Bowling in Texas

   Who knew that bowling was the next pandemic hit. For the Fall Fashion shoot for 360 West we took advantage of the generosity of the folks at Bowlounge on Vickery in Fort Worth as a location for a fashion shoot with the latest former Miss Texas, Taylor Kessler who was a blast to work with and had no problem throwing around a ten pound bowling ball. Great space and a great folks made for a productive and fun afternoon. 

Wavey Sunset

 Washing back to shore with the last of a strong evening breeze, muscles aching from way too much time hanging on to the control bar of my kite. The scorching heat of the day has dissipated and now the splash of the water chills the skin. As I look to the West the last rays of the setting sun sparkle thru the tops of the waves lapping onto the shore. A calm slides over me an I feel true contentment. No matter what happens during the day, an evening like this brings out the true beauty in life.

Stormy Beach Day

   A strong cold front blew into the very southern tip of Texas on New Years Day with winds in the 40 knot range and gray skies. The tops of the waves rolling into the beach in South Padre Island were just peeled off and blown back to sea. I worried about the new year for 2021 after watching this introduction.

A German Christmas Memory

    With a parent from Bavaria, it is just natural to develop a taste for the fruit laden German delicacy of Christmas stollen from my fathers youth. To find someone that makes a really good example in the rural one stoplight town in North Central Texas is a real surprise. After spending the afternoon with Letty Thome and Marche Ann Mann at the Bakeshop in Boyd, Texas I definitely found the goods and feel like Christmas is just over the horizon, even if it is still in the 80's outside.

A mound of dough ready to divide.

A double dip of butter. 

A final dusting of powdered sugar.

A slice of Xmas.

Summer Storm

  On the first business trip after being Socially Isolated I ended up in a hotel in Sugarland, Texas as a summer thunderstorm rose up over the outskirts of Houston. I just felt like the introduction of a new normal was introduced with an apocalyptic storm. Beautiful to watch but glad I was not in it.

Sidelined and Watching

 I found a good excuse to take a few photos of the kiteboarding crew at Benbrook Lake. Had a little mishap and dislocated my right shoulder so I could not kite on a rather windy May afternoon. Always hate to be sidelined by injuries but left me with no excuses about taking some photos from the shore especially since we were kiting at Baja Beach for a different perspective. Complaints of it being really gusty but definitely had some push to the wind with gusts to 40 miles an hour.

Peter getting some airtime. 

Serena exploring a different shore.

Justin Moore throwing a little spray.

Martin Mitter launching over a windmill.

Justin Moore committing to an inverted front roll.

Martin Mitter airing it out.

Close up Beard

   I love to study objects and the closer you look the more you can discover. AS individual as its are in nature, it always amazes me how structural parts can be so similar especially among completely different species. I took a really close look at the beard of a bearded iris and on closer inspection, it looks so much like tentacles seen in sea life. The structure is the same as anemones and the cellular structure of the leaves looks like the scales on the skin of a ray. It seems that nature uses the same techniques in multiple applications.

The delicate tentacles of an Iris Beard. 

Water droplets on the beard of an Iris.

Special Sanctuary

Peggy and Tommy Wadley are long time members of the church. 

The Aisles are lined with exquisite stained glass.

The organ at the back has been rebuilt once, but is still beautiful.

  Peggy and Tommy Wadley are long time members of St. Stephens Presbyterian Church. They were also the first couple to be married in the beautiful church sanctuary which was completed 50 years ago at the location on a hill overlooking the Parkhill neighborhood in Fort Worth, Tx.

Seasons Greetings

 Alfie the Yorkie and his new best friend want to wish everyone an absolutely wonderful Holiday season and lots of really fun games to boot.

Early Texas Freeze

  Every year, in the fall the Gaylord Texan Resort brings in thousands of pounds of ice, a crew of ice sculpting artisans from Harbin, China and creates a frozen wonderland. This year the theme for Ice! is a Charlie Brown Christmas and the creators are taking full advantage of the capabilities of coloring ice in the design. Using chisels, chainsaws and scrapers the creations are amazing to see

The entrance title carving.

Chainsaws make great cutting tools for large blocks.

Ice can be clear or an assortment of colors.

With layers of color and clear ice, an entire room is created.

Carving a nose with a scraper

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Terrierist Extraordinaire

  From my experience with young dogs I have known the difficulties of trying to bend the ideas of a playful pup to aligning with the norms of human society. Those unexpected puddles and little smells in places you don't expect always get the temper to escalate. For some reason I am having a harder time with our new Yorkshire Terrier puppy Alfie than I remember having with my chow mix Kimo. Size might have something to do with it or it might just be the silly little faces he makes, trying to keep you from getting ad at him. Whichever it is, I am determined not to be swayed and bend him to my will, I am not going to cave!!

The face of the terrierist.

"Who me, what did I do"

Beach Party

  Proof that sand between your toes gets everyone in the mood for a party. Our pups Alfie and Rosie met a dog on the beach in Frankfort, Michigan
along the shores of Lake Michigan and instantly started to play. In no time at all they were making Conga lines and rolling in the sand. Instant party even without the beach umbrella drinks.

Doggie line dancing.

Road Tripping

  Well guess where we went on our summer vacation? Since it was Alfie's first he had to do something easier to learn the rhythms of the road. Rosie started by drinking from the fountain in the middle of Belle Isle in Detroit. She forgot her passport so she could not visit Windsor. Then the road took them to the shores of Lake Michigan and Alfie carried stick that he claimed were logs felled by Paul Bunyan and Rosie tried to raise the water level. All in all a great trip and the adults even survived.

Furry Critters

  Met a pair of furry friends, one a rather large and very docile German Shepherd named Darcy and the other a really cute and small Prairie Dog named Prince. They have bonded and are now best friends but owner Taylor Williams has to treat them a little different when they go on walks since Prince the Prairie Dog just can''t keep up. He gets his own ventilated back pack so he gets to tag along,

Best buddies.

Prince gets an adapted cat carrier. 

Prince wears a leash when out and about. 

Little Alfie

  There is just something about puppies that makes them adorably cute. It may have something to do with their unbridled energy or uninhibited sense of adventure, but this little guy is starting to work his way into our family. A twelve week old Yorkshire Terrier that is enamored with the old dog Rosie and has taken only a week to decide that the entire house is his personal romper room. Each space has a different purpose and type of game, now he just needs to learn the outside is bathroom space trick.

Alfie sporting his warming shirt.

Benny's Cafe

  A new breakfast and lunch spot opened along a stretch of Highway 26 that is known for nothing but large corporate chain restaurants. With the friendly atmosphere and piles of great food that are served at Benny's Cafe it is sure to find a place amongst the larger chains.

The Berry Berry pancakes.

The No Guilt Salad.

Simple but cozy ambiance.

The avocado toast with smoked salmon.

The namesake Benny.

Tennis Face

  The Texas Christian University Women played a match against the Texas Tech University Tennis Team on Saturday afternoon. I Love the faces you get from athletes in those unguarded moments of ultimate concentration and exertion.  Tennis players can be some of the best at showing the concentration and effort that it takes to hit a little fuzzy ball. It is what I call "Tennis Face".

Latte Da Dairy

  When you spend a little time at a goat farm that has some of the best goat milk and cheeses in the area you expect the goats to be really cute. But when the guinea hens try to out strut the peacock you know they are all putting on a good show.\, but nothing is cuter than a new born, wobbly legged goat.

The day old goat pen.

Everybody is showing off.

He just thought he was the cutest.