2019 An Image A Day: Travels, Landscapes, Night Skies, Birds, Wildlife, Macro & People

Sunrise Over Shoveler Pond

The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is a 34,000 acre conservation area along the coast of Texas west of the town of High Island. Visitors can see a variety of birds and other wildlife, including alligators, along the 5 mile Shoveler Pond Auto Loop. There is a boardwalk that will take you almost to the middle of the pond. Other auto tours will take you to Trinity Bay and Frozen Point along the coast. It's also a great place to photograph birds and coastal landscapes.

Who's the Bully?

I noticed a Red-shouldered hawk perched on a telephone line the other day and then all hell broke loose. Two Northern mockingbirds took exception to the hawk's proximity to their nest and the fight was on. Both birds began to bombard the hawk with no fear of his size and strength. He refused to move until #6, rear attack. The hawk gave up and flew off and probably asked himself, "What did I do to those guys?"

Sunset at Joshua Tree

After taking several sunset photos of Joshua Tree National Park I was packing my camera gear up to drive out and back to Palm Springs with my wife and go to supper when I noticed the silhouette. I turned to her and asked,"One more?" She always says yes and this is the result. It was one of the best of the day.

Sunset at Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California. It's characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees, the park straddles the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert, which is higher and cooler. Keys View looks out over the Coachella Valley. Hiking trails weave through the boulders of Hidden Valley. (NPS)

McDonald's Icon Wall on St Emanual Street

Located on the southeast facing wall of the Houston Graffiti Building at the corner of St. Emanuel and Bell streets, the #McDHoustonWall merges elements of the global McDonald’s brand with Houston-area icons and landmarks to add flavor to the mural scene in EaDo. McDonald’s owner/operators in the Greater Houston area commissioned the Houston-inspired mural from aerosol artist Mario E. Figueroa, better known as Gonzo247. The mural incorporates pieces of Houston, like the city skyline and astronauts, plus also elements of the McDonald’s brand with the French fries. It also shows the direction and changes that McDonald’s is making in the digital space, ​including the new ordering kiosks available inside restaurants, delivery available through UberEats, and McDonald’s mobile app. The mural should be up through at least Summer 2019 at 1538 St. Emanuel Street. About McDonald’s Owner/Operators of Greater Houston The McDonald’s Owner/Operators of Greater Houston, a co-operative of local business owners, own and operate more than 300 McDonald’s restaurants in Greater Houston. The co-op and individual owners support a number of organizations and people that make Houston a better place to live, including artists like Gonzo247 who help beautify the city. Houston-area McDonald’s restaurants employ more than 15,000 people in the Greater Houston community. #McDHoustonWall in EaDo Location: Houston Graffiti Building, 1538 St. Emanuel Street, Houston, TX 77003 "In Honor of Apollo 11" This is a 5 shot pano stitch incorporating Lightroom/Photoshop CC in post processing.

Astro Dog

Downtown Mars, a mural that wraps around the formerly drab 3-story Texas Direct Auto Building at 1301 Leeland, was painted by Sebastien "Mr. D" Boileau of Eyeful Art Custom Murals and Designs in 2016. A hundred gallons of house paint and 300 spray paint cans were used to create the mural. From a distance, the colorful walls look like the Texas flag, with the astronaut Jack Russell terrier on the back wall serving as the star. In the middle of the concrete jungle surrounding Leeland and Caroline Streets in downtown Houston, one building stands out. It’s dressed in the latest mural by Houston street artist Sebastien Boileau. “Houston is known as ‘Space City,’ so we wanted to do a little homage with a twist,” Boileau says. The “twist” is a painting of a dog in an astronaut suit, suspended upside down in outer space, with the entire side of the 40-foot-high Texas Direct Auto building as its canvas. When the two other sides are finished in a couple weeks, they’ll be blanketed in cosmic swirls of light and dark hues of orange and blue, evoking the cratered terrain of Mars. But some may be asking, “What does art have to do with selling cars?” Brett Bertrand with Texas Direct Auto says they were just trying to think out of the box. “We wanted to do something really unique, really exciting,” Bertrand says. “And we think it gives back to the community, too. This building was ugly before. And now, look at it – it’s something that you want to stop and look at and take a picture and look at the detail.” Boileau and three other local painters – Robyn Sanders, Erick Calvillo, and Armando Castelan – began work on the mural a couple of months ago. Boileau predicts that, by the end of the job, they’ll have gone through about 100 gallons of paint and 300 cans of spray paint. With easy visibility from the Toyota Center down the street, Boileau thinks the humorous eye candy could end up being an iconic spot for the city. “After 5 pm, there’s not a whole lot going on here,” Boileau says. “So people understand that you have to do this in order to bring life, in order to bring excitement. Otherwise, what’s the purpose of going downtown?”

