It seems like I'm in the minority here with a really bad dial-up connection. Even when the Standout Plant thread was only 5 replies long, after 20 minutes it still hadn't finished loading. I appreciate all the thoughtful replies and have noticed the increased use of thumbnails which helps a lot. They may not show the full glory, but give a hint and allow me to choose what to view full-size. I think the trick to using a Gallery is twofold: if you know you're about to start a photo-heavy thread, post the photo(s) first in gallery using the same subject you'll use in the discussion side (or something close, e.g., "My Standout Plant"), then cut & paste a link to that gallery thread on the discussion thread using the Optional Link URL. I also hang out on the Cottage forum which does have a gallery, and what seems to work well is to post one pic in a conversation or discussion thread, but for something like "my vacation" or "our renovation" use the gallery. Just for kicks, I opened Standout Plant, now at 40 replies, with nothing else accessing the internet, as I wrote this offline at a low-use time of day on my ISP server. Took 45 minutes to see all that inspiration. Yes terrene, that Mozilla tip is great. On old computer I had Opera which had a convenient 'Show Images' toggle on the toolbar. On new laptop, I use Mozilla's Firefox, hadn't yet found that option (Tools-Options-Content-Load Images) Thanks! It'll take a few more clicks to turn off and on, but will allow me to keep up with what's going on. Meanwhile, it really helps when posters include a brief description of their photo in the text portion. Thanks to everyone for keeping the overhead size of pix in mind, Ana

I did suggest a gallery for us. But it was a suggestion that we use the conversation side since it wasn't being used much. Otherwise, writing to the powers to be is needed. We can still use our conversation side and make sure a post is titled kitchens, a color, furniture, etc. On the Home Decorating Forum they have a unique gal that posts most of the pics. She does a great job and enjoys hearing from those who have used her photos as inspiration. The one issue she may have is a lot of the photos are from magazines and not sure about copy rights. We really only need to start posts on design subjects and insert our photos to get going. Before and afters would be great too. I sure have a lot of those. And I also think it is fine to keep conversations going too and mix the two subjects. We are still a "small" group. Lately the posts have become really long. We probably need to think beyond and post a new subject if a current title starts getting off original subject. Sometimes it is hard to be the one to make the first post, I know I'm always a bit hesitant....like the Ghost STories. Which were fun, but no one knows they are there unless reading "way" down.

MA, Just some additional insight about the situation...When we get into interesting conversations on the main Kitchens forum that wander away from the nuts and bolts of putting a kitchen together, it often gets moved, by those Powers That Be, to the Conversations section. The discussion you and I were both in about milling grain a few months ago got moved there. So if you lose track of a thread, you might have to hunt it down in Conversations.

Funnelweb, I like your approach! We have a similar attitude. I remember a few years ago we had a snake in the backyard. I only saw it partially once in the old chook shed as it scuttled away very quickly. I thought "god what the heck is that" and then figured it must have been a blue tongue as we had quite a few of those. Then one day my son's school friend was here and they got a good look at it. The friend was all for killing it as he used to live on acreage down around Berry and reckoned that when it gets to breeding season they (snakes) get agressive.. but I reckoned it wasn't doing anyone any harm and indeed it had only even been seen the once, and frankly, I'm flattered it likes our place, so I issued a protection order for it. we have some frogs and some water and the old chook shed has a nice northerly facing concrete floor and stuff in it to hide under. Sounds like pretty good snake apartments really! There used to be an aviary and chooks in nearby yards, and these attracted the mice, but those are gone, so the food supply may not be what it once was, and I don't think snakey is till around. I have been doing a project re family photos recently and had a disappointment. We have an old family story about my grandfather walking along and stepping in a taipan which was curled up asleep minding its own business in the long grass. Snake jumped up into the air in fright. Granfather jumped up into the air in fright.. the family story went that snake went one way, grandfather the other.. but then going through my mothers photo album, there's a photo of my grandfather holding up a dead snake. Mum says, yeah, that IS the snake from the story. .... sniff... I liked that story better when I thought the snake lived to tell the tale. As far as I know the only fauna permanently living in the old chook shed at the moment is a rather large and impressive red back. When I found her she was a beautiful specimen. Red backs made excellent pets. They are quiet, timid and provide food for blue tongues. Sure you don't want to go sticking your finger in their gob, but I reckon that's about what you'd need to do to rile one up.. and im our experience the red backs aren't stupid, they do their best to choose places you don't interfere with too much and set up their web out of the way there. They are lovely little creatures.