River of light, ripples along the way

This was the upside down beach-of-a-sky sunset over Beaumont, Texas, a few days ago. Dark clouds upstaged by ripples catching the sunset light
--steve buser

sunset, texas

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Snow again? Maybe.....

They are talking about snow around here on Friday.  That reminds me of last year on December 10 when we were inundated with what was officially 3 inches of snow. 
That's the official line.  Around where we live, I was walking in that stuff and it was well over my ankles --  at least 4 or 5 inches.  Maybe we will have two snow events in the same decade.  Wonders never cease.
--steve buser

Snow, Beaumont, Texas

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Where in we meet porky Corky

Our friend Jenna is really into her FFA work for her school.  This year, she is raising a pig (last year was a goat).  We got a chance today to go by and meet porky Corky.  It was amazing, he already recognizes her and her voice.
--steve buser

pig, FFA, Beaumont, Texas

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Christmas brings out kids' imagination

I hope your Black Friday Christmas shopping went well and you came away with some sure-fire hits.  This scene from last year is of our grandson, Sullivan.  He couldn't wait to get home from the Christmas gift giving to see what excitement was in this box.   Some say that imagination is like trust, and love -- not visible to the human eye.   Those people haven't been to the Christmas gift exchanges that I have, filled with little kids and large imaginations -- both quite alive and easy to see.
--steve buser

Christmas, kids

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White Tiger -- intense stare

This is one of the white tigers at the Aquarium in downtown Houston.  Notice the stare -- he seemed to wonder around aimlessly, but his state was intense.
--steve buser

White Tiger, Houston, Texas

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Scraping the sky in downtown Houston

This was a misty cool day in downtown Houston.  Standing in front of the Aquarium, this capture shows the skyscrapers of downtown literally scraping the sky as they clouds come just a little too low not to get hooked.
--steve buser

Houston, Texas

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Dancing water, spinning dreams --Houston

Tucked in between these dancing waters and the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston earlier this year was the Ice on the Discovery Green Celebration.  I just discovered this flicker page with a couple thousand pictures of all the activities.
--steve buser

Houston, Discovery Green

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Pine Warbler

This Pine Warbler was among a flock that came flitting through a grove of pines and fruit trees in Terrell Park, Beaumont, TX.  I was shooting their one day, but brisk, stingy wind had just about convinced me to take my leave.   They were hard to shoot, because they stayed deep in the thicket.
--steve buser

Pine Warbler, Beaumont, Texas

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Pelican squadron buzzes Galveston beach

This is probably why a group of brown pelicans is often called a squadron.  They were cruising the beach in Galveston, Tx.   At this particular moment, though, the wind was being uncooperative.
--steve buser

Brown Pelicans, Galveston, TX

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The lights of ..... Thanksgiving?

They are lighting up the trees in Downtown Beaumont.  I guess Thanksgiving be inhaled into the Christmas season.  No problem with me.  I wouldn't mind if they had lights everywhere, all year round.
--steve buser

Christmas, Beaumont, Texas

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A child gets back in touch

Sometimes the shadows, the winding pathways, the changes in elevation, the uncertainty of the next turn, the massiveness of the maze all seem to get to you and you have to site down for a while, dangle your feet and let you mind and emotions get back in control.  Then, you can start running and climbing again --chasing that carefree feeling and excitement.

Wait a minute, are we still talking about children?

Kids, Texas

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Chess: getting into the game, chest high

This is really "getting into the game" on a giant chess board at Del Lago in Conroe, LA.  The set is on the patio by the pool and is a real eye catcher.
--steve buser

Del Lago, Texas, Conroe

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Blue, baby-blue flowers spice the landsaping

Sitting at Del Lago this weekend watching our son, Charlie, run, ride and swim a Half Iron-man, gave me a lot of time to point my camera at anything that was in striking distance.  These blue flowers, for instance, tucked up in a thicket of bushes  in some landscaping.  They worked their dainty-ness on the scene, springing a little color in a montage of thriving green and withered browns.
--Steve Buser

Daydreaming tiger

What do you suppose captures a tiger's attention when he loses focus in the middle of a circus act.  We took our children recently to the Shriner's Circus in Beaumont, TX.   I was wondering this carnivore had picked one child in the audience to focus on.  Or maybe one of the next act's walking by.  Maybe he was just daydreaming.   Oh, well best to get the act over and then let the dreams have their way.

--steve buser

Bubble Girl

Our granddaugher Sophie climbs up in the bubble under the sting ray tank at the Aquarium in Downtown Houston.  Personally, I don't think she cared a bit about the stingrays.  She was after a new experience of being underwater without getting wet.
--steve buser

Aquarium, Houston, kids

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Overloaded patterns.