Out with the Old, In with the New

This is a common sight in downtown Houston these days. I love the contrast to the demolished parking garage and the two skyscrapers.

Tomatoes and Garlic

Taken at the Nice market in 2011 These French tomatoes are so good they can be eaten alone, cold, sliced and a little salt.

Joshua Tree National Park (2005)

Joshua Tree

Smugmug gives us the option of a color negative on an uploaded image. I liked the effect on this one. Photographed at Joshua Tree National Park in 2005. The black and white tomorrow, a little different affect.

Dakota Kid II: P-51 Mustang

A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, North American Aviation’s P-51 Mustang was the first U.S. built fighter airplane to push its nose over Europe after the fall of France. Mustangs met and conquered every German plane from the early Junkers to the sleek, twin-jet Messerschmitt 262s. Although first designed for the British as a medium-altitude fighter, the Mustang excelled in hedge-hopping strafing runs and long-range escort duty. It made a name for itself by blasting trains, ships and enemy installations in Western Europe and by devastating Axis defenses before the Allied invasion of Italy. The Mustang was the first single-engine plane based in Britain to penetrate Germany, first to reach Berlin, first to go with the heavy bombers over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania, and first to make a major-scale, all-fighter sweep specifically to hunt down the dwindling Luftwaffe. One of the highest honors accorded to the Mustang was its rating in 1944 by the Truman Senate War Investigating Committee as “the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence.”

Thunder Bird: B-17

The B-17 Superfortress was a star at the Houston air show, Wings Over Houston. Here are some facts about the B-17 from www.nationalww2museum.org The rugged B-17 heavy bomber was developed as a strategic bomber in the 1930s. It proved efficient, enough to where it was used in every theater of the war. Legendary for its ability to sustain heavy damage in battle and bolstered by its nearly self-sufficient firepower, B-17s were most often used for daytime raids over Germany, as well as to wreak havoc on enemy shipping in the Pacific, though to a lesser degree. STATISTICS Type: Heavy Bomber PRODUCTION Date Introduced: 1941 Manufacturer: Boeing, Lockheed-Vega and Douglas Aircraft Company Number Produced: 512 SPECIFICATIONS (B-17E) Crew: 10 (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier, Navigator, Radio Operator, Flight Engineer, Ball Turret Gunner, Tail Gunner and two Waist Gunners) Wingspan: 104 feet Length: 74 feet Maximum Speed: 318 miles per hour Cruising Speed: 226 miles per hour Maximum Range: 3,200 miles Engines: Four Wright R-1820-65s (1,000 hp each) Maximum Bomb Load: 4,200 pounds Armament: Ten .50 caliber machine guns, one .30 caliber machine gun My friend, Sheldon Vernon, who is 97, is a retired Colonel, USAF. He flew the B-17 "Hot Nuts" out of Grafton-Underwood airfield, 384th Heavy Bomb Group, 8th Air Force in WWII. He and his is crew were among the first elements of the first daylight rain on Berlin. The completed 30 missions in 1943-1944. Sheldon stayed in the Air Force, retired and then taught in a university for another 20 years. Sheldon was one of the first WWII veterans I interviewed for my series on WWII vets. You can read his story at this link: https://birdshooter.smugmug.com/WWII-Veterans-and-Their-Story/2nd-Lt-Sheldon-I-Vernon-B/

Happy 4th of July!

Thunderbirds

Taken about 13 years ago, the USAF Thunderbirds were the star of the Houston Air Show; Wings Over Houston. It was the first time that I had seen them and did they ever put on a show. They are returning to Houston in October and I plan to be there with my 70-200mm. Flying high into the wild blue yonder.....

