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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Misty morning malaise

The driving was a hard puzzle this weekend with all of the fog.  We were in Baton Rouge babysitting the grandkids.   This is the Mississippi River Bridge Sunday morning as Linda drove across and I was riding shotgun.... er, make it shotcamera.
--steve buser

Fog, weather, Louisiana

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Wasp -- diving down for nectar

This flower didn't make it easy for this wasp to get his noon-time nectar.  He had to climb down through the grove of stamen to find his treasure.  He spent about a minute or two wandering in the tops of the grove, then slowly worked his way around and down to a tasty meal.  All the while, he was doing the flower's work for it -- getting pollen all over his body.

wasp, flowers

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Gull catches wind

Catch wind.  

The gusts are brisk and swirling. Cold.  You have fine tuned your muscles to find stability in this.  Your feathers respond to every updraft, every downdraft.  You can catch wind and soar into the chilly sky.  It is the reason you were born, the reason you are here.  To tickle the sky's belly.

The photo is on the lakefront in Mandeville, LA.
--steve buser

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Ibis eating -- Lafreniere Park, Kenner

(I know I said I would show you that other shot today but I haven't got it ready yet)
This is a shot at Lafreniere Park out in Kenner in Jefferson Parish.  The park was created on an old horse racing track.  It now features a beautiful lagoon where Ibis and Herons and other birds share the space with muskrats, turtles and a small alligator or two.
--steve buser

Ibis, Kenner, Louisiana

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Jackson Square performers evoke the feel of the French Quarter

I was just having fun in Gimp with this French Quarter scene I shot a some time back.  I was using some of the filters.  THis is an old vintage picture photo filter with a frame filter.

I'll show you another version of the same shot on my next post --see which one you like the best.
--steve buser

New Orleans, Jackson Square, Jazz

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Rolling on the river into New Orleans

One of my favorite things to do in New Orleans is to take the ferry ride across to the West Bank of the Mississippi River and then come right back -- you can do it in a car or as a pedestrian. For a buck you get an amazing view of downtown New Orleans rising up.   The large building in the center is the International Trade Mart. To the left of that are a couple downtown hotels. 

The dark building is, I believe the Pan American building, which only looks smaller because it is much further downtown.  Far on the right, the green glass is the entrance to the Aquarium of the Americas and behind it in bright white is Canal Place which houses the Westin Hotel, offices and a very upscale shopping center.  The ferry puts into dock at the foot of Canal Street.
--steve buser

New Orleans, Canal Street

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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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Bee and wasp -- fighting it out in pistil dual

Our protagonist on the right, the bee.  Was enjoying his romp in the pollen on this afternoon where I just happened to be shooting a picture of this flower.   It was only seconds later that our antagonist, the wasp on the right, flitted into this pollen patch.  Both the bee (on the right)  and the wasp (on the left), kept their distance and didn't seem too distracted with having to share their nectar neighborhood.  But soon, the bee got jealous and buzzed a little to close to the wasp's side. 

That's when the pistil fight commenced --each making menacing passes at each others' stamens.   The wasp's jabs were obvious more threatening and the bee eventually backed off -- remembering that discretion is the better part of valor. He zoomed off to another flower in the neighborhood where he quickly took back up the task of pollen powdering in pursuit of nectar.

--steve buser

bee, wasp, flower

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Tri-colored Heron -- patience practice

A tri-colored heron, doing the patience thing at Lafrenniere Park in Jefferson Parish, which lies next to New Orleans.  This park was made from an old race-track, Jefferson Downs.  I went to a few Scout events there as a youngster.   I like the park a lot better.

This guy stood in this position for 15-20 minutes before was satisfied I had enough shots and I wondered off.  For all I know he is still standing there like this, trying to get in the Guiness Book of World Records.
--steve buser

Tri-colored Heron, Louisiana, New Orleans

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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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Street Car Sightseeing in New Orleans

This is our son, Shawn, and his wife, Sarah, on a visit to New Orleans last year.  A ride on the St. Charles Avenue street car is always part of the tour.
--steve buser

New Orleans, Street Car

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The proper Mardi Gras is about having the accoutrement

Since we are on a Mardi Gras theme of sorts for today, I thought I would get a little on the technical side and go through some of the required paraphernalia for the perfect family celebration of the carnival.

You will notice the float is passing by a large antebellum home, giving away the fact that this is a shot on St. Charles Avenue -- with its wide neutral ground (median, if you are not from New Orleans). Everyone on the ground in this picture is on the neutral ground. 

We will start with the folding table in the middle with the food to munch on all day long. To the far right is the large trash can -- they can never put enough of these on.  To the right of the trash can , the black hump is a barbecue pit -- you're going to be out Mardi Gras day from very early in the morning to late in the afternoon  -- come prepared.

