way.

"Of course not, " she said "If they did, I couldn't be the first one."

Drama, it seems, runs in the family.

--steve buser

The lazy days of summer's shadow

2008-11-06T15:25:00.004-06:00

It was a lazy day at the Houston Zoo this past weekend when we were there. It wasn't all that hot, which brought lots of people (we had the very last parking spot, furthermost from the entrance.). ;

The animals were languid. There didn't seem to be any snap in anybody's pace, on both sides of the fence.

Just a lazy semi-summer afternoon.

The brown pelican above and his (her?) mate barely moved unitl the fish were brought out for their meal. After eating, they took a short swim on the pond. Don't ask me what that was about -- don't you always take a swim after you eat? You don't?

Go figure. --steve buser

Eye zoo

2008-11-03T14:27:00.004-06:00

This is the American Bald Eagle at the Houston Zoo. We took our grandchildren there recently to see the elephants. This guy didn' get a glance. Giraffes were the surprise favorite.

--steve buser

Ocean sand slide

2008-10-31T07:00:00.002-06:00

The water slides up and along the beach at Perdido Key in Florida. While a couple figures splash along.

--steve buser

Steamy D.C. sunrise

2008-10-30T07:00:00.002-06:00

This was the steely-blue scene in Washington D.C. recently when we travelled to see our son in a triathlon. The sun was still yawning and jets flying in over head were leaving vapor trails behind them as the snaked along the river into the Ronald Reagan National Airport nearby.

The summer humidity was already wrapping us up even in the early D.C. hours.

Can I have a bite?

2008-10-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

This is one of the gators at the Louisiana Gas and Oil Museum in Jennings, LA, where I stopped off the Interstate the other day. If I remember right, he is about 14 years old. It's a fun stop for kids and the whole family. The visitors center there is a great place to stop and learn more about the region and these guys.

This gator has just one question for you. "Can I have bite?" Fortunately, he can't get to you.

--steve buser

Come on, let me see you wash a tail feather

2008-10-26T14:33:00.004-06:00

Bath time. Save these pictures for the next time the kids complain. Even ducks like to take baths. This fellow was ruffling his feathers at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park in Jennings the other day. Several good long splashings later, he was ready to retire to the shade, straighten out his feathers and pick off the stuff that had come out.

Abraham Lincoln on this bird blog, Sunday, had a great little write up about this routine and more.

Stare-down -- Great Egret and Comorant

2008-10-13T03:05:00.003-05:00

A Great Egret and a Comorant seem to be having a stare-down on the small lake at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park in Jennings, Louisiana. The Egret flew off when he noticed me. A few minutes later the Comorant's partner swam up to it as if to plead with it to make a quick escape, also.

The I-10 park, which is midway between Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, is a great place to pull over for a break and a little scenery

--steve buser

Washington Monument -- early up

2008-10-12T13:58:00.004-05:00

This is the Washington Monument in Washington D.C in an early-morning, before-sunrise shot.
We were up early to make it down by the Tidal Pool for my son, Charlie, who was racing in the Nation's Triathlon.

-- steve buser

Wind and water skimming

2008-10-07T12:53:00.005-05:00

A Great Egret (Ardea alba) skims gracefully away over the water to find a better feeding spot. This is at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park in Jennings where I stopped the other day for a break from my I-10 travels. Never one to miss a good shot, even on a bathroom break, I had to hold nature back while I ran back to the car to get my camera. Map

Buddy, can you spare a meal?

2008-10-01T05:46:00.003-05:00

I looked down and this Ring-Billed Gull was standing right beside me. Maybe he was just trying to get a hand-out, but he stood still long enough for me to get his picture. Then he had a enough and took flight.

This was on the Nation's Mall in Washington, D.C.

-- steve buser

Jefferson Memorial

2008-09-27T09:31:00.004-05:00

The Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. is a good ways away from the other monuments. The lazy walk around the tide pool to get there is well worth the effort. When we got to the Memorial on our recent trip to the nation's Capitol, I had one of those aha! moments. Why did they build with columns so much in ancient public buildings? It allowed access, free flow of air and light -- I suppose a closed in building in historic times could be a pretty dark and steamy place.

