The spray of summer opens imaginations

Add some heat, a lot of spraying water and an fertile imagination, and the splash pad becomes  an chimeric escape from the mundane days of playing at home.  At the Splash Pad in Port Neches, this is our granddaughter.  I am thinking that that in this day dream  there is some kind of metamorphosis into a feline.

Summer splash is upon us

Summer could make a real splash with kids at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, if this is any indication. The young water lover is running through the spray tunnel at the zoo's Splash Park.  We were there with our grandkids for the fun.

T-ballers lose interest to sandlot sketches

It is our grandchild, Sophie, with her first season of t-ball.  She was able to hit the ball and then get on base.  However, that's where her interest waned. The first baseman joined in the fray.  I want to guess they are posting on their own brand of social media.

Did a ball go by here?

It's the first year of t-ball for our granddaughter Sophie. Standing in the outfield waiting for action to happen within five feet of her is not her style.  So anything for a distraction.  In this case, it appears to be contagious.

Wildlife is a wild time at Global Wildlife

We were at Global Wildlife in Robert, LA, with the grandkids and nieces and nephews this weekend.  This is always one of the greatest hits for things to do.  The kids love feeding the wild animals, who come right up to the caravan.

Water wonders

My grand-niece shows fascination with the water fount at the St. Joseph's Abbey Church in Abita Springs, LA.

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Water park wonderment...

We were at the water park in Sulphur a couple of weeks ago with the grandkids. I had a new waterproof camera, which of course means I am going to try stupid things. Like standing under the big bucket to see what it looks like when it dumps.

Being under a ton of water crashing to the ground is more of a feeling thing than a seeing thing.
--steve buser

Grandkids take down music.

It was too wet outside to play, so they sat there they two.   Nothing to do.   Then, they hit upon an idea.   They would play some music, just like mommy does.  So our two grandkids, Sophie, 2, and Sullivan, 6, pulled out some music books and chose their song well.  (Me?  I was surprised they had them upright. I wasn't even worried about the two different books, two different songs thing.) They had it down -- where to place the books, how to look over the notes, the calmness of preparation.  Then came the music.  Sweetness to a grandpa's ear.  Of course, not so much sweetness to the dogs ears.
--steve buser

kids, Louisiana

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Time Warp : Like mother, like daughter

I saw this picture of our granddaughter, Sophie the other day.  The scene is a visit to our house -- she had all her friends huddled around.  Suddenly it struck me I had seen this before.  Or something pretty darn close.  So, I scoured my photo store until I found it.  The picture below is her mother, Vicky -- quite a few years back.  The very bottom picture is of her mother at about the same age as Sophie.   Indeed.  Like mother, like daughter.
--steve buser

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Swinging carefree in the heart of St. Tammany

This is our granddaughter, Sophie, enjoying a swing at the trailhead park of the Tammany Trace hike and bike path from Slidell to Covington, LA.   THe trail is old rail line right of way that was abandoned back in the 1980's.   I was trying to capture that carefree feeling of swinging.  I think I got it, even if the focus wouldn't cooperate.
--steve buser

Kids, fun

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The hats have it.

My nieces were having fun when I was shooting pictures of them one day.  To add to the picture, they ran out to Linda's car, and grabbed a couple of my hats and one of Linda (center).

From the left are Paige, Sarah, and Rebekah.
--steve buser

Kids, New Orleans

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Style rules for catching Mardi Gras beads in New Orleans

There is a certain style to catching Mardi Gras beads in New Orleans. 1) keep you eye on the catch. 2) extend your arms 3) close in on the target.  4) Let your excitement run away with you. 5) There is no such thing as a bad catch.  6). There are no rules on how to catch beads at Mardi Gras.   Everything goes.   Don't believe me?  Stay tuned.

By the way,  our guide for the day is Nino,  How does that work, a second nephew?  A nephew once removed?  Let's just say a relative.
--steve buser

Global Wildlife Center --head butting

Two young buckS tangle antlers trying to prove their "staghood."  We were at the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, La -- a pleasant country drive north of New Orleans. 
The animals would come right up to our wagon train for food, but I was surprised to see how many tussles and arguments ensued as they fought their way to the front and then wanted exclusive territory.  The kids loved it all  (as did the adults -- our daughter Vicky and husband Aaron pulled triple-duty  -- feeding the animals, taking pictures and helping our grandkids learn who you could feed by hand and for which animals you had to drop the food on the ground.)

--steve buser

Global Wildlife Center, Louisiana 

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Fill 'er up!

Linda and I, went with her family to the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, LA, his weekend (its about 45 miles north of New Orleans.  It consists of about 900 acres of free range for some wild animals including deer, buffalo, camels, giraffe and other exotics.  If was amazing to see the kids' faces (and the adults') as they animals came right up to the wagon train to be fed.  Here, Linda loads up a longhorn steer with a cup full of feed, as Sullivan gets ready for his turn.
--steve buser

wildlife, Global Wildlife Center

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What a lily..

This water lily was at the City of Gonzalez Jambalaya Park.   We went there today to take our grandchildren to the Splash Pad.  This lilly was in the fish pond in front of the splash area.  I applied a watercolor filter to the shot to give a painting effect.

O, yeah,  the kids had a great time dashing and getting splashed.

-- steve buser

Water lily, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Sharing dreams

This is what happens when you visit Papa and Nanny's house. They have a grown a little since I shot this picture, but the results are still the same -- a kid has a limited amount of energy (I know this is hard to believe but it is true.) Even New Orleans can't keep a kid awake for ever.
--steve buser

kids, sleep, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Climber of clouds

Who knows what thoughts flee through the mind of a daring, maybe rash, climber of clouds?
Who knows what heights his fantasies favor?

Though you may once have known, you can never know again. Earth-bound one, you can only watch and wonder.
--steve buser

boys, kids, playing, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Face up to it

Our nieces, Sarah and Rebekah, and their dad Jason, celebrated their birthdays yesterday in Mandeville. This water slide was one of the big hits. Here, our grandson, Sullivan, demonstrates what awaits the daring slider at the bottom of the water course.

We were fortunate the weather held off. Despite a few clouds rumbling that this was "their day," no shower spoiled the fun.

--steve buser

Water slide, Mandeville, Louisiana, birthday
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Art Appreciation.

This was at a concert a couple weeks ago in Baton Rouge. The band was playing just behind this splashing pool. Quite a few of the kids took advantage of the cool water for a respite from the heat. Come to think of it, so did several of the adults. These kids were using the scuplture just in front of the band to get from one level of the pool to the next.
I'm guessing this a true art appreciation.

--steve buser

Baton Rouge, Festival, FestForAll

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Bubble. Bubble, too much trouble

It's a lot of trouble to blow a bubble, especially when you don't have the alignment just right. Little Sophie eeks out at least one of the magical, mystical, misty globes.

--steve buser

bubbles. kids, children

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