I just thought this fire escape along side the patterned bricks on this Downtown Houston building made a strange photo.
Too many designers these days are afraid to use broad swaths of pattern.
--steve buser

Houston, TX

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Sunset through the gun line

This is the traffic coming over the Calcasieu River bridge in Lake Charles,La as we head into the sunset and toward, Beaumont, TX.  You can seen them in this picture, because it is too dark, but the railings of the steep bridge are lined with crossed pistols (by one count there are 10,572 dueling pistols on the 6,600-foot bridge).
--steve buser

Lake Charles, Louisiana, Bridge

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Great Egret spends time in self reflection

A Great Egret, Ardea Albus, finds that fishing is a great time for self-reflection.  The shot is at Shangri La Botanical Gardens in Orange, TX

--steve buser

Great Egret, Ardea Albus, Texas, nature

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Circus Sabers

Linda and I were at the Shriners Circus today in Beaumont, TX, with our grandkids, Sullivan and Sophie. Here Sullivan holds his light saber and his sisters. It was a fun time, even for us old kids.

--steve buser

Circus, Texas, Beaumont

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Bird Brothers

Two birds not of-a-feather share an old stand out in the swamp of the Louisiana coast, near Texas.  I suppose both are envious of each other, the large egret is jealous of the gull's maneuvering ability and ability to get into tight spaces.  The gull would be jealous of the egrets sharp beak that allows it to stab larger prey in the water and its long legs which allow the egret to wade in good fishing grounds.

--steve buser

The splash has dashed

Summer where did you go?  Now the only wet is a miserable rain. 
This is the splash park in Groves, TX.  A well used park -- that in the laughing, running, splashing days of summer.

--steve buser

summer, kids

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Happy is the hovering heron

This is the "survey the waterfront" pose for a juvenile Tri-colored Heron poached on a cypress stump at the heronry off the I-10 at the Trinity River Bridge  -- east of Houston.
The  seems to be just sitting there thinking, but when a fish or other tasty treat swims by, he slowly crouches into an attack mode -- edging closer to the water and leaning closer.
--steve buser

heron, tri-colored, bird

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Spinning his wheels

I didn't get a chance to post this photo a couple weeks back.  In the center is our son, Charlie (Chuck), racing a Ironman event (I think it was a quarter Ironman) in a race in Baytown, TX. That's the I-10 behind them as they race into the transition zone to dismount and go into the foot race part of the event.   The service road turned out to be a pretty descent route, despite the roar of the I-10 in the background.
Oh, by the way, he placed second in his division.
--steve buser

Ironman, Texas

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Heron homework

This juvenile Tri-colored Heron (at the heronry on the I-10 by the Trinity River) was off on his/her own this day practicing his stealth techniques.  When there is no shoreline, the fish swim right up to the trunk of the tree. 

The secret for the hunter is to keep his feet out of the water so as not to tip off the prey.  Then she must stand perfectly still and become the tree.   Lastly, use those sharp eyes to follow anything that moves.  Lastly, you have a sharp beak to quickly penetrate the water without giving your prey and alert.   This young one was rewarded with several tasty catches. 
--steve buser

Heron, bird, Tri-colored Heron

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Leg up on the competition

When you live in a marsh, you look for any vantage point you can get for a lookout stand.   Being the first mover, often makes the difference between eating and being hungry.   This egret, down in the coastal plain of Louisiana, just across the causeway bridge from Texas, stands in front of the new Sabine Pass Liquified Natural Gas facility.
--steve buser

Egrets, Sabine Pass, Sabine Pass LNG

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Gliding the metaphor

Hey, the change in seasons is making me feel a little light and airy. Whistling wind outside tonight. Thought a gliding gull might be the perfect metaphor.
--steve buser

Gull, birds, Texas

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A mazed

Our granddauther Sophie looks a little bewildered inside the maze that is the play fort at the Port Neches' park. The wood banisters provided plenty of cover for me to get the shot unnoticed. She got her bearings together pretty quickly and was zipping around adeptly in just minutes.
--steve buser

kids, playground

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Summer sprays away

She wandered alone through the show at the Play and Spray in Port Neches. I think it is a fitting photo for the finish of summer (the autumnal equinox having slipped passed) - the days of baking suns gives way to milder days. Gone is the carefree-ness of summer, the days of seeking out cool anywhere you can find it. Gone are the playdays, splashdays, the excitement-seeking pursuits, the fun with friends frolicking freely awaiting backyard barbeques.

Fall grips the weather. Winter lurks.
There is the time of clock and the time of seasons. Do you know what time it is?
--steve buser

Kids, splash, Port Neches

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