Flapjack

Flapjack, originally uploaded by peteg.

Waco, TX

Waco, originally uploaded by peteg.

Waco, originally uploaded by peteg.

Wild West, originally uploaded by peteg.

Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane, Australia, originally uploaded by peteg.

XXX xxx

XXX, originally uploaded by peteg.

Tar

Tar, originally uploaded by peteg.

Queen Street, Brisbane, Australia @ Night

Sushi, originally uploaded by peteg.

Restaurants in Brisbane tend to be open to the street.

Queen Street @ Night, originally uploaded by peteg.

The Dirty Sea

The Dirty Sea, originally uploaded by peteg.

The Dalmation was actually a Dal-mutt-ion, an awesome mix of Cocker Spaniel and Dalmation. He was really cute, and although quite confident, his odd appearance made him seem goofy.

I am not beyond using a song title for a photo title, but you won't get me to post the lyrics. You can google those.

Kangaroos

Kangaroos, originally uploaded by peteg.

Not Texas, Australia...in case you were wondering.

Traffic in Downtown Fort Worth

Traffic in Downtown Fort Worth, originally uploaded by peteg.

crips

crips, originally uploaded by peteg.

Shorthorn

Shorthorn, originally uploaded by peteg.

State of Origin

State of Origin, originally uploaded by peteg.

State of Origin is a Rugby League 3 match series held every year in Australia.. All stars for their respective birth states in New South Wales and Queensland battle it out for bragging rights.

We were there for the first match in the series, which was held in Brisbane. Maroon (Queensland) won 25-18, making a spectacular comeback in the 2nd half when they were down 6-18. Brisbane was awash in maroon...men and women sported jerseys, pubs served maroon beer and our hotel lobby projected the match on the wall. We watched the first half at a pub, which evidently was the wrong pub; everybody was wearing blue and cheering for New South Wales.

Giant Sam Houston Will Mosh You Away

The Head of Sam Houston, originally uploaded by peteg.

About an hour north of Houston in I-45 is a giant statue of Sam Houston. This is the backup head, just in case, you know....

Giant Sam Houston will mosh you away, originally uploaded by peteg.

For Scale, originally uploaded by peteg.

Houston

Houston, originally uploaded by peteg.

So, my dear and dedicated readers, I have many more Brisbane, Australia photos to post...should I keep going with that, or are we in the mood for some Texas?

Hats are compulsory

Hats are compulsory, originally uploaded by peteg.

Australian school children are required to wear brimmed hats as part of their school uniforms. Australia has the highest skin cancer rate in the world, in part because of the depleted ozone layer over the continent. Think of these kids and their hats the next time you gas up your SUV, or you get a great bargain on some Chinese made goods.

Ice Cold Shiner

Ice Cold Shiner, originally uploaded by peteg.

The beer at Riscky's BBQ is so cold ice crystals form at the top of the mug

LaGrave Field

LaGrave Field, originally uploaded by peteg.

We caught the third to last Fort Worth Cats game of the season last night. LaGrave field is a really nice ballpark with views of the levee and riverside to the east and downtown to the south. The Cats were taking a beating by the 4th inning. That and the heat prompted us to bail out around the 4th inning. It was a beautiful night so we went driving with the windows down and the sun roof open. Driving along the Trinity River near 7th street we saw fireflies flashing in the night. We've never seen fireflies before, so we pulled over, killed the lights and watched the majickal critters dance in the warm evening air.

I love them

Koala, originally uploaded by peteg.

Koala, originally uploaded by peteg.

I love them.

Ibis

Ibis, originally uploaded by peteg.

Ibis, originally uploaded by peteg.

Ibis with pigeon homies, originally uploaded by peteg.

This freaky looking dinosaur-monster is actually an Ibis. They are almost as common in Australia as pigeons and room the streets, eating refuse and scraps. Although generally friendly, even a bit shy, it was somewhat disconcerting to have such a big bird casually lurking about the busy human world.

What if Main Street, Fort Worth was like this?

Queen Street, Brisbane, Australia, originally uploaded by peteg.

Queen Street, Brisbane, Australia, originally uploaded by peteg.

Queen Street, Brisbane, Australia, originally uploaded by peteg.

Queen Street, Brisbane, Australia, originally uploaded by peteg.

What if Main Street in Fort Worth was closed off like this? How wonderful and open it would be? There is an idea that people don't want to walk in Texas because it is too hot, but it's hot in Australia too. Queen Street is closed off the vehicular traffic, making it the central walkway through the CBD (central business district). Our hotel was on Queen St., and I spent hours there people watching and shooting photographs.