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military airlift aircraft is a high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed military transport vehicle capable of carrying payloads up to 169,000lb (76,657kg). It has an international range and the ability to land on small airfields. A fully integrated electronic cockpit and advanced cargo system allows a crew of three (the pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster) to operate all systems on any type of mission. Since it entered service in January 1995, 218 aircraft have been delivered to the US Air Force. C-17 design features A propulsive lift system allows the C-17 to achieve safe landings on short runways. The C-17 is capable of landing a full payload in less than 3,000ft. The propulsive lift system uses engine exhaust to generate lift. The engine exhaust is directed onto large flaps, which extend into the exhaust stream, allowing the aircraft to fly a steep approach at a relatively low landing speed. The aircraft is capable of turning in a small radius and can complete a 180° star turn in 80ft. The aircraft can also carry out routine backing. A fully loaded aircraft is capable of backing up a 2% gradient slope using the directed flow thrust reversers. Cockpit of the C-17 Globemaster III The C-17 cockpit accommodates pilot, co-pilot and two observer positions. The digital avionics system has four Honeywell multifunction cathode-ray tube displays, two full-capability HUDs (head-up displays) plus cargo systems. The quadruple-redundant electronic flight control system also has a mechanically-actuated backup system. There are two Lockheed Martin central processing computers, one Hamilton Sundstrand data management computer and two Honeywell air data computers. The design of the cargo compartment allows the C-17 to carry a wide range of vehicles, palleted cargo, paratroops, air-drop loads and aeromedical evacuees. he maximum payload is 170,900lb (77,519kg) with 18 pallet positions, including four on the ramp. Airdrop capabilities include: a single load of up to 60,000lb (27,216kg), sequential loads of up to 110,000lb (49,895kg), Container Delivery System (CDS) airdrop up to 40 containers, 2,350lb (1,066kg) each, up to 102 paratroops. Source: AirForce-Technology.com Photographed at the Houston Air Show and converted to B&W.

Special Delivery

The B-25 medium bomber was one of America's most famous airplanes of World War II. It was the type used by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle for the Tokyo Raid on April 18, 1942. Subsequently, B-25s saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to U.S. forces. Although the airplane was originally intended for level bombing from medium altitudes, it was used extensively in the Pacific Theater for bombing Japanese airfields and beach emplacements from treetop level, and for strafing and skip bombing enemy shipping. Built by North American Aviation, the B-25 first flew on Aug. 19, 1940, and the U.S. Army Air Corps accepted the first five B-25s in February 1941. By the end of the war, North American Aviation had built a total of 9,816 B-25s at its California and Kansas plants. During its long career, the B-25 experienced a number of modifications. The first major change occurred with the G model that included a 75mm cannon and two fixed .50-cal. guns in the nose. The H model was the first to add additional forward firing .50-cal. guns in cheek blisters. In the J version, the most numerous variant, the aircraft returned to its initial arrangement as a level bomber, reverting to a transparent nose that included one flexible and two fixed .50-cal. guns. Driven by requirements in the Pacific, however, field-modified Js and finally production versions once again featured a solid nose that housed eight fixed .50-cal. guns for low-level attack. In this configuration, the J model could devastate vehicles and shipping with up to 14 forward firing heavy machine guns. Source Credit: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/MuseumExhibits/FactSheets/Display/tabid/509/Article/196310/north-american-b-25b-mitchell.aspx

Loggerhead Shirke on a Cold Day in January

The Loggerhead Shrike is a vicious little passerine that kills insects, lizards, even small birds. This masked bandit will often impale and display his victim on barbed wire or thorns as a marker to his territory. I've watched one attack and kill a house sparrow then carry it up and over a six foot wooden fence to a safe place to devour his prey. His hooked bill is used for this purpose and it is similar to other raptors. This one was perched near my home in northwest Harris County. It was a very cold day and birds will often fluff themselves up to stay warm.

Indigo Bunting

I started going to Houston Audubon's High Island Bird Sanctuary in 2006 and I've gone each year during the spring migration. It's about two hours from my home so I leave very early to get there by dawn. Going with the birding guides, it's where I learned to id the birds. It was also good therapy after 28 years of dealing with violent crimes. It was also the reason that pushed me into bird photography. I wanted to photograph these little jewels that fly. On one such morning at Smith Oaks, it seemed like the woods were full of these Indigo Buntings. They were everywhere. I picked out a good one and took his photo. Life is good.