If you follow with your eyes on the same level to the right, you will see two white humps -- of course, the baby swing. Move your eyes up a little and you will notice another black barbecue pit.  Did I mention that you eat all day?

If you are extra observant you will notice the baby stroller, a couple of chairs, a child's seat, a blue tarp on the ground (on the right -- it claims your territory and anything that falls on it.  On the middle bottom you may be able to pick out a yellow square -- below the barbecue.  That is a big sack for holding you goodies.  You will need several of these to haul off your loot.
--steve buser

Mardi Gras, New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue

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When angry sea storms billow and rage

The tropical storm Ida pounding into the Alabama and Mississippi Coast tonight, reminds me of a little more that a year ago when Gustav was bearing down and we decided to head to the Alabama coast to ride out the storm.   We learned that these systems are so big they make life miserable a long way from land fall -- especially on the coast.   

My sister and her husband rented a condo on Perdido Key on the Alabama coast line where we all watched the anrgy sees and agitated winds pound the coast line.  Our power went out the first night and the condo grumbled and moaned through the night.  Just crossing the street was strenous, and any attempt to attack the beach was beaten back with spray of salt, water, sand, wind and whatever could be loosed from the earth.



--steve buser

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

The Duck Book of Rules

You get a mouthful of tasty stuff from the bottom of the pond and then strain out the water -- you want this to be better tasting, not more filling, right?
--steve buser

Squirrelly beggar tugs the heart strings

You know those beggars at the traffic light that bring their pets to tug on you emotions.  This little squirrel decided to strike out on his own and came right up to our table as we were eating outside a restaurant in Mandeville a while back. Hard to turn a cutie like this down.
--steve buser

Squirrels, Louisiana, Mandeville

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Nourishing nature's long-necks

Little Sophie gets a close up view when my wife, Linda, shows her how to feed the giraffes at Global Wildlife Center -- a free range preserve in Folsom -- about an hour out of New Orleans. I thought for awhile that the smiles on the kids faces my be permanently pasted on. But, like kids tattoos, they wore off in a few days.
--steve buser

Giraffes, Global Wildlife Center

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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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Sacked out

Sitting on the Canal Street ferry wharf,  these two Brown Pelicans wait for the ferry to come and whip up fish from underneath the rolling Mississippi River.  Notice the pelican on the left.  He has leaned his head so far back and opened his beak so wide that it has pushed his gular sack - usually hanging below his beak -- up through the top of the lower mandible -- a sight I have never seen before.

--steve buser

Brown Pelican, New Orleans, Mississippi River

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Get your parade face on

I am proud of myself.   I suspect you are pround of me, too, even if you won't admit it.

I will take your silence as a an acquiescence that what I say is true. (silence speaks louder that words).  But, just for the others, let me inform them of that which swells my pride.

I have made it to the middle of October and only shown one or two Mardi Gras shots  (Out of season that is, not the ones during and just after Mardi Gras.) this year on this blog.

I would fill this blog daily with Mardi Gras pictures if you would allow it. I suspect my Mardi Gras parade of pictures would even spill over into other nearby blogs (much to their "consternation", as they say -- personally, I am not sure I have ever been consternated, for if I were, I would have visited a drug store for relief.  But, I digress).

I have dutifully withheld my bounding joy for the  Carnival -- Carne Vale, perhaps is derivation.  I will leave to your Latin learning to fill in the rest.

No, like a good Felix Sit Annus Novus! reveler then penitent, I have fullfilled my resolution for the year and kept aulld acquaintence from mind -- the mnd of this blog, at least.  While I looked personally back, I did not let that aquaintance fetter your enjoyment. 

Nonetheless.   There comes a time when one must act on that which burns inside himself.  That, I do today.  Please accept this montage of float-leading parade faces from the 2008 season not so much as a failing, but as eruption of memory, suppressed for a time, but no less powerful.

One can put it out of mind for a while , but at some time,  Les Bons Temps va rouler.

--steve buser

Glossy Ibis

This Gloss Ibis is a frequent wanderer around Lafreniere Park in Jefferson Parish (the neighboring parish to New Orleans)
--steve buser

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Reflecting the times

The Conservatory of Two Sister in City Park in New Orleans is the visual icon for the gardens.  This was shot there during the Celebration in the Oaks some time ago.  I just hope my schedule will allow time to make it again this year.
--steve buser

City Park, New Orleans, gardens

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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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Bitty Bee Bib Needed

Someone needs to invent a Bee bib.  If you going to stick your face down into a flower, you're going to get pollen all over the fine hairs on your back.  This bee at the Nature Center in Mandeville demonstrates the problem.  What we need is a volunteer inventor ( I doubt if there is any money to be made) .  Any takes?
--steve buser

Bees, Mandeville, Louisiana

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Shake your claw, feller

This fellow was at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was holding out his claws to shake hands. Thanks, but no thanks.
--steve buser

Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans, Louisiana

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