Galloping water steeds

The Aquarium in downtown Houston is the home for these two gallopers. The Sea Horse tank is at kids' eye level, so you will always see little faces pushed against the glass is wonder.


-- steve buser

Jumble, bumble fun

Okay. Here's the scenario. You take a large tube and spin it and then tell a bunch a kids to walk through to the other side. I suppose the idea is to give them a sense of what their clothes go through in the dryer. Anyway, it turn instantly into a jumble of arms and legs and body parts that come flying through.

The scene is a fair in the parking lot of the mall in College Station, Texas.

--steve buser

Spin me up, Scottie

It's the big one. It's in town. You've been waiting, now it's time to cut loose. The State Fair is here.


Get your body ready to spin, tumble, fall, and swoop in the hands of mechanical monsters. The lights, the food, the screaming music. It brings us all together. The exhibits, the animals, the contests, the bands. State Fair time.


This one is the South Texas State Fair, in Beaumont, Texas from a couple years ago.


--steve buser

Teach the steed to heed

Bread always falls butter side down. The parking spot is always on the other side of the street. Laws of the universe. Another law of the universe, seldom cited, is that when a ersatz cowboy climbs aboard his steed on the merry-go-round for the first time, he will always choose the wildest stallion in the bunch. He'll have to hold on to tight to bring his speeding galloper under control.

Our grandson, Sullivan, stills his steed with the a steady hand and a fancy footwork. The ride goes on. The scene is at a parking lot fair in College Station, Texas

--steve buser

Sunrise serenity

Sunrise fishing. You, the pier, the water, the fish.... and serenity. This is the pier at Walter Umphrey State Park at the lower end of Pleasure Island in Port Arthur Texas. The fish swim in from the Gulf here and their drama with the wily fishermen begins.

--steve buser

Lazy, glazy

Oh, those lazy, glazy lakes of summer. The Boomtown Lake in Vidor, Texas, is right on the I-10 which makes it a draw for campers. The lake is a former borrow-pit -- the dirt is "borrow" for construction projects. In this case, I'm guessing that the dirt ended up being used to raise the I-10 when it was first built.

That boat laying there looks awful temping. I didn't notice it when I shot this picture a couple years ago, that there was chair on the deck on the right. I'm pretty sure it has my name on it.

--steve buser

The fun never stops

Birds wait for food to be tossed into the air. The ducks wait for it to fall. People face in the wind, staring out at the boats in the bay grabbing the wind.

This is all why the Kemah Boardwalk is one of my favorite spots -- activity is buzzing around you on several levels. But each actor knows his part. "The fun never stops."

Kemah is just south of Houston along Galveston Bay. The Boardwalk is lined with great restaurants and there are rides for the kids. In the middle is a hotel looking down on a courtyard where bands keep the buzz going as kids splash in the dancing water spouts.

Great fun.

-- steve buser

Getting nosy

Our grandson, Sullivan, is excited and at the same time unsure, as an elephant gets a little nosy. Still, the rest of the day he kept talking about how he and his Nanny touched the nose of an elephant at the Texas Renaissance Festival near Plantersville (don't ask me where we were, just go to their web page).

It was and exciting day seeing, jousting, and knights and a medieval sights of every variety.

--steve buser

Sundown, lights up

I was very conflicted here. I was trying to capture the lights on the courthouse in Marshall, Tx. But there was also this wonderfully pink sunset that was setting up in the distance. Finally I decided to see if I could get the two in the same picture. Voila!.

--steve buser

The dragon riding hero

You want to talk about real bravery?


Try grabbing on to the back of a fire-breathing, roaring dragon who then gyrates, slaps his tail, flails and humps his back over and over in circles to fling you off. Look, the dragon's smiling. He loves this. Throwing off little children.


A real dragon rider does it all with a smile, too, thank you. Bravery is enjoying this and getting off the dragon and back on again. Over and over. This may look like the little boy that sleeps in your house. But inside his mind awakes Sullivan, Dragon Rider Extraordinaire.


By the way, Sullivan, Dragon Rider Extraordinaire -- the one in the front -- is our grandson who was displaying his dragon-taming talents to us the other day when we were with him and his mom at a fair in College Station, Texas. Suddenly this dragon lands in the middle of the place and we did not know what to do. To the rescue.... you know the rest.


--steve buser

Spinning down

I am totally convinced that the sky likes to play with rustic things. Even in this case, where the windmill was totally ornamental. The spinning toy tower sat out in front of a miniature golf course. But what did the sky know? It just saw a windmill and said "that would look neat with some bright pastels and some glowing highlights. So, one night the sky showed off its work -- I happened to be passing by and caught it with my glass eye.

--steve buser

Mud Show

The Mud Show at the Texas Renaissance Festival near Houston is a perennial favorite.. We were at the festival recently -- our last time there was about 10 years ago. But, to our surprise, the Mud Show was still there. Still the same. Still the same mud bathers. Still as funny as ever.


--steve buser

Kid shapes

Did you ever notice that different shapes of people's space? Adults keep their hands in, their feet under them. Kids run with their hands flailing, hair blowing, and legs shooting forward.

This picture was taken in College Station, TX -- we took our daughter and grandson (Sullivan) to one of those parking lot fairs with all the rides. You know, the buy-a-bracelet-and-ride-all-the-rides variety. Sullivan took full advantage of the that -- five hours worth. It was a beautiful, cool, breezy day. One of those kind you remember forever.

--steve buser

Marshalling interest

Christmas brings out the best even in courhouses, as the Marshall, TX, Courthouse gives evidence to in this photo. The lights are a favorite a tourism attraction in the region. It is a great advertising for their bus tour of Christmas lights through the town.

-- steve buser

Coming in

It's been a fun day. The sun has baked your skin and the wind has been brushing past it all day long. But it's time to call it a day. Turn on the motor and lower the sail as you steer slowly back to the channel that brought you here. Your fellow sailors and captains line up in front of you and behind you -- it's their quitting time, too.

This is a shot from the Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas just south of Houston. Hundreds of boats pass by each day heading out from the Clear Lake area into the Galveston Bay for a day of sailing or speeding cross the waves.

--steve buser

Horn-heavy

This friendly creature is from the South Texas State Fair in Beaumont Texas. This particular year was the first year the fair was held at the new Ford Park.

Seems long-horn cattle are a source of pride in the Lone-Star state.

--steve buser

Sprayed on fun

This is the Spray Park in Groves, Texas, a favorite for kids (and for moms and dads). As you can see the splashing action just encompasses the whole space.

Where is this splashy space? Here

--steve buser

Artesian Springs

Artesian Springs is a hideaway resort east of Newton Texas. The area offers exciting white beaches in the middle of pine forests. It is a favorite camping area.

--steve buser

Wall-waved flag

Jasper, Texas has a series of murals on several of its downtown businesses. If you'e in the area, it's worth a swing by and a drive through the downtown area.

-- steve buser

Bubbling baby

Our granddaughter Sofie tries to understand what makes the ground bubble up at a water play ground at the zoo in Houston. This picture was taken by her proud mom, and my daughter, Vicky Lynn.

--steve buser