Belted Kingfisher on the Katy Prairie

After several days of rain in SE Texas I wanted to get outside, so I went birding and bird photographing (if that's a word). On an isolated part of Sharp Rd I rolled up on this Belted Kingfisher, stopped my truck and began shooting. He was facing me and so I asked him, "Show me your backside." As if he heard me, he turned around and gave me this look. Birds are great subjects. I love photographing them.

The Erechteion Temple at the Acropolis

The Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece which was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.

Parthenon

Parthenon, temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century BCE and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”). The temple is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders. Directed by the Athenian statesman Pericles, the Parthenon was built by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates under the supervision of the sculptor Phidias. Work began in 447 BCE, and the building itself was completed by 438. The same year a great gold and ivory statue of Athena, made by Phidias for the interior, was dedicated. Work on the exterior decoration of the building continued until 432 BCE. Although the rectangular white marble Parthenon has suffered damage over the centuries, including the loss of most of its sculpture, its basic structure has remained intact. A colonnade of fluted, baseless columns with square capitals stands on a three-stepped base and supports an entablature, or roof structure, consisting of a plain architrave, or band of stone; a frieze of alternating triglyphs (vertically grooved blocks) and metopes (plain blocks with relief sculpture, now partly removed); and, at the east and west ends, a low triangular pediment, also with relief sculpture (now mostly removed). The colonnade, consisting of 8 columns on the east and west and 17 on the north and south, encloses a walled interior rectangular chamber, or cella, originally divided into three aisles by two smaller Doric colonnades closed at the west end just behind the great cult statue. The only light came through the east doorway, except for some that might have filtered through the marble tiles in the roof and ceiling. Behind the cella, but not originally connected with it, is a smaller, square chamber entered from the west. The east and west ends of the interior of the building are each faced by a portico of six columns. Measured by the top step of the base, the building is 101.34 feet (30.89 metres) wide and 228.14 feet (69.54 metres) long. The Parthenon embodies an extraordinary number of architectural refinements, which combine to give a plastic, sculptural appearance to the building. Among them are an upward curvature of the base along the ends and repeated in the entablature; an imperceptible, delicate convexity (entasis) of the columns as they diminish in diameter toward the top; and a thickening of the four corner columns to counteract the thinning effect of being seen at certain angles against the sky. The sculpture decorating the Parthenon rivaled its architecture in careful harmony. The metopes over the outer colonnade were carved in high relief and represented, on the east, a battle between gods and giants; on the south, Greeks and centaurs; and on the west, probably Greeks and Amazons. Those on the north are almost all lost. The continuous, low-relief frieze around the top of the cella wall, representing the annual Panathenaic procession of citizens honouring Athena, culminated on the east end with a priest and priestess of Athena flanked by two groups of seated gods. The pediment groups, carved in the round, show, on the east, the birth of Athena and, on the west, her contest with the sea god Poseidon for domination of the region around Athens. The entire work is a marvel of composition and clarity, which was further enhanced by colour and bronze accessories. The Parthenon remained essentially intact until the 5th century CE, when Phidias’s colossal statue was removed and the temple was transformed into a Christian church. By the 7th century, certain structural alterations in the inner portion had also been made. The Turks seized the Acropolis in 1458, and two years later they adopted the Parthenon as a mosque, without material change except for the raising of a minaret at the southwest corner. During the bombardment of the Acropolis in 1687 by Venetians fighting the Turks, a powder magazine located in the temple blew up, destroying the centre of the building. In 1801–03 a large part of the sculpture that remained was removed, with Turkish permission, by the British nobleman Thomas Bruce, Lord Elgin, and sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London. (See Elgin Marbles.) Other sculptures from the Parthenon are now in the Louvre Museum in Paris, in Copenhagen, and elsewhere, but many are still in Athens. Ref: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon

Ancient Corinth, Greece

All that remains of the ancient city of Corinth, Greece is scattered ruins of buildings and the columns of the temple of Apollo. In its glory, Corinth was a very prosperous and vibrant city of ancient Greece. A Brief History When Paul arrived in 51 AD, the Corinth he saw was little more than 100 years old, but was five times as large as Athens and the capital of the province. Ancient Corinth, the original Corinth, founded in the 10th Century BC, had been the richest port and the largest city in ancient Greece. Strategically located guarding the narrow isthmus that connects the Peloponnesus (as southern Greece is called) to the mainland, it was a powerful commercial center near two seaports only 4 miles apart. Lechaeum, the western harbor in the Corinthian Gulf was the trading port to Italy and Sicily, and Cenchreae, the eastern harbor in the Saronic Gulf, was the port for the eastern Mediterranean countries. Periander (ca. 625-585 BC) had constructed a five foot wide rock-cut tract (Gk. diolkos) for wheeling small ships and their unloaded cargo from one gulf to the other. By 400 BC, a double wall ran from the city to Lechaeum to protect a two mile rock paved street, about 40' wide, leading to the port. When Rome demanded the dissolution of the Achaian League, Corinth, the leader, resisted and so Lucius Mummius, the Roman consul, leveled the city in 146 BC, killed the men and sold the women and children into slavery. Some of the wealthier families escaped to the island of Delos. For the next 100 years, only a handful of squatters occupied the site. Julius Caesar refounded the city as a colony in 44 BC, named it Colonia Laus Julia Corinthiensis and populated it with conscripted Italian, Greek, Syrian, Egyptian and Judean freed slaves. New Corinth, as Ancient Corinth, thrived. "Within just a few years, new Corinth's settlers' enormously profitable commerce at this crossroads of the nations had brought thousands more eager settlers from all over the Mediterranean and enormous personal wealth to a local ruling class of self-made women and men." [Horsley and Silberman, The Message and the Kingdom,p. 163] The wealthy Greek families who had fled to Delos also returned. Commentators usually assume that Corinth was an especially licentious city, a reputation it seems to have had in ancient times. Indeed, one of the Greek verbs for fornicate was korinthiazomai,a word derived from the city's name. Apparently this estimation was based on Strabo's report of 1,000 sacred prostitutes in the temple of Aphrodite on the Acrocorinth, an 1886-foot hill that rises above the city to the south. Recent scholars point out, however, that the charge was more likely an Athenian slander against the pre-146 BC city since sacred prostitution was a Middle East custom, not a Greek one. No doubt Corinth, like other large port cities, had plenty of prostitutes to service the sailors, but they were not sacred. The Acrocorinth, the acropolis of the ancient city, was heavily fortified during the Middle Ages. Nothing is left of the fabled temple to Aphrodite, but remains of the medieval fortifications, which were built on earlier foundations, may still be seen from the western side. Paul Settles Down It's easy to see why Paul chose Corinth as headquarters for his mission to the west. The city was young, dynamic, not hidebound by tradition, a mix of dislocated individuals without strong ethnic identities seeking to shed their former low status by achieving social honor and material success. Paul was not intimidated by a big, bustling, cosmopolitan hub city, with no dominant religious or intellectual tradition, for Corinth shared many characteristics with Tarsus, his home town, and Syrian Antioch, his home church city. The heart of the city, the forum, was filled with temples and shrines to the emperor and various members of his family, built alongside temples to the older Greek gods such as Apollo. Apollo's son, Asklepios, the god of healing, had a shrine there as well as at Epidaurus, the ancient site of miracle healings, about 50 miles southeast. Reference: http://www.abrock.com/Greece-Turkey/corinth.html

Temple of Apollo

This is the tallest remains in the ancient city of Corinth, a once very populous city in 1st Century Greece. Built on trade. Ancient Corinth was a very busy trading city, which led to its cosmopolitan character. It was known as "Wealthy Corinth". ... It was able to control the only land access to the Peloponnese and so dominated the trade in both the Saronic gulf (to the east) and the gulf of Corinth (to the west). Corinth is well known to readers of the Bible because of its importance in the missionary activity of the apostle Paul: he visited Corinth at least three times, founded Christian assemblies there, and wrote at least four letters to Christians in Corinth (besides 1-2 Corinthians, note the other letters mentioned in 1Cor 5:9 and 2Cor 2:4, 2Cor 7:8). The city lies at an important trading position about six miles to the southwest of the narrow isthmus that separates the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs. (wikipedia) Thanks to all for your comments!

