Say "Cheese"! OK, then "Nuts"!

This squirrel seemed to enjoy having his photo taken while we were on a walk the other day. 

 

Rubber necking

This giraffe spends all day checking out the traffic on West Sixth. He's a sight to see, that's for sure!

Turtle takes his ease

This turtle found a nice spot on a limb where he was catching some sun the other day.

Cat under attack

As we walked through West Austin the other day, we saw this orange cat being attacked by both blue jays and mockingbirds.We don't know what transgressions he had done, but he was hiding in this hedge while the birds squawked around him.

What's going on?

This squirrel was on a precarious perch over the construction on the Shoal Creek Trail the other day. He didn't know quite what to make of it all.

Anywhere he wants to

Linda has found a new pal. This big guy was outside the curiosity shop on West Sixth.

Eminent domain

This peacock was surveying his domain the other day. Note Linda's hand at the bottom. I got mine posted first!

Tough sledding

The torrential rains that we had Wednesday night and Thursday morning made for a strong current in Lady Bird Lake.  This group of ducks was doing its best to swim upstream. They weren't making much progress, but they were gamely trying.

Geraldine Goes Forth

Geraldine, the Rainey Street peahen, takes a look at herself in a handy bumper. She is the unofficial pet of the neighborhood.

Urban Pig

Saw this fellow on a stroll on Second Street Wednesday. I bet he doesn't run with the dogs! He seemed quite regal and self-possessed like he was the only pet pig around.

Mama and baby get warm and fuzzy

Austin's insatiable appetite for runs/walks/trots on weekend mornings must be satisfied! This Saturday we had a Gorilla Run for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund. Here is a mama simian with her offspring.

Armadillo Met His Maker

This guy met his maker in Travis Heights. He wasn't very big. Some people passing by speculated that he was a possum but he is, of course, a nine-banded armadillo.

Four goose morning

These quackers were strutting around the shore of Lady Bird Lake a few days ago. I guess they thought I had some food for them. I like the guy who his poking his head over the embankment.

FFP's Moment in Time

Yesterday, Linda outlined the "rules of the game" that we were playing on Sunday morning for the New York Times' Lens Blog project. At 10:03 our time (they gave you leeway for a few minutes either side of 10:00), I was standing to the west of Linda and snapped this shot of a pet dog emerging from Lady Bird Lake after retrieving a tennis ball his master had thrown into the water. Unfortunately, he dropped the ball just before I could get my lens to open--it is hidden behind him. But the shot does show a nice contrast of our natural and man-made environments in the center of our city. They had a "play" category, so that is where I submitted this one. From what I read, they received over 10,000 shots in short order and who knows when they'll be able to get all of them posted.

These headlines keep me in stitches

This vet clinic has had clever advertising for many years. Here's their latest sign. I shot this one on a recent walk we took around West Austin. Actually, this place is just south of an apartment house I lived in almost forty years ago.

Deer Dining in the Back Yard

We had a Fourth of July dinner with friends at their Northwest Hills home last night and we were treated to the sight of these "pets" of theirs. The deer population along the greenbelt behind their home is pretty ample, as you can see. There were at least three generations lining up for carrots. Here you see grandma checking the freshness of the comestibles.