Want a place for reflection? This pavillion on the lakefront in Mandeville seems to beckon. Sunset Point had been closed for upgrades and repairs, but the favorite watery outlook is back open. Mandeville is the city just across Lake Pontchartrain (to the North) from New Olreans. Take the 23-mile long Causeway for a pleasant drive or, if you've got the time, just get your sailboat out and sail across.
--steve buser
The W Hotel is one of New Orleans finer hotels.
-- steve buser
It was hard to tell who was more animated in this scene, the Canadian geese, or the girl.
They're everywhere. Little reminders of intense fun. This is the statue of Jean D'Arc in the Vieux Carré. Notice the beads hanging from the horses ears and on Jean herself.
This is one of a series of hanging baskets in the French Quarter. It's meant to be a livin "Purple, Green and Gold" -- the colors of Mardi Gras. The colors sprout up everywhere in New Orleans because the gentry here live the festival year round. There are two season in New Orleans, Mardi Gras season and waiting-for-Mardi-gras season.
Check out these other city daily photo sites for today (or yesterday, depending where in the world you are.)
You've got little ritual's you do down at the beach, don't you. Spread out the towel, dip the toes in the water.
A digression from New Orleans for today --
You can see the structures are not very substantial. (I like to call the photo above "Beachfront condo" but I think this is a motel)-- easy to rebuild. Nonetheless, this kind of storm gives you little to rebuild from.
This is one of New Orleans public libraries. It sits on St. Charles Avenue and commands an impressive view from the street. The library is still suffering some of the ill effects of the hurricane -- you can't necessarily see it here (maybe by clicking on it for the large view) bu several of the terra cotta tiles (for instance) on the roof are missing and have temporary patches in their place. I love the big expansive porch. You can see that the lights on the left stay on to keep it from looking too dark.
Cool, splashing water. Cool, splashing water. Cool, splashing water.
A couple more views of the Energy Building in New Orleans CBD. Clad with solid polished granite panels and reflective bronze glass, it is the 4th tallest building in New Orleans and the state The shot below is with the six-story water fall monolith in the plaza in the front.
More blue shutters. Thought I would do one more house of blue shutters before I moved on. This is another French Quarter house with the bright blues. Actually, I am surprised, but the colors work. But then again, I've got the New Orleans slant on color schemes -- I think green, gold and purple go together.
How about a cutie like this for a pet? I'm driving down Esplanade in Kenner the other day with my window rolled down and pulled up to a stop light. Off to my left, this guy and several of his compadres were waddling up from the canal to the cars. They were staring right at me and the other drivers. Apparently they must have a following that throws them crumbs. He was very surprised I didn't toss something out.
Ever thought about painting your shutters bright blue? Never crossed my mind. I have seen a few bright blue shutter photos on other City Daily Photo blogs recently and it got me to looking around. We were down in the Vieux Carre' (French Quarter) recently when I noticed this blue and yellow design.
The New Orleans French Market is getting a new face lift. Above, a section of the market is all polished up and ready to be occupied. Then Presto! below the vendors move in and life is restored. The hum and bustle of shoppers trying to find that perfect bargain is restored.
--steve buser
The two buildings in the picture are in stark contrast. In the foreground is the Energy Center. Though it suffered damages in the hurricane, it is back in full swing. The 39-story building is the 4th tallest in New Orleans. The building built in 1984 has stunning views of the Mississippi River from its bay windows.
Time for all the hot jokes, because it's hotter than ever. Record temperatures in New Orleans and all around. Heat Advisories. Officially the temperature hit 99 degrees. My car thermometer disagrees with that. This is after I had been driving for 20 minutes, so it's not one of those temps you get when just start up your car after parking on concrete. Of course, I am driving on concrete and the Weather Bureau guys probably take the temperature in the shade.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
THE FOLLOWING WEATHER WAS RECORDED YESTERDAY.
NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER WAS OBSERVED.
No significant weather? It was hot enough to buckle the sidewalk!
Three days without rain and we're begging for it to come back. We're begging for anything that will relieve this oppressive heat. Last night at 8 p.m. coming across the Causeway (way out over the water) it was 100 degrees on the car thermometer!.
The last pic today is of Shawn, Sarah and my wife, Linda, walking past St. Louis Cathedral, perhaps the most well-known landmark in New Orleans -- the oldest Cathedral in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1727. Through fires and toils of the centuries it has re-risen and been reinvigorated time after time.
Check this web site for interior pictures. Check this site for more on the history.
Al Hirt and Pete Fountain, two New Orleans legends of jazzy make a brassy appearance down in the French Quarter at Legends Park, 311 Bourbon Street. Alios Maxwell Hirt was born in New Orleans and went to Cincinatti to study at the Cincinatti Conservatory of Music. He played with a lot of local bands before opening his own club in the Quarter. Who can forget his golden horn in the hit "Java?"
The muscle strain. The day grows long, the focus harder. The way narrows.
What is your favorite time for that daily walk along the lakefront? Is it that long-shadow time as the sun is fluffing up it's pillow for the night.
You're back on the lakefront in Mandeville again, and they have a regata going out past the break water. You'll need a good lens to capture the action. But, with plenty of sails and a little bravery you can get a good pic. Bravery? Well, the closest shot to that action is to walk out on the jetty. It's about a foot and a half wide and 300 feet long.
This may be just a outdoor fountain to you, but believe me, the sight of all that splashing water really excites our feather friends. 
Our son, Charlie is in town this week so we were down in the French Quarter at the Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. Above is the powdery treats for the group. Below, make mine with no sugar. Surprising, they are very tasty that way.
I have this fascination with bridges. They are not just engineering projects, but also works of art.
A shots I took from a cruise ship last year as we coasted into New Orleans early on a Sunday morning. One week of fun. One tired Sunday. This was supposed to be a series of images in a gif. Worked fine on my computer but apparently blogspot doesn't support animated gifs.
Oops. Yesterday (August 1) slipped up o me faster than I thought. It was theme day on the City Daily Photo sites. Theme this month was "Typical Breakfast." 
Don't look up. You just might get a sense of vertigo with all the construction going on around here. I've been watching this particular building construction for several weeks now. They are renovating an old building downtown and adding several floors.