- steve buser

Gustav's angry seas, frothing sky

2008-09-21T23:05:00.004-05:00

Who would have ever thought that if you went more than 200 miles from where a hurricane hit, you would be lashed with tropical storm force winds. Angry seas and frothing skies threatened us for two days in Perdido Key, Florida, where we evacuated from Hurricane Gustav. Gustav, for his part, was zooming toward New Orleans at the end of August.

--steve buser

Aragonite, the unstable sister

2008-09-19T07:59:00.000-05:00

No idea.

I had absolutely no idea there were so many varieties of gems and minerals in the world. We were touring the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. and wandered into the gem and mineral display. I could have spent days in there. But, had to settle on a half hour. Gleaming, beaming, shining, waxing, and every other thing a mineral can do, they were there.

This is a specimen of Aragonite, a strange, and weaker sister of plain calcite.

-- steve buser

Starling -- the beautiful pest (Sturnus vulgaris)

2008-09-18T08:41:00.004-05:00

They're mostly considered a pest. Nonetheless, the they have striking markings. This European Starling came right up to the table as we sat the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. this weekend.

We were just drinking lemonade at the outdoor stand, but across the patio, the couple was enjoying a hamburger and french fries. Suddenly, a Starling swooped in and stole one of the fries from the woman's basket as she held it. Needless to say, she was nonplussed by the theft.

The birds were artificially introduced into the U.S. from Europe.

-- steve buser

Hurricane Gustav gone, getting back to normal

2008-09-05T08:08:00.005-05:00

An elderly lady gets escorted on to a evacuation bus last week by a photographer, while a National Guardsman helps with her pet. The thousands who took advantage of the city-provided evacuation by bus and train are now returning home. New Orleans and the region are fighting their way back to normalcy.

Electric companies are reporting that this weekend will be a point by which vast numbers of customers will have had their electricity restored. In this storm, damage to electric infrastructure is the biggest impediment to getting things back to normal and getting people back home.

The state still fights damage and weather worries to the south of New Orleans and up in the northern part of the state. Gustav still is messing up daily life for the folks up Michigan way.

I think many people across the country fail to realize that hurricanes are a threat both to the shore line of the Gulf Coast and Atlantic states, but also to interior states when they unwind and spill the billions of tons of water they have stored and continue to suck from the Gulf.

- steve buser

Wading out Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-05T07:15:00.005-05:00

A young man ventures only into the shallow waters, aware of a storm heading into land far to the west. The Perdido Key area in Florida was pounded with heavy winds and violent surf from Hurricane Gustav, but escaped the problems faced in Louisiana where the tropical system wreaked destruction.

-- steve buser

Hunkering Down from Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-02T22:59:00.002-05:00

It was a time for hunkering down Sunday as Hurricane Gustav roared toward Louisiana and made the Perdido Key area in Florida an express lane for winds and rain showers rushing in from the Gulf. Even animals which were used to the elements were having a hard time of things. This bird was finding some shelter from the wind behind the log. It appeared to have an injury of some sort, no doubt from the almost unrelenting gales.

-- steve buser

You've got the cool water

2008-08-21T12:31:00.004-05:00

Wading in a pond is not only a way of getting food, but also a way of staying cool on hot New Orleans afternoons. These two Ibis were at Lafreniere Park in Metairie --- the 150-acre park is built around a central lake and birding habitat that rivals anything in the wild. It features Ibis, Egrets, Canadian Geese, Black Swans and more -- I have even seen a pair of Roseate Spoonbills there.

--steve buser

Keep falling on my head

2008-08-14T08:57:00.003-05:00

Rain drops. Outside my window. The weatherman said the afternoon would be clear, dry and low humidity.

So it goes.

--steve buser

Feathery flying freeloader

2008-07-18T07:00:00.003-05:00

Okay, you can take back what you said about being stupid as a bird. Take it back.

This feathered fellow was faced with an obvious problem. "If I can't fish, I can't eat and I will starve to death." So he put some good old bird-brain power into it and decided to panhandle to earn enough for some bird feed. The Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron wasn't getting any takers, but he had stick-to-it-ness. He was standing like this for about an hour while I was there. ("there" is the rookery on Oschner Island at Audubon Park in New Orleans.) I figured he was just one of the indigent species here.

-- steve buser

Double Glide

2008-07-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

A phantomous Great Egret glides over the lagoon in City Park, New Orleans, while its image glides in rhythm with it across the glade-green water.

