What do angry clouds portend for the seasons ahead?

These were the angry clouds that moved slowly through early this week.  Habringer of turbulent summer weather to come?

Sunny flowers brighten backyard

The sunflowers in the backyard are really putting on a show this week.

Cotton puff sky highlights Ole Glory

I was watching the sky today as we moved around the city on chores.  This shot was while I was at Kinsel Ford dropping off a vehicle which needed repairs.  I was struck by the contrast between the cotton puff clouds in the  background and in the foreground the American flag flapping actively in the breezes brought in by a cool front.

Great Blue Heron ponders how to eat a catfish whole

Okay, you're a Great Blue Heron and you have caught a big catfish for your meal.  How do you eat it? 

Well, you play with it and poke it with your beak for about 20 minutes. (repeat poking and playing as necessary). Then you are ready for the "big swallow" (see bottom photo). 

This was taken at Cattail Marsh Scenic Wetlands and Boardwalk in Tyrrell Park in Beaumont, TX -- a popular birding spot.

Excuse the fuzziness -- but this heron was a long way away and wasn't going to tolerate me getting any closer (fearing I would steal his meal).

Alligator enjoys an after lunch nap at Cattail Marsh

This alligator at the Cattail marsh seemed to be enjoying a nap back a good ways from the viewing boardwalk.  He was up on the land to get more heat to help digest his meal of one of his marsh fellows.

Sunset near the Indiana-Michigan border

This was a recent sunset from near the Indiana-Michigan border. The cool night seemed to make the colors crisper.

Posing lizards thumb noses at gravity.

My brick-scaling, gravity-defying, photo-posing lizards are very active this summer, in case you wanted to know.

They want you to know.

Driving into the Houston sunset

This is how things looked driving into the Houston, TX, sunset on the I-10 a few weeks back. Beautiful colors, but blinding views to have to maneuver through.

Flowery needle lights.

This Alaskan flower shot, from our Alaskan cruise, seems like needles of light.

Sunset gazed

A scene from our Alaskan cruise.  Linda gazes into the sunset.

Stools make great stomping for inside kids

This was a kids playground at a hospital we were at in Dallas last week where our 8th grandchild was born.

You get a better sense of the intense, playful activity from above.

Snow, silence and a white winter greet horses' hunt for grass.

This was the scene of our daughters ranch in Indiana earlier this week.  The snow eventually accumulated to 9+ inches.  I love the hush that falling snow pushes down. It looks like a White Christmas for her family.