Ephesus' Harbor Street

Ephesus' Harbor Street begins at the theater and ends at the harbor in the 1st century. Ephesus was the second largest city and major port in the Roman Empire on the Mediterranean coast. However, today it is 5 km from the coast because the harbor and waters have filled in with silt and earth. When Ephesus lost its status as a port city it was eventually abandoned. They say in real estate location is everything. Ephesus is proof of that cliche.

Library of Celsus

The Celsus Library of Ephesus, named after the city’s former Roman governor and constructed in the 2nd century CE, was a repository of over 12,000 scrolls and one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman Empire. Commissioned in 114 CE by Tiberius Julius Acquila, the library was built to commemorate his father Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, who had been, from 105 to 107 CE, the Roman proconsul of Ephesus, the then capital of Rome’s Asian province. Celsus had also been consul in Rome in 92 CE, where he was responsible for all public buildings. The library was probably completed in 117 CE. Celsus himself was entombed under the library in a lead coffin encased in a decorated marble sarcophagus. THE LIBRARY IS A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE PREVALENT IN THE PERIOD UNDER EMPEROR HADRIAN. The library stands at the corner of Curetes street and the Marble road at the very heart of the city, just to the left of the agora, near its monumental arched entrance. The library is a typical example of the architectural style prevalent in the period under Emperor Hadrian (76-138 CE). Resting on a nine-stepped podium 21m in length, the impressive surviving facade is richly decorated with relief carvings and has two stories - each with three pairs of columns capped with Corinthian capitals. The library had three entrance doorways flanked by four statues set back in niches. These figures with inscribed bases represented four qualities associated with the late governor: wisdom (sophia), intelligence (ennoia), knowledge (episteme) and virtue (arete). from https://www.ancient.eu/Celsus_Library/

Fun

Yesterday while on the west end of Galveston Island I had my camera with all intention of may be catching a bird in flight, etc. When I saw the little girl tossing something to the gulls I knew it was exactly what I was looking for, a composition that evokes emotion. The little girl was immersed in the moment and she was having so much fun that I was having fun watching her. Great photos have that ability to stir our emotions. I'm not saying this one is great but it accomplished for me what I was looking for with my camera in hand. You should know there was a group of four swimmers to the left of the little girl that I removed with Photoshop. Photographed with a Nikon D750 and Nikkor 24-85 VR lens. Camera settings were ISO:100, f/11, 1/250th Sec.

The Roman Theater in Ephesus

If you can imagine the theater filled with people and suddenly they begin to riot and you have to flee for your life. That was the Apostle, Paul in Acts 17. I'll be away from home for a couple of days and I'll catch up on the daily comments Friday.

A Look Down Milam Street

I was on the University of Houston Downtown pavilion when I took this photo of downtown Houston. I worked here for about 35 years as a Police Officer and Sergeant/Detective 28 of those 35 years. I also taught my skills to younger officers here at UofH-D and other law enforcement academies across Texas.

Terlingua's Creature of the Night

Located in the ghost town of Terlingua is a work of art, metal art. I call it the Terlingua Mosquito. It a collection of junk iron welded together to resemble a flying creature. I don't know who owns it but it's in a common area and it made a great foreground object for the Milky Way.

Super Moon, Superb

About three years ago my buddy Dave B and I heard about this "super moon" happening on November 14th. We could not think of a better place to use as a foreground than Galveston's Pleasure Pier. Using the app,"The Photographers Ephemeris" which gives you at any location the angle of the sun and moon rising and setting as well as the time. We calculated for that night, to catch the moon rise over the Gulf of Mexico, we had to be somewhere around Seawall Blvd and 33rd St in Galveston. So we headed to Galveston that day, had lunch at Shrimp & Stuff and then headed to Seawall Blvd. Shortly after 7:00 PM that night, a big orange ball rose out of the water to the right of Galveston's Pleasure Pier. It really was a huge looking moon. I realized that by moving toward the "Pier" that I could put the moon in the wheel or as this photo shows "on top." Taking photos at night can be challenging because you can't see your camera settings without a flashlight. This exposure was made with a Nikon D7100 and Nikkor 200-500mm lens, Focal Length 380 {495mm in 35mm}; ISO400, f/5.6, 1/100th sec. Comments, suggestions, questions....mucho gracias! This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.