A Welcome Visitor

Hiiii Sweetie!!! Oh, YAY … so glad you dropped by and liked this one!!! Hugzzz!!!

Hello, hello Jesika!!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!!!

Well, hello dear boy!!!!!!! Lovely, lovely to see you!!!!!! Thank you so much for stopping by … glad you liked this one!!! Hugzz!!!

Jan!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! You’re here!!!! YAY!!!! How are you??? So glad you liked this one … and oooo … shooting in a butterfly conservatory … what FUN!!!!!!!!!! So you say you need someone to help out??? Carry your bags??? Bring your coffee??? _blink*blink

Rebecca!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!

Thank you so much for your lovely note, Cee!!! Always appreciated!!!

Thank you, dear Wynnie!!!!!! Hugzzz!!!!

Many thanks, Alixandra … so happy that you liked it!!

Hey, Gorgeous!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!

Hey Jason!!!!! Thank you … I LOVE snapping these guys on a summer’s evening … it’s my idea of heaven!!!!

Thank you, Diane!!!!!! So glad you enjoyed it!!!!!!

Thanks so much, Dave … the trick is the slanting light … either morning or evening. I shot zillions of butterfly and bug shots last year and was beginning to despair that I wouldn’t see any at all this summer. I’ll take the mosquito bites on my legs (ouch … lots!!) if I can have my butterflies any old time!!!!! I don’t get a huge variety, but the ones who come are very welcome!!!!

Hi Felicity!!!!! Thank you so much!!!

Nancy!!! Hello, Hello!!!! Thank you so much!!!!

Thank you so much, my friend … I know you love our butterfly friends as much as I do!!!!! Your kind note means a lot!!

Eric … thank you so much … I’m honored!!!!! And yes, the bottom line on that lens is you can’t have your ap open too far. I was shooting at about f/5.6 and that’s just not going to work. The f/11.0 does the trick. EVEN on spot metering!!!! In the old days with the D40x, I would shoot insects on shutter priority to get the wing action, if possible. But with the D300 I’ve been working on shooting in manual … and NOT getting the ap right. So .. it’s all a learning process … _{especially for little me, lol}

Hello dear Carolyn!!!!! Thank you sooo much!!!! I had to “paint” the petals … they’re such a mess from the Japanese Beetles and the other munchers … so I was thinking of you when I was prettying them up, lol!!! So glad you stopped by!!

Hiiii Trena!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!! So glad you liked it!!! hugzz!!

Carolyn!!!!!! Hello, hello darling girl!!! Thank you so much!!!!! Hugzz!!

Hi Yolande!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

Hello dear Gilberte!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

Hi Karon!!!!! thank you so much, sweetie!!! Yes, I was sooo excited!!! We had so many butterflies and moths last summer … and there’s been just nothing this year … finally yesterday they seem to have returned!!!! YAY!!!!

Oh, Bill darling … how I love that quote!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

thank you so much … I’m honored!!!!!

thank you very much!!!!!

Detlef!!!!! HAHAHA!!!! you DARLING!!! Oh, how I’ve missed you!!!!!! Yes, there are some unwelcome visitors … we have a lot of mosquitoes (I counted 8 big itchy bites on my legs last night after shooting!) ... and I’m not crazy about the way the Japanese Beetles chew the poor flower petals to shreds … but the butterflies are always welcome … as are you!!!!!!!! Happy, happy hugzzz!!!!!

Hi Michael!!!!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!!!! I was having some problems with the lens on the new camera, but everything’s working fine now!!!! So glad you think I got it right, lol!!!!! Hugzz!!

Hi Dee … oh I am sorry to hear your petals went nasty too … but thank heavens for Photoshop, right?? LOL!!! And yes, when the butterflies left last year, I think I went into withdrawal for a couple of months!!! When I didn’t see them this year … I was heartbroken!!!!! My neighbor has a butteffly bush and I thought maybe she had them all, lol!!!!

thanks, sweetie … thank heavens that lens issue was only the new buttons and such!!!!!! WHEW!!!!! I’d hate to miss playing with my butterflies all summer!!!!!!

Hi Henk!!!!!! Thank you!!!! Aren’t they just the most wonderful creatures!!!!

Hey Donna!!!! Thank you!!!! So glad you liked this one!!!!

Hey Ric!!!!! Oh, a “cracker” ... LOVE that!!!!!! Thanks so so much!!!

Hi Faizee!!! Thank you!!!

Hi Ralph!!! Thank you so much!!!!!

Thank you so much, Angel!!!!!

Hi Gina!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!

Oh, Kim, thank you so much!!!!

Hiiii Maggie!!!! Thank you so much … yep … I’d been shooting last week with this lens and was soooo disappointed … but I knew there was nothing wrong with it. I’m so glad I figured out what was going on!!!!

Hiiii sweetie!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

Elisa, I’m so happy that you like this one!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!

Thanks, Trudy!!!!!

LOL!!!!! Thank you Renee!!!! I’m so happy to see them again!! WHEW!!!! As to aborting your mission, nope!!!! LOL!!!!

Hi Leonard … thank you so much … so glad you enjoyed this one!!!!

Lori!!!! Hiiiii hon!!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!!

Thank you so much, Clare!!!!

Steve thanks soooooooo much!!!!!!! Hugzz!!!

Thanks so much, Ann, hon!!!

Thanks so much, Irene .. .Mother Nature really knows her stuff, doesn’t she???

Hi Rose!!!!! Thank you so much, sweetie!!!

Daniel, thank you … I was having a bit of trouble with this lens and it’s my favorite butterfly lens … figured it out … whew … so I’m so glad you liked this one!!!!

