Naturally vain

He was quite vain really. He didn't move around much. Not even when I came up to shoot this picture. He let me shoot about a half dozen before flickering off. He wasn't doing any mocking either. Strange for a Mocking Bird.
--steve buser

Mocking Bird, Beaumont, Texas
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Sun stone

Just another sunset photo for today's pix. I am practicing some new techniques.
--steve buser

Sunset, Beaumont, Texas

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Night life

The night is alive as it breathes the last breath of the day. Beaumont settles into a sweaty summer sleep.
--steve buser

Sunset, Beaumont, Texas

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Raising Chicks

Three Willets wander the surf off Galveston near Houston looking for any morsels they can bring back to their nest. Soon after I shot this picture they spotted me and the antics began. I discovered then that the nest was very close, so I wander off to other parts.
--steve buser

Willets, Galveston, Houston, Texas

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Sailing for dollars

Galveston Bay, Southeast of Houston, is a playground and work site. While the yachts and pleasure boats stream out of the marinas on the west side of the bay, the big cargo ships and container ships work back and forth from the sea to the Houston ship channel. Somehow it all works out.
--steve buser

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Striking weather

There was a front sweeping across the region. I had already passed by Lamar University where I work. But on the ride back from lunch, I kept noticing the darkening skies sliding (I was hoping) to the east. I decide to climb the steps to the Montaigne Center for a view. There was one particular area where lightning would fly from about every 2 minutes. It would flicker a few times before it quit. I figured I would never get the first strike on my camera, but might get lucky with one of the follow-ons. This is the result.

One issue though, I thought that was one of the biggest strikes I ever saw. Then, I look at the picture and its just a puny line. By the way, it is not striking the storage tank -- it is striking several miles behind it.
--steve buser

Lightning, Texas, Beaumont
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Drought deadly for wildlife

A Killdeer heads to the middle of where it's life sustaining pond used to be. This was shot a few weeks ago when the drought was just sitting in hard. Hopefully, this area along by the Cameron Parish coast got some of the rain from the last few days.

--steve buser

Killdeer, birds, drought

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Egret chicks get first world view

Take a gander down at the bottom in the middle of the pictures. That's where the little chicks are just starting to peek out of the nest. They are just starting to get a glimpse at the wide world out there. Well, at least,they are getting a look around the small lake that acts as their heronry at the Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve.
--steve buser

Orange, Texas Heronry
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The sky is spinning

Do you enjoy being flung around the sky at about 4 or 5 g's? I guess the real question is are you more like the guy on the top coming at you or like "squeezy" on the bottom.
I found this picture from about a year and half ago -- it was a fair in College Stations.
--steve buser

Excitement, festival, College Station, Texs

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The wander of wonder for wanderers.

Our granddaughter, Sophie wanders through the maze that is Tug Boat Island in Port Neches, Texas.

We love to go there because it is a place where the imagination can't help but wander.
--steve buser

Tug Boat Island, Port Neches, photo

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Cosmetic surgery gives Cardinals a new face lift

The old bleacher having been removed, this welder goes about removing the bleacher supports from Lamar's stadium as it gets a make over for the return of football to the University in Beaumont, TX. The field has been laid dirt bare to prepare for the artificial surface and Higgins Fieldhouse has been demolished and most carted off.
Talk about cosmetic surgery!
--steve buser

Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, College, FootballPowered by ScribeFire.

Self portrait?

I always wondered why I shot this picture. What struck me about it? After all, I did know that I was capturing myself, capturing myself. Hmm.
-steve buser

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Divided attention (Green Heron)

On the road over to Lake Sabine a while back I ran into this Green Heron (Butorides virescens) with it's neck stuckout -- they usually hold it tight against their body. I suppose he was trying to decide between watching me or watching for dinner.
--steve buser

Green Heron. Butorides virescens, Port Arthur, Texas

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The sky if falling. Hurray!

Beaumont's fireworks display downtown last night was a real bang. The (somewhat) cool night, and days of dry weather (few mosquitoes) made a perfect night for watching the sky explode and fall down.
--steve buser

Fireworks, Beaumont, Texas

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And thus it goes out, not with a whimper but a bang.

I hope your 4th of July was a real bang.
--steve buser

Texas, fireworks, 4th of July

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Repelling the pirates

I thought you could use a little cooling down today with the temperatures sapping your strength this summer.

Here, our grandson Sullivan takes on water pirates as he fights to defend the splash pad in Port Neches from the things that go bump in the day.
--steve buser

Water, pirates, kids, Texas, Port Neches

Putting the babies to sleep

Sophie, 2, our granddaughter has all of her babies and pets lined up to put them to sleep on the couch.  She brought her mother and brother to visit.
--steve buser

family, Beaumont, Texas, kids