-- steve buser

Home with the groceries

2008-07-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

An Great White Egret navigates through the top of the trees at Oschner Island in Audubon Park, New Orleans, to zoom into its nest. Once there two hungry chicks will fight and make a big ruckus over who gets to eat first. Mom will thrust her beak down the beak of the chick to deliver a delicious concoction of digested insects and other creepy things.

- steve buser

The ouch caterpillar

2008-06-19T06:51:00.004-05:00

This is an Io Moth caterpillar that was hanging just a couple feet from me the other day in New Orleans. These caterpillars like their space, if you get stung by one (by touching it), you will give them that space from then on. Notice the red and white strip that is an identifying characteristic of these caterpillars

--steve buser

Listen to the rhythm of the pounding rain

2008-06-16T06:32:00.005-05:00

The rain finally stopped just short of noon. It was the 7 a.m. to about 9 a.m. time frame that did the damage. For a while, rain was coming down at the rate of about 5 inches per hour. The garage roof, just outside my window was a sheet of water -- not water trickling down, a SHEET of water. Then, it stopped and the sun came out. sparkling the leaves, evaporating the drops on their bright surfaces.

-- steve buser

Like a fish in water

2008-06-15T08:38:00.004-05:00

The end of the slide has come and you now slip into another feeling, another being. You let the water surround you and shoot past your face. You slide into the colorless world of your new aqueous being. Mouth closed, you hide your life-giving air tightly inside you while you explore your new watery existence.

Hey, its what being a kid is about. Exploring your world in all the ways you can. But never too far from mom.

Our grandson, Sullivan, forgot that he had become a fish at the end of last summer, but he quickly remembered that was what he was in his first visit to the deep. The fisherman becomes the fish.

The site is a water park in College Station, Texas

-- steve buser

Cloudy robes

2008-05-20T19:30:00.002-05:00

Trees can only sit and oogle as the sun wraps its majesty in princely clouds -- this photo was on the road (I-10) from to Houston, Texas.

At The Top

2008-05-18T06:52:00.005-05:00

Okay, you have climbed and climbed. You've justled and pushed. You bounced past all those other water drops. You're at the top. You've won. Now it's time to look down. Let gravity have its way. You've had your day. It's time to let go and find your destiny below. Don't hit the ground in vain. Push and bustle your way down to smash on your target. Find a kid. Splash him. Grand style. Do it.

At the splash park in College Station, TX.

Almost finished line

2008-04-08T06:36:00.003-05:00

This picture is from the Triathlon at Moody Gardens on Galveston a couple weeks ago. The center rider is our son, Charli. The small group comes in for the finish of the 28 mile bike ride and prepares for the 6.1 mile run to finish the Quarter Iron Man.

--steve buser

Wave jumper

2008-04-07T06:41:00.005-05:00

At the beach in Galveston, our grandson practices the fine art of wave jumping. Our daughter, Vicky, and our son-in-law Aaron, also dip their toes in the salty waves of the Gulf of Mexico

--steve buser

Water weary

2008-04-01T18:32:00.003-06:00

We were in Galveston this weekend for our son, Charlie's (Chuck) first triathalon event. He ran his first marathon in January and ran another one last month. So he decided to see how he would fare with a triathalon. He ran the quarter Ironman -- here he emerges from the 800-meter swim in Galveston Bay, stripping off his wetsuit (the water was 70 degrees) to jump on his bicycle for a 28-mile ride before finishing with a six-mile run.

The event was a better spectator event than the marathon, because they came back near the transition zone several times -- we saw him five times during the race.

Waiting

2008-04-01T05:39:00.004-06:00

Waiting. Waves lapping close. Waiting till the family returns from their sea shell hunt. The buggy sits at the beach in Galveston, TX, on a misty day. Waiting

Babies in the back window

2008-03-02T15:58:00.004-06:00

We've got babies next door! The Mourning Dove that has been silently brooding in the tree out our bedroom windows had her babies last night. She was up cleaning one early this morning. Then, she has tucked them tightly under her for protection. Every once in a while one will push the feathers aside for a peek. We can't wait to capture the first photos when she shows them to the world.

Here Ye! Here Ye!

2008-01-25T20:09:00.001-06:00

Waiting for dad to come by at the Houston Marathon a couple weeks ago, this young lad took advantage of a nearby hill for some play time. However, with his placard in hand, he seems to be practicing for some oratory. "Friends, Houstonians, countrymen, lend me your ears..."

