South Texas Shooters (Photography That Is!)

Happy Valentines Day to you, may your day be spent with the ones you love and who love you! many hugs and kisses! Well I will be off to the final day of the CenturyLink Classic in San Marcos. Been great softball played up there. The athletes have been awesome. It has been cold, cold, cold. But everyone has made for some heartwarming moments.
Well here are the first installment of images, many more to come. Take care and stay warm!

Love, Pete

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic, "POW"

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Day 1 CenturyLink Classic

Hi There!,

Hope you are well and the week is going good so far? I am on vacation this week and trying to figure out what to do, I have a list of things that need to be done around the house, but I skipped them today and took the camera and a friends lens for a walk around the zoo. Before I go any further, many thanks from the heart for a friend who let be borrow his lens without asking for a reference or Congressional approval. 🙂

Well on to the images. I am planning to go up the road a piece to San Marcos for a softball tournament this coming weekend, so stay tuned for some images from that event. Until the next time, take care and stay warm!
Pete

Flamingo

Grizzly Bear

Hippo

Reflections

Reflections x 2

Hello! I hope you are doing well and the past week has not been too rough on you. May the coming week be good to you and yours.

I have no big news to post on these pages. Hope to attend and capture some great photographs this coming weekend. Texas State will host a softball tournament Friday, Saturday & Sunday and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can attend and capture some great moments at the tournament. So be looking for an update soon and many photos. Somehow I have got hooked on photographing women’s fastpitch at the college level. The Bobcats (Tx State) have provided some great moments over the past few years and I have fun, I try hard to stay neutral during the games but I fail miserably at it. I guess in short I am a fan of the program and the athletes, the Head Coach is wonderful in her guidance of these ladies and I guess I have become a fan of the Coach. Well as has been said look for an update and lots of photos end of the week and during the weekend. Until then take care, stay warm and keep a smile in your heart.
Pete

Connie checking out the world this morning

"I see you"

"Where the fun is"

"Smiles"

Hello,

The first month of 2010 is closing and it was a hard month, cold weather, illness and some photography made it a month of ups and downs. The illness has past and feeling like I can do what has to be done. Cold weather is still biting at my heels but not as bad as some places I know. Photography is picking up and I am glad for this as I am glad to be here with you all.

Going to share some photos with you as is why I am here on this blog, went to Texas State alumni game on the 23rd and it was fun to photograph those ladies, also did some photos of the critters around the house which is fun also.

Hope to add a lot of photos in coming month as I hope to attend a softball tournament in the middle of the month, so look for some good action shots coming real soon. As always I thank you for stopping by to read my thoughts and to view my images. May the new month bring you good times with family, friends and those that you love. Until next time take care, stay warm and enjoy the images.
Pete

Texas State Alumni game

Making the play

Texas State vs SWT alumni game

Focus

"READY"

Waiting

CAT Scanner

"I lead the way!"

Near a month since I put words down here, hope those that come by to check it out are well and moving ahead in 2010? It has been a rocky month so far, mostly have been feeling bad from allergies. It has been the worst season so far for a lot of folks here in SOuth Texas, many people I know have been down with it and I have been hard hit. Went to the doctor at the end of last week after holding out for a while, just could not hold out anymore. Doing better this week and keeping fingers crossed that it keeps getting better. Also keeping fingers crossed that all who have been affected are doing better also.

It has been an up and down month in my emotions also, I guess being ill has a lot to do with this also. But I can not figure out which way to go some days, people perplex me even more these days than at any other time in my life, too much drama each and everyday, go to the job and here and read about drama, “who did what to whom”, “who is doing this to whom”, “why did they do that to them” and so forth! It would seem that some people thrive on this sort of thing, at one time I did also but somewhere it got out of my blood. Well enough of that dribble I have whined enough!

Not many photographs to share with you as I have not gone out and taken many, but what I have taken I will share with you as always. Please enjoy and take care and be loved, for way down deep I do care about you!

