Glowing sky is a glimmer of hope for rain swamped SE Texas

A soft glowing sky settles over Beaumont, TX -- hopefully a sign of better times to come as the region tries to recover from the torrential deluge with which Harvey swamp our area.

Fire-breathing sky

A fire-breathing sky  in Beaumont, TX settling in for the night.

Sunset: Flecked, brushed, hatched and pied

Flecked, brushed, hatched and pied, this sunset from last week caught my eye as it gave calm comfort to the ending of a busy day.

Calico shore bird turns escape artist

We were down on Bolivar Peninsula checking out the pre-storm conditions (with Hurricane Harvey moving up through the Gulf of Mexico) when I shot this photo of a Rudy Turnstone.  Because of the bright conditions, I didn't notice at the time that this guy had gotten snagged in what looks like a remnant from a net.  I checked the photos I took after this and notice that he did finally get free from his bondage.

Clouds circle around as storm builds

This was a look at an interesting circular cloud on Sunday.  The first view was as we were driving home from the north side of Beaumont. and the second was at our house, just moments before the heavy rain started coming down.

Setting sun can't quench boiling mad storm

This was part of the thunderstorm that violently boiled up over our house at sunset yesterday.  The storm dumped about two inches of rain as the daylight faded.

This is a sunset shot taken from a I-10 overpass on the south side of Beaumont. Tropical Storm Cindy probably had a large hand in the color scheme -- tropical systems seem to make sunsets more interesting as the systems approach

So just a couple hours before our pool party this weekend, Linda sees this guy taking a swim and asks me to get him out. Not wanting to hop in I went for the net. He apparently sees what's coming and hops out (guess he got all his laps in and decided to call it a day).

Flittering Giant Swallowtail butterfly adds lift to birthday party

This flitter was fluttering around at a birthday party for three of our grandchildren yesterday. Because of her size she made quite an impression -- She appears to be a Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).

Feathery sunset watchers of Bolivar Peninsula

The suns sets over East Bay on the Bolivar Peninsula ( on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico) while a Brown Pelican and a Gull take up their sunset posts at the dock by the Stingaree  Restaurant and bar to enjoy the view.

Sky flying wrestlers

A wrestler takes a flying leap at his opponent -- seeming to flaunt his personal safety -- at a Mexican festival in downtown Beaumont.

Fire-filled nightfall on Bolivar Peninsula's East Bay

A fiery sun slides into East Bay off Bolivar Peninsula as the boat docks grow quiet for the night.

Sundown's last cast at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

A wading fisherman takes his last cast at Frozen Point in the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge as the sun's rays take their last skips across East Bay.

Mellow marsh menagerie on display on Gulf-side boardwalks

The walkways over the marsh at Sea Rim State Park give an up-close view of these "next-to-the-Gulf" habitats.

Long-billed bird wave feeding at Sea Rim State Park

This Long-Billed Curlew was one of our finds at Sea Rim State Park this week.  The Gulf of Mexico beach is a great place to see a variety of birds all feeding together in between the waxing and waning waves.