--steve buser

It's all about love

2008-01-18T21:42:00.001-06:00

I can not report this first hand, however, they say that last 200 yards is maybe the toughest in the whole 26.213 miles of a marathon. If it is so, then you'll pull out any stops to get you over the line. At the recent Houston Marathon, this man's whole family came out for that last two grueling blocks of running -- 26.2 miles behind you. Now it's the .013 miles left.

The smiling, laughing faces of your loved ones, full of pride, urge you to the finish. You can do this -- suddenly your legs realize it's do-able and spring back to life. The message spreads up to your brain. You lift your eyes and fix them on that clock counting out the seconds. In your mind, you are already there. You did it. They did it -- they gave you that last burst of energy.

By the way, his tag says his name is Victor. The shirt says "It's all about love. How much do you love yourself?"

--steve buser

Pastoral prayers

2008-01-17T18:02:00.000-06:00

While we were standing around in Houston waiting for the marathon runners to come by, this scene unfolded across the street. The Methodist church is down by the museum district but looks like a scene from some European country, 1800's. The vestments that the service offerers were wearing hearkened me back to my younger years.

--steve buser

Lily life is sweet on the river

2008-01-16T18:18:00.000-06:00

These lily pads get to play in the sun on the tranquil Rio Dulce (sweet river)in Guatemala. We took the boat ride up from Livingston two years ago. Along the way, scenery was amazing cliffs and hillsides along with waterfront bungalows where the locals lived and earned their living. Sweet River, sweet life.

--steve buser

Sun sitting

2008-01-15T20:54:00.000-06:00

Alone with your thoughts and a gentle breeze that keeps bringing you back to the moment. The lake is whispering in staccato cadences -- white sounds that enclose you from the traffic far away. The sun has to use glitters on the waves to get your attention because the canopy of green above you won't let him intrude on your moment.

The thoughts flow and flow. Slowly you are becoming at peace with your cares.

As in a dream, you don't want to be aroused. "Let me just juggle my thoughts some more." The day will slowly melt. Time isn't what's important. Another day will come to take its place. But this time, this moment with your new peace, it can't be replaced or regained.

--steve buser

Colorful tunes

2008-01-11T20:46:00.000-06:00

The famous Soji Tabuchi Show in Branson Missouri is not just a delight for the ears. The show comes right at you with a cornucopia of colors and images. I have to admit I was skeptical going into the show. But I came out a fan.--steve buser

Merry mountains

2008-01-10T21:24:00.001-06:00

It's an all-American tradition, the holiday parade (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, and more I guess) . However, when you have the mountains as a backdrop, it just seems a little more poignant. Certainly it has a more patriot feel to it. This is from Asheville around Thanksgiving a few years ago. We were visiting my daughter, Vicky and her family.

-steve buser

Stark reminder

2008-01-09T21:20:00.002-06:00

From the Stark House website : "Completed in 1894, the Queen Anne home of William Henry Stark and his wife, Miriam Melissa Lutcher Stark, stands alone in Orange, Texas, as an extraordinary statement of Texas social history.... Today the W. H. Stark House appears much as it did in the 1920s with rooms filled with original family furniture, carpets, silver, a collection of antique porcelains, and an outstanding collection of American Brilliant Period cut glass."

Well worth a stop off the I-10 in Orange for a visit.

--steve buser

Texas to the max

2008-01-08T20:27:00.000-06:00

At the state line, as you cross from Louisiana to Texas on the I-10, they have a huge star at the welcome center. Of course it doesn't look like this. But I started with a picture of the star and said, "Now if I had designed that welcome sign, how would it look?"

It would have to have the colors of the Texas flag of course.

--steve buser

Papa 's present

2008-01-07T22:13:00.000-06:00

Guess what my grandson Sullivan got Papa for Christmas?

He does his own shopping at the dollar store and it is a real pleasure to see what he picked out for each one in the family. Every one of his presents has a real connection to the person receiving it. For instance, guess why Papa got this?

You're way off. I am sure this is so I can find clues.

Not.

-- steve buser

Previewing the game

2008-01-06T20:27:00.001-06:00

It seems there are broadcast booths set up all over New Orleans for the BCS College Football Championship game here Monday night. In this photo, the Fox Sports Network were previewing the game at Artillery Park, across from Jackson Square and with St. Louis Cathedral as their backdrop.