Oh, thank you so much, Nadine … I’m giving all the credit to the camera … and … well … the fact that I finally got a butterfly visitor, lol!!!

Hi Luda!!! Thank you!!!! Yes, I sure am having fun with it!!!!

You too???? Wow … I wonder what’s going on!!!!! Still not nearly as many here as last year either … I was just in the garden all morning (shooting toads again, lol) and didn’t see a single one!!!

Hey Sandy … thank you, sweetie!!! So you’re waiting for them, too!!!!!! Heavens … what’s going on???

Hiiii Anna!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!!!!! Hope you’re well and happy!!! Wonderful to “see” you!!!!! Hugzzz!!!

Hi Michael!!!! Thank you, hon!!

Thank you so much, Colleen!!!!!! I appreciate your visit and kind note so much!!

Thank you!!!!!

Thank you so much … I appreciate your visit and kind note … and of course the fave!!! Much appreciated!!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

hiiiiii Mike, hon!!!!!! Thank you!!! You know, I think the time we spent at Caledonia was maybe the second time since I’ve been shooting that I used a tripod with a vr lens. Most of the time I’m using my 60mm indoors when I’m tripodding it … and it doesn’t have vr. So I’ll be sure and _try! to keep it in mind!!!!

Hi tracy … thank you so mch!!!

Hi sweetie!!! Thank you!!! I was having such a problem with this lens … I’m so glad it got worked out and that you like the detail … that’s always so important to me!!!

Hiii Bela!!! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much, Shaun!!!!! I’m so glad to hear you think so!!!!

Thank you so much for your kind not!!!! I appreciate it very much!!!

Darling Rod … you can type at me whenever you like!!! I’m always interested in the pearls of wisdom that you drop .. you know I am!!!! I read your note briefly last night but was much too sleepy to respond properly. I want to re read and answer today!!! Thank you so much for visiting this particular image … as you can see I was getting a bit worried that i’d gained a camera but lost a beloved lens, lol!!!!! WHEW!!!!!

Lina, honestly there’s a trick to it. You have to wait and see what flower they visit, then sit nearby and wait … they always come back!!!!! Also … worse case … bring along some banana and schmear it on something. They love that stuff!!

OH OH!!!! Anne-Marie!!!!! Oh, THANK you sooo much!!!!! WHEEEE!!!!!! This is sooo exciting!!!!! Thank you … and your fellow hosts … sooooo much!!!!! Happy hugzzz!!!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Tossing confetti and red shoes in the air!!!! Thank you, sweetie pie, for letting me know!!!! YAY!!!!

Hiiiiii Barbara!!!!!!!! Thank you sweetie … if there’s one thing I’m not, it’s shy about asking questions, lol!!!! I don’t mind being stoopid if it means I might GET SMART!! That lens had me STUMPED … I knew there was nothing wrong with it … worked fine on the other camera … there just had to be something goofy. In addition to the metering, the important part was the aperture setting. Since I usually shoot butterflies and birds (with this lens) on shutter priority to get wing action if I can, the ap has been set by the camera automatically all this time. With the new camera I’ve been working hard on my manual skills … plus wanted a short, tight dof so any flowers or what-have-you in the background would be just fuzz. Hence the 5.6 ap on the shots that weren’t working. Now that I have both those things figured out, the lens is behaving beautifully again. I know it’s not a top of the line lens, but I think it does well.

Hello dear Tom!!!!! Thank you so much for your lovely note on this image … and I am truly, truly honored to be on your “watchlist” ... I’ll do my very, very best not to disappoint you!!!! I do spit out an occasional klunker, but I hope they’re getting fewer and farther between, lol!!!!! Thank you again!!!!

Karen, you darling, you’ve got me blushing!!!!!!! Thank you so much, sweetie … this image represents a huge relief … I thought something had happened to my 70-300 lens … but all is now well as this shot shows!! WHEW!!! Hey … does this mean your computer is okay now???

Hey Trish … thank you so much!!!!!!! So glad you like this one!!!!

So so glad your computer is back up and running … when mine goes out I practically hyperventilate until my fingers can tickle its keys again and all is right with the world. You’ve got a new Epson?? OOOO baby … I’m hearing they are the ones to get to start printing your own images … WHEEEEE!!! Sooo excited for you!!!! But having problems Get on the phone with the reps. You might be right about the paper, by the way … good luck getting it all resolved, hon!!!!!!

Hello Simone!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!

Hello Dragan!!!!! Thank you … so glad you liked it!!

LOL!!!! Get a bottle of beer or a glass of wine!!!!!! (in which case you should be using your tripod, of course!)

well, babes, looks like you’re doomed to a butterfly-image-free lifetime, then. LOL!!!!

DJ!!!!!!!! Aww .. thank you sweetheart!!!!!! Sooo happy to seeeee you!!!! Hugzzz!!!

Hiiiii darlingzzzz!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!

_laughing I can’t wait!!!!

Hi Melanie!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

Steven thank you so much!!!!!!

Hiiii Mike!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!

Hi Richard, dear!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

Thank you!!!!!!! I soooo love the little butterflies and moths who come to visit!!!!!

thank you!!!! so glad you enjoyed it!!!!

Hi Mark!!!!! Thank you!!!

Hi Michael!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

Hi Angie!!!! Thank you so much!!!

Thanks so much, Poopsie!!!!!! Hugzz!!

Hi Cheri … thank you!!!!!

LOL!!! Well you know I DO love my butterflies!!!!!!! My computer is FILLED with them!!!!!!

Thank you so much!!!!!! So glad you enjoyed this one!!!

Thank you so much, Rachel!!!!!