HFF

What a fun and interesting picture, Keith! Cool reflections, fun leading lines and super details all over the image. The tire swing pullllllllls at me! I do remember many happy days not on a tire swing but on a rope swing over the Russian River and taking off from the steep bank and then letting go to SPLASHHHHH!!!! into the water! Such fun!! Heh, the shallow water here would never work for a proper dunking! :) (My older brother learned a life-changing lesson about making sure the water is deep enough...one beginning summer day at the turn of June Scott and his friends put the rope swing up and Scott was the first to go... *sigh* He broke his leg so badly he was in a cast all summer long and it actually changed who he was...his lowered confidence and removal of the devil may care swagger was such a drag. :( He did recover of course but his leg ached in the winter time if I remember rightly.

Interesting to read about the drowning, that's very sad. :( It's still quite a super looking place though!

Thanks so much for your lavish compliments on my last couple of presentations. You always make me feel like a superstar. *peck on the cheek* Glad you appreciated the orchid pictures, that type really NEEDS two pictures per flower: one for the whole orchid and then a close-up to properly appreciate it. I'm really happy my Sony bridge camera handles close-ups very well too!

You wondered if my photography seemed more diverse this past year...heh...of course!! Travel photography means a much lower percentage of macro and it's been so nice to have the opportunity to spread my wings and take a wide scope of pictures. I would actually like to add astral and slow-shutter speed pictures too. Now that Steve and I will be spending a lot more time at each place we visit, we'll have the opportunity to fool around with time-consuming photography which requires a lot of thought, practice and understanding.

I know I go into more detail about the truck and trailer than perhaps people care about but I figure that some folks are interested and it's so cool that you are following along without falling asleep in your soup! :D Heh... and yes, the whole RV and truck ordeal IS a totally shocking money pit. In one way it's been a good thing. I've had to ok about a zillion purchases of this and that for the truck and trailer and finally I've become used to the fact that we need to spend the coin to make things right. Having a unbudging, white-fisted grip on the purse strings has been the source of many arguments and getting totally upset for days, so it's been very relieving to have finally relaxed about every nickel and dime pouring out of the house in a torrent.

Re: the comments on my latest pictures...*beam* I'm so glad you enjoyed the panorama of Lost Creek Lake! Panos can certainly give a really nice impression a big view like that. Your comment about the huge oak tree were great. When I was taking the picture I was pretty positive it was the same tree and hopefully the same angle as my previous picture and though it's a slight bit off in position, I was totally tickled to have collected both a "spring" and "fall" version of that magnificent, glorious tree. You just gotta love the beautiful shapes of trees...and you for one, know exactly what I mean about that--having seen so many of your beautiful tree pictures and remembering how you love them so. :) *high five to my big brother* :)

LOL, yay, you loved the maple "bats"! I just LOVE THEM! I spent about 20 minutes at least, just staring at these guys, looking at the light, moving this way and that to get different effects. In all I think I have four to share from the pictures I took. And, since you love these cool seeds as much as I do, here's more to share, and aren't they fun! :D FLY LITTLE GUYS, FLY!! :D
www.ipernity.com/search/photo?w=290645&q=maple+bat

And finally, thanks too for the comments about our campsite picture--gosh it was so nice to be there. I'll be sharing a picture taken just outside our coach there with this incredible dappled light through the trees...anyway, it was a wonderful place! It was a perfect place to give our RV a test run and it just ROCKED! :)

I hope you have a lovely rest of your weekend too, Keith, and do say hello to your wife for me--have her give you some proper hugs from me! :)

Thanks Carol...............it's a lovely place and very popular with families in the summer. There is a huge village green just to the right of this view and it's well used.

The rope swing gets used by children..............and sometimes the adults that have recently been in the pub! That always makes for interesting viewing :-)

Thanks for your generous and kind comments Janet and it's a pleasure to look at and comment on your photos and stories.

Just coming to the last of bit of the weekend - it's 5pm on Sunday here - not that it makes much difference to us retired folk. It's been pretty grey and gloomy so we haven't been out much.

I'll pass on your hello and other instructions to my wife :-))

Belated HFF to this glorious scene, Keith. It is very lovely...the light, the ripples and reflections...and the tyre just waiting to be swung in!
Enjoy your week!