Pete

"Middle of the road"

The creek

"Those eyes"

"Sunset Selma"

"At bat"

"Downtown San Antonio"

We are into 2010 plus a day as I type here. I hope that the passing of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 were good for you with lots of friends, family and the folks you care for. I wish I could say the same for me, the passing of 2009 and the entry of 2010 were spent on the job, not the place I wanted to be at. But my distorted sense of “doing the right thing” got in the way. Sometimes I think I am from a time long ago passed, where people do the right thing, even when it hurts. Today I see and sense people who are just out for themselves, no thought of doing for others, and some of those that call themselves doing for others are in for themselves and just put on the mask. They talk a lot of talk, but do not walk the walk!

Before 2009 ran out I had on of the men that I work with tell me al kind of hype about being safety minded and doing the right thing, my closing comments to him were, “talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words!” I will be surprised and pleased if those words make a diffrence with this man, but I still hope so! Each day I see and hear a lot of retoric from folks, lots of empty words, am really tired of it and hope to stay clear of these types of folks in 2010. I hope I can fulfill this promise to me this year.

Not much photography this year (only 2 days into it). Another promise to me, is to get out and do the phtography that I want, I would like to have someone share those moments along side of me, but I find no one who is ready to meet with me on it

I hope to grace these pages with more images and less talk this year, less feeling sorry for me and more sharing life thru the lens with you. Please let me know if I stray from this path (I MEAN THIS, TELL ME, Please)!!

I have started out 2010 with a cold combined with the dreaded Mountain Ceder Allergy, doubleheader! With a little bit of luck it will pass quickly and then I can breath normarlly again.

I hope and pray that 2010 will be a better year for you and me, that this year will find more joy, peace and love for us! That our health phyiscal and mind wise be stronger. That any hardships that cross our paths be dealt with quickly, gracefully and fairly. That our lives be richer this year than in all the years past and that our hearts be open and joyful!

I share with you some of my photographs as is my way, hope they make you smile or that they let you see into my life from a distance. Until the next time, stay warm, stay safe and stay loved!

Love from me to YOU!
Pete

Looking back @ 2009

Looking foreward to 2010

Looking forward to you!

The Photographer and Bodyguard (aka Red)

Hello again,

It has been a month since I last made an entry, as I have said in other posts I am bad about making my entries recently. I have no excuses and will not bore you with any, so on to more important things.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and you were able to spend it with the ones you love and the ones who bring a smile to your heart? If Santa visited your home I hope he was good to you and yours? Santa was asked by all in my home to visit those who really needed his smile and grace, so he was asked to skip this stop this year, but I’ll get him next year!

My Christmas was spent with the good folks across the creek, my adopted family here in Texas, boy did we chow down, wonderful food and a good time all around.

I want to share something with you that happened to me on Christmas Eve day. As I was headed out to spend Christmas Eve with some close friends I went by the mail box and found that a cousin from New York had sent me a small package. Never have been good at waiting until Christmas morning I opened it and read the note my cousin had written, inside that note was another note from my aunt who passed away this year in July. Inside the note from my aunt was a very simple ring with a heart on it. This ring was made by my mother many years before I was born, when she made it she gave it to her mother (my grandmother). When my grandmother passed away many years ago, my aunt found the ring and held onto it for safe keeping, with the intent to pass it on to me. Because of military service and moving away from New York this did not occur. My aunt held on to it and wrapped it in a note before her passing. When my cousin found it after her mother’s death she passed it on to me. I will tell you that I did cry upon receiving the ring and reading both notes from my aunt Lucy and my cousin Linda. I cried because a small bit of my mother came back to me after all these years. It has been 41 years since my mother passed on and it has been 18 years since my grandmother passed. I am now closer to them, my mother, grandmother and aunt and the who Vives family today. I have not seen many of them since I have moved to Texas but they are within my heart and shall always remain there!

