The last bite of sundown

The sun is tired. The last ray, hopefully the last bite. The lakefront in Mandeville, just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. Maybe it wasn't a good day, but maybe it will end well. Maybe.

-- steve buser

Fishing for the perfect shot

Another look at our friends Sam and Theresa's fish pond in their back yard. It was fascinating to watch the fish fathoming the clear, dark waters. The sun could only get a ray or two through the umbrella of the giant oak that loomed overhead. But where it did, it painted the pebbles on the bottom with a golden tint. As I moved around the pond to capture a good shot of the Koi fish, they always seemed to find a way to keep a lily pad between me and them, that is until Theresa came out with some fish pellets. An occasional pellet would bring them out into the open, but I had to work quick because they would scoot back to lily-pad darkness in just seconds.

-- steve buser

Da Crawfish Boil

The crawfish boil, as you can see, is a very social event. Every one crowded around, picking, eating and conversing in a hive of activity. The signature of the haute cuisine is the newspaper strewn table -- makes it easier to clean up, just roll it up and toss it in a garbage bag. It is impossible for anyone around the table to be a stranger at one of these feast. It's a true New Orleans event, though this one was Saturday at my brother Ted's house in Baton Rouge where we held a Buser family reunion.