--steve buser

Maiden Texas

2008-01-05T13:50:00.001-06:00

Elaborate costumes are everywhere at the Texas Renaissance Festival just outside Houston each spring. This young lady lives her dream as princess or maybe dutchess. That is what the festival is all about -- you are your dreams. You wake up in the 16th century. Remember those good ole days?

--steve buser

Slowly faded glory

2008-01-04T05:24:00.001-06:00

Weather has done its best to wash and fade the color that the builder added to this wood on a house in New Orleans. But the color refuses to die. Hiding deep in the pores of the wood, it holds on to its originally, if faded purpose -- to make the house sparkle with color.

Glory fades quickly at first, and then stubbornly refuses to go away completely.

--steve buser .... Technorati tag: houses

Fly in, fog in

2008-01-03T19:26:00.001-06:00

A seagull comes flying in low to get a better look into the fog-dimmed water in the bay in Victoria on Vancouver Island. We took the ferry over from Seattle. Unfortunately, the weather on Victoria had not desire to be sunny that day. This was a disappointment, perhaps, but the fog always has a romantic element to it. It was generous to my lens, yielding up several interesting shots.

--steve buser

What's old, what's lost

2008-01-02T06:24:00.000-06:00

Two old technologies together in one package are shown here -- they are from an old house we were in recently (the shot is from the floor looking toward the ceiling, and "up-door' view). The shot got me thinking -- a lot of old technology goes by the way side because it gets replaced by better more useful ways of doing things. For instance, the old key and lock in the picture. There's no doubt that modern locks are a lot more secure. What was good technology for its time has to give way to the new.

But the glass door knob is a different thing. It's mostly been replaced by metal knobs with faux finishes. I don't see them as something better. The old glass knob had an aire of refinement and grace. While it didn't turn the lock any better than new ones, it didn't turn it any less efficiently either. On the other hand, the glass knob kept its luster for much longer than it's metal replacement - a simple cleaning wiped away the inevitable grime that builds up on door knobs.

I say bring the glass knobs back. We could use more refinement and grace in our lives.

--steve buser

To sleep, perchance to dream

2008-01-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

A quiet room. Subdued light. A comfy stroller. A tired child.

Adds up to a cozy nap.

We were at a open-house/Saints-game party that my brother-in-law Bob was having this past Sunday in New Orleans. Meanwhile, my granddaughter Sophie made use of this back room bedroom of the Chippewa Street home.

I guess they should add that to the sales brochure. "Marble counter tops, renovated wood floors. Bedroom comes pre-dreamed-in . . ."

By the way, the dreams were considerably better than the game.

--steve buser

Berry Merry Christmas

2007-12-31T06:48:00.001-06:00

We ran into these berries while visiting our daughter's family in College Station over Christmas. I had never put it together that these berries were around for the holidays. I guess that cutsy saying, "Have a Berry Merry Christmas" was true to life.

--steve buser

Make sure you stop by and see New Orleans Daily Photo while your here

Flying fearlessly

2007-12-30T20:18:00.001-06:00

You're big now. Four-years-old. Nearly a man. It's time to take the big leap. Grab that motorcycle by the handle grips and leave the bounds of earth. Mother Earth. Cut the strings. It may be only for a second or two, but you are flying into a place where only clouds and eagles live.

Again and again. Around and around. Almost seems like a ride at the fair. Almost.

Our grandson Sullivan shows how it's done. Who would have thought that out of all those motorcycles, he would get the fastest, meanest, highest-flying of the whole bunch? Who would have thunk it.

Only the bravest of the brave.

--steve buser

Slipping out to sea.

2007-12-29T08:02:00.000-06:00

Looking back out the plane window as we jet out of Houston, the alluvial deposits sparkle in the late after noon sun. The City of Anahuac is in the lower left on the shore of Lake Anahuac. That lake is released through a dam which is barely visible into the Trinity River. The Trinity isa line come in from the right of the picture and taking a sharp turn toward the top of the picture right in the center. It spills through a channel into Trinity Bay.

The water finds its way from there into Galveston Bay that comes up to Houston. Eventually the effluent makes its way out to the Gulf of Mexico. But before it does, it makes a lot of sailboat enthusiasts happy and makes it possible for large ships to come into Houston.

So much for all the commerce and geography. I just thought it was an interesting shot.

