Ooooo....nothing gets me more excited than new photo equipment that I don't have to buy :) What lens did you get if you don't mind me asking? I'm jealous. I love the shot! Rhonda

Thank you all for the kind comments :) This camera is certainly going to open up a whole new world for me come spring when everything wakes back up and I can document a full season's growth. @McTavish - Your photo documentaries are what I hope to achieve in the years to come. It is so nice to be able to see the hostas as each year passes. Certainly takes some diligence to keep up with all the documentation, let alone the uploading of pics, labeling, organizing and such. I figure if I take a plethora of pics all throughout the growing season I can spend the cold winter months warm inside organizing all the photos and reminding myself of the beauty to come when spring emerges, right ? @Phil � I remember from earlier in the year you had posted stating that we were in the same zone. I live 13 miles north of Philadelphia proper, technically zone 6b by USDA. It seems we were 6a a couple of years ago but the zones got changed ? I haven�t put that much research into the matter so I am unable to confirm anything. But I do know that we either get winter real early and it gets cold overnight . . . or we have fall like we are this year and the temps gradually decrease. But like I said, it is 10/22/2012 and it is only getting down to 48 degrees tonight. I checked weather.com for the monthly average and it doesn't have us getting a good consistent freeze until early November. I still have daffodil and hyacinthoides bulbs to plant but I want to wait until a day or two after the first frost. It is nice though when you have a slow cooling. The trees don't drop overnight and you can watch everything slowly color up. We are having some marvelous maple displays this year. The bright reds and yellows on decades-old trees will always captivate no matter how much you've seen them. :) So sad to think about not having anything to play with outside here come a month. Makes me look forward to the alphabet even more (especially since I can contribute). Thanks again :) Ludi

Wow, that windmill looks fantastic! The Zinnias filling the frame are a great summertime shot. At least the girl in the swing photo can't complain about your perspective there.

Good evening... The cat tails (they really do look like cat tails!!) are actually seed heads from pearl millet. A forage/hay crop I plant on the ranch. I planted some along the edge of my garden, just for kicks. The birds love the stuff. The lens is a Phoenix. The information states it is a preset lens, 11.7" long weighing 22.6 oz. It is a monster. There is a mount located on the first 1/3 of the lens for tri or mono pod use. Which is almost a must as the slightest quiver results in blurr. It came with the correct mounting ring for my d40x (which makes the overall length just over 12"). I'm hoping to get some closer shots of the deer, turkey, and wild hogs that run around the ranch.