Thank you for taking a few moments to read this story and being part of my life. As always I shall share some of the photographs that I have taken since my last entry and hope that you enjoy them and that they make you smile.

May the coming New Year be good to you and your families, may we stay close and always be in our hearts wherever we are. I will attempt to do better with my entries here and share my photography with you more frequently. Until the next time “I love you all very much!”

Pete

"I can fly"

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!

Foggy morning

My backyard view

Good bye Santa!

I'm waiting for you to come home!

Hi Again,
Two days in a row for making entries, hopefully this a good sign! It’s back to work this afternoon after a long weekend from Thanksgiving. Went out for walk with Red who looks forward to the walks and I am closely catching up with him in enjoying the walks. I think my heart doctors would be happy to hear that I walk more also. This morning was a brisk one for south Texas, steady wind and grey skies. If this were New York I say were going to get snow, but we will get rain, needed rain. So it’s good!

I speak of responsability in the title and it stems from my walk with Red this morning. In the past ten days we have picked up a friend along the way, about a 1/2 mile down the road a small black puppy resides, when he see’s Red and I he comes out to greet and play with Red, the first few days it was kind of cute, but over the past few days I am concerned for his (Roscoe) safety. As he is a pup and low to the ground he darts around real quick and since this is on a country road where at times folks just want to test out the speed of their vehicle and damm everyone else. I have called the owners once about Roscoe and they are very nice people who came to the door and got him and took him inside, but during our walk today Roscoe runs around so excitied that he just runs across the road. I try to keep him on the shoulder but it does not work. Now I am upset because I don’t want this guy to get run over and I don’t want either dog to get huirt. The idea behind this whole thing is to get Red out for a long walk and me also. But now I have to cut the walks back in order to keep Roscoe safe. I have heard about being a responsible pet owner more than once used towards me and I think I do a fairly good job at it, but I am the head of the house not the animals and it bothers me to be told or implied that one is not responsible for his animal. I have accepted the responsibilities without question and have done so during my adult life, being responsilbe for other people and their welfare, responsible for millons of dollars of equipment, being responsible for my actions. Granted I have not always been like this, I can recall when I did not give a S### about you, them or anyone else except me. I still have spells of that from time to time but for the most part I am responsible for my actions and take responsiblity for the animals I share the house with, if I had a wife and children I would be responbile for them and their welfare. That is just the right thing to do!

I hope that the very nice people who own Roscoe take responsiblity for him and keep him secure in their yard. I know that I will curtail my walks with Red or take him someplace else. I reallly dont want to do this, as I live here also and think it is sad that I have to change because someone else will not be resonsible, but if something happens to Roscoe I will expected to take responsibility for the outcome, it is easy to put it upon someone else and blame someone else. I have gotten tired of this in others and sadly in myself.

I hope that nothing happens to Roscoe, today to get him to stop I had to pin him and scold him and given him a smack, after that he went on back to his front yard, what bugs me the most is that Ifelt bad about doing this. I am confused about this stuff. Hopefully I am doing what is right for my cats and dogs. I think I have done so in the past, it hurts to do what is right, it hurts right down deep in the heart, soul and mind, when the decison to put Mister Bronx and Miss Brooklyn to sleep I took the responsiblity and it still hurts.

Well enough of that, I hope that your week is a good one with few troubles lots of smiles and warm love! Take care until next time.

Pete

Roscoe

Red

Red butt

The Bull

Barn art

Hello again,

I hope that your Thanksgiving was a good one with plenty of family, food, fun and love! y own was spent at a co-workers and it was a good time, with plenty to eat and good time all around. I was asked to go to a couple of homes and share Thanksgiving with my adopted family here and some co-workers. It was very difficult and stressful to decide what to do. Due to the long distance between homes it would not be possible to share with all and enjoy. It would be so wrong (in my mind) to come by, sit down to eat say hi & good-bye and then leave and go to the next place. I am thankful to all the great folks that wanted to share their table and family with me. It warms the heart and shows me that I am blessed beyond anything I expected!!