-steve buser

Shared existence

2007-12-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

The single stalk of grass owes its existence to the weathered fence behind it. Snuggled close to the aging boards, the grass is inaccessible to lawnmowers chomping by. So what can it give back to the fence? It's too small to offer much shade from the weathering of the sun or the the pounding rains. Just companionship, that is all it can offer. They live separate existence. Neither aware that their fates are intertwined.

-- steve buser

Sunset jet stream

2007-12-24T22:20:00.001-06:00

The last rays of the sun capture this high flying streaker. Standing on the ground, it was obvious that the plain was zooming across the sky. The camera, lens however, looses track of up, down -- a sort of vertigo, loosing track of the horizon. The effect makes it look like a comet striking down.

In a sense, it's a kind of metaphor for life. Loose track of what's terra firma in your life and things that are just streaking by you seemed to be crashing down on you.

--steve buser

Bird watching

2007-12-22T00:06:00.001-06:00

This critter is one of the regulars at the Trinity River Mouth Waterbird Rookery on the east side of the I-10 bridge over the Trinity River. The Rookery has a parking area and a overlook pier that makes a favorite spot for bird watchin. Bring binoculars -- the view is incredible but the action is often on the other side of the lake. Look for Anhingas, White Ibis, Little Blue Herons, and Roseate Spoonbills in this area. It is incredible that a site such as this is available just off the I-10.

So what's this guy doing there? Well, birds sometime slip from the trees.

Boy in a bubble

2007-12-22T00:01:00.000-06:00

Another shot from the Downtown Aquarium in Houston. Our grandson, Sullivan, gets a fish-eyed view into a tank filled with sting rays.

--steve buser

It's Christmas time in the village

2007-12-21T06:21:00.000-06:00

The Christmas Village, where time stands still. Peace and warm lights. Snow, for sure, but not the messy kind. No traffic. No snarling faces. No fences. No jails. No crime. No run down buildings -- they're all ideal, architecturally perfect.

I was just preoccupying myself for a few moments at my daughter Vicky's house and started shooting pictures of the Christmas Village on her counter.

The Village has been reinforced over and over in our mind from young ages. It lays deep in our psyche. For one moment in time --- a week, a fortnight, a day, a morning -- we drop our defenses, our bickering, our jostling and enjoy the peace of the season with one another.

It's Christmas time in the Village. May yours be Merry and Bright.

Fog focused

2007-12-20T06:14:00.001-06:00

A walk along the waterfront in Victoria on Vancouver Island. The fog doesn't let distractions sneak in. You're fully in the moment. Strolling. Sharing the moment with friends. Even the cold seems more of a friend than an enemy. The water is only making soft rippling sounds. The birds are quiet. "Why sing when you don't know what lurks?" they think.

The quiet stillness of fog. One could say the focus of fog.

--steve buser

Ferried away

2007-12-19T20:49:00.000-06:00

One of life's simple pleasures -- the ferry boat ride. The water and the waves. The passing ships. The eager seagulls. The sea breezes. Kids of all ages love it And why not. Fifteen minutes off from the regular world into a world which we share with explorers of yore. This is the ferry from the Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston Island, Texas.

--steve buser

WhatChaGot?

2007-12-18T09:26:00.000-06:00

Expecting some good eats, the sea gulls zoom in on a lad just wanting to see the ducks down in the water at Kemah, Texas. The Kemah Boardwalk had a bird feed vending machine just behind the rail here, so the gulls knew what the rules are and what to expect. They zoomed in and took a very close look over and over, wondering "what's wrong with this guy?"

--steve buser

Not with a whimper but a bang

2007-12-17T06:18:00.000-06:00

And thus it end, not with a whimper, but with a bang. After the jousting match, while the band plays Renaissance songs, the fireworks explode above. The Texas Renaissance Festival closes for another night. The fall festival outside of Houston is an annual attraction for thousands

--steve buser

Spindled sunset

2007-12-16T01:56:00.000-06:00

Your guess is as good as mine what the four poles are doing out in the middle of Keith Lake. The lake is one of a handful of shallow lakes just to the north and west of Sabine Pass, Texas. The sun was doing one of its high value shows and so I pulled over to capture it. The black band on the horizon was a front passing through. The sun had to skip over it to find clouds to paint. Thus the sunset colors only start in the middle of the lake.

-- steve buser