My first full day back in St. Louis. was cold but still a beautiful day. We went to Modoc, IL to see if the eagles had arrived but came up short. I took this shot with my new wide angle lens I got for Christmas.

May you have a well and prosperous New Year. 12.31.13

Nothing too exciting today. Saw this great blue heron preening itself by some water in the back of an apartment building. Made a U-turn, parked and got a few nice shots.

This was taken the day after our big ice storm. It was slick as snot out but the grackles did not seem to mind.

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There's nothing like a warm blanket and cozy spot on the couch on a cold winter day. 12.24.13

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

I just took this photo an hour ago. Edited in CS6 and then a frame from Auto FX photo frames. Have a great Sunday. 12.22.13

Just fooling around with a photo I took off the TV Sunday. It's always nice when someone else gets the lighting absolutely perfect. 12.19.13

This was taken on an overcast day and hence the white background. This one tree must have had 18 or more cormorants in it. This was at White Rock Lake in Dallas. There was a bike/hiking trail that ran right underneath this tree and the birds were not bothered by them at all. They were a little afraid of me point my camera at them. The 500 mm lens is a little intimidating I guess. Have a good one. 12.18.13

Shot this last night. I drove by this place, then made a U turn. I tweaked in Topaz Simple and CS6.

Just got a Wimberly head and was working on my technique. I saw a bunch of seagulls and cormorants in a big body of water alongside Sandy Lake Road.

A shot from the ice storm we had last weekend. It really was a significant weather event. The ice is pretty much gone now, but it has taken awhile for some of it to melt. You don't see too many fall leaves encased in 1/4" of ice.

Have a great weekend all and be safe. 12.13.13

Where has the time gone? Just a couple weeks and this year will be over and done. 2014 is right around the corner.

This is one of those ordinary photos that I just could not leave alone. Sometimes that ends up to be a visual disaster, but I actually like the way this turned out. The color is not true, but once again it's my photo and you've heard of "artist license" haven't you?

It has taken me quite a while to get birds to come and feed on the seed I've been throwing out the front door. Finally, the snow forced them to partake of my bird seed and voila, here you have it. 12.12.13

To me this is urban art. Not everyone agrees. Not sure of the meaning of this or even if there is one, but it is sure original.

Have a good one. 12.10.13

Baby it's cold outside. Burrrr.

Yes, it is cold in Dallas. And icy. This town is basically shut down. There are over 200 semi's stuck on I35 and they say the ice will be there until it warms up and melts. Ugh. Even the birds aren't moving around. I put out bird seed yesterday and it is still there this morning. Hope you have a good weekend.

I really enjoy this show. Don't watch much television but this one really has my interest. I liked James Spader when he was on Boston Legal a few years back. The interactions between his character and William Shatner were so funny. Anyway, I did a little editing in PS and then added the icing on the cake with Topaz Star Effects. 12.2.13

Like it says, Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you get the long end of the wishbone!!! 11.28.13

I am thankful for all your kind comments and suggestions all year round.

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Christina Aguilar at the AMAs last night on ABC. I really wanted to make this photo my own even though it was taken from the TV, so I added a texture overlay from Digital Juice. They have some very cool effects, check them out.

Anyway, when the weather is bad I start looking around for something that attracts my eye and last night the TV was it. It is cold here in Dallas at 36 degrees but we really dodged the bullet and didn't get any of the freezing rain they predicted. Be safe and have a good day. 11.25.13

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This place caught my eye as I drove by. I was lost at the time so I'm not sure how to get back, but with a name like Hook, Line and Sinker I'm sure there aren't too many other places with the same handle. Reminds of my dad. He would enjoy this.