I am also thankful for the animals (fur people) that share my life and I share life with them. Sometimes they get the short end of the stick, especially the days I am filled with anger, an unknown anger that at times makes me stop and stand back. I do not know where it comes from, sometimes I think it is from all that I must suck up with others, but whatever it comes from I know they catch the short end of the stick, sadly sometimes the stick. I find that when I think just a little more I find that I can beat the anger down, but there are times that it gets out first and there is nothing I can do except be sorrowful for taking it out on the fur people.Well I have lingered on this sore point long enough, so let’s move on!

I was told by my cousin that a lot of the family made it back to New York and a lot of fun and healing happened, it is so nice to hear that has happened, I hope that I can make the next get together back at home.

I am thankful this day for all the God has graced me with, the family that is great and grand. For love from my family and friends for the good job that I have and for the house which I share with the fur people. I am thankful for the ability to care, although at times I care beyond what I should about others and at times I should care more. It doesn’t make much sense to me but I do care at times too much about others and not enough about me. But I am thankful for the caring which goes both ways.

Well I have babbled enough so it is time to share some photographs with you my friends and family. Today I share the ones that give me unconditional love, I share the fur people in my life! Enjoy the photos and until the next time we meet here take care, and care, be loved and spread love, be safe and make someone safe!

Love, Peter

Miss Selma, the quiet one who has much love when we are alone.

Mister Juan Seguin, who's purring is powered by a Cummings Diesel engine.

Miss Converse aka Connie, who's love is true and without limitations.

Mister Red, who gives love without question, thought or any other hindurance. There is a person within him! This I am sure!

Going for it!

A post cat

Seguin remakes the "Cat on a hot tin roof"

Red's first visit to the creek, he had a blast. Making bubbles in this photo

Shaking it off!

"Who let the dawg's out?" Red and I ( a self portrtait)

Hello and thank you for being here with me. It has been nearly a month since my last entry here, besides being lazy and not wishing to bore you with things that are not fixable I just did not write or add photos for the past 28 days.

In the last post I wrote of being near the end of the line and sometimes feel as if I have not gotten off that bus and transferred to a crosstown bus. Enough of that! All in all things are going OK around here, I have been trying to take daily walks with Mister Red for an hour a day. He has grown and is still growing, the cats are still working towards a friendship (I hope) with him! He has been to the vet and is healthy with all shots and is now fixed (not broken before). He still angers me with chewing on stuff, lost three pillows a couple pair of shoes, countless socks and an arm rest on a sofa, sort of sounds like a Christmas Carol!

The holidays fast approach, a great time of the year, thinking of past holidays spent with family and friends. Going to my uncle’s house on Long Island with my grandma, sitting down to a wonderful meal, lot’s of food, pasta’s, turkey, dressing all kinds of stuff. This time of year is losing it’s meaning to me, I see that over the past few years I do not get excited around the holidays as I once did, do not know why this has happened and sure wish that it would stop and go away. But I must take the time to be very thankful for all that I have and have been given over my lifetime. I should not ask for more I am very lucky and would like to thank all that have made life good towards me! My thanks for all that you have done. May this holiday season bring you all much life, love, hugs, fond memories and plenty of smiles to fill a million hearts!

Well I have been taking photos when I go on walks with Red and will share some of them with you today and in the days to come. If you have Facebook you can look me up and see them on my photo page, just look for the album named “A walk in the country”. But for now I share some with you here. Untill the next time stay safe, stay happy and stay loved!

Love Ya!
Peter

My walking companion, Mister Red.

Country road

The "T" in the road

Some neighbors down the road

Texas Ranch Land

I see you!

More neighbors

Texas road

Old Sign

Old Sign ver 2

Looking out for you!