A cold front has moved in here in Dallas. Yesterday it was 72 and it is presently 38 outside. Burrr. 11.22.13

I was going to try to remove the pole from the middle of this scene, but the tonal values are different on each side. Don't know how that happened. Anyway, here it is just the way it was shot. 11.21.13

Any one watch the new series on Fox Sunday night called Almost Human. Sometimes I take photos of what's on the TV. Not the greatest quality but sometimes the content is interesting. 11.19.13

Had lunch at Pei Wei in Dallas. Excellent pad thai. The manager was nice enough to let me take a couple photographs. 11.15.13

I always tell people I will photograph anything if it is still long enough. This is an example of that. This is from a blouse I saw at Koh's that I liked. And, the words at the bottom don't mean anything, they are just pretty. That's a woman thing. Take care and have a nice day. 11.14.13

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Quite an impressive structure here. This sits on top of a mall. Of course, I could not resist the photo op, was very cloudy that day. 11.11.13

Good morning fellow smugmuggers. Got up early today in search of birds and found them in the most unlikely spot--the parking lot of a place called Golden Chicken. Loading to my computer now and hopefully I will have a few good shots, but I never know. Thanks for your comments on the little screech owl. i understand they can be quite menacing when they want to. 11.10.13

By the way, this is a multi-shot composite of three separate photos.

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Usually I try to simply my compositions, but I like this pretty much as shot. This is in the front a furniture store on Midway in Addison, Texas. A very expensive furniture store I am sure, Engiishman's i think is the name. What beautiful bodies those Roman's had. 11.8.13

Thanks for all your comments. I have really been busy and kind of funky feeling with the weather change. Your comments really mean a lot.

I find birds to be amazing. Stop and think about it. They fly around and whiz through trees, make abrupt twists and turns. Did you know a bird can control every feather on its body? Fascinating. Have a great day. 11.7.13

The building this door is attached to is well over 100 years old. It is in Belleville, IL. 11.6.13

Since I work evenings I don't generally see the sunset. On this particular evening I was getting a frozen yogurt at Racetrack. The light changes so fast it's amazing. 10.5.13

Doing a little experimenting with shapes and textures here. What do you think? The old saying "opposites attract" comes to mind upon pondering this photo. What comes to your mind? Thanks for looking and commenting. 10.4.13

Up early on this Sunday. I saw this at Barnes & Noble and thought it was an apprporiate shot for Sunday. Remember this prayer from my childhood. I shot this with a Sony point and shoot camera. I love that little thing. It takes great closeup shots. It's also discrete which is a big plus sometimes. 11.3.13

Another photo from Dallas Aquarium. Glad it is Saturday. I have to work today but can rest up tomorrow. Have a great weekend and once again thanks for your comments. 11.2.12

By the looks of this guy, it is hot outside, but in actuality it was a dreary and rainy day. Took Max to doggie park on Gramercy. There must have been 50 plus dogs there. He felt totally overwhelmed since he spends most of his time around humans. They have water fountains there for dogs too. Great idea. This mastiff would have gotten in if he could. What a sweet huge pet. 11.01.13

Have a great weekend and thanks for the photo critique yesterday.

I shot this through glass and it really wasn't much of the body. The background was yucky too. Do you think the post processing is overdone? I would appreciate your critique.10.31.13

Happy Halloween!!

This little guy is the cutest thing. It lives at the Dallas Aquaraium, a really cool place. I was surprised at the diversity of fish and animals and birds they had. Even a jaguar. If you are ever in Dallas be sure to check it out. 10.30.13

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We have these hostas planted in the front. They get humongous. This is from early this spring. 10.24.13

This is the backside of a small building on the Beltline in Addison, Texas. The whole building is painted with this scheme. Very cool and colorful so of course it caught my eye. Unfortunately, it is closed now. So many small businesses are going under. Truly a shame. 10.23.13

Driving north on Dallas Tollway yesterday and saw this building, AMS Production Group. I can tell a lot of creative people work there. I absolutely love the colors of this building.

Thanks to everyone who views my photos and makes a comment. It has encouraged me and pushed me to try to improve my photography. Your photos are inspiring to me. 10.21.13

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This old house is no longer standing. It was bulldozed to put up a Motomart and McDonald's. I would have very much liked to see it in its hey days. 10.18.13

Ever run out of things to say? Don't worry, just grab a card and let the conversation flow. 10.17.13

Larry and one of his offspring. Larry was originally named Lucy, but after his "friend" Maggie looked like she had swallowed a baseball we flipped him over and called him Larry from that day forward.

Thanks for all your kind comments. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Have a great day. 10.16.13

Jordan drawing on my office floor. This was taken In August of 2006. I really miss the grandkids when they were little. 10.14.13