Garden Greetings

Awww Trudy!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!! These guys are my favorites to snap … I waited all winter and half the summer for their return!!! So glad you enjoyed it!!!

Hey Chuck!!!!!!! Hello, hello, hellooooo!!!!! How wonderful to hear from you!!!!!!! And thank you so much for your lovely note!!!! Hope all is well with you and your dear family and that the summer has been a beautiful one!!!!! Hugzzz!!!!

Hello, hello, Irene!!!!! Thank you so much!!!

Hi Tara!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!

Dear Steve … I’m hanging my head in shame here … I haven’t even had the camera out in days!!!!! I bought the “Magic Lantern” booklet the other day and have been furiously studying it … hoping to understand things a bit better!!! Keep also hoping to get out in the early evening for some shots in the garden and we’ve had thunder storms on the nights when I haven’t been cooped up in the kitchen, cooking!!! LOL!!!! But fear not … I’ll make a whiz bang of an experiment out of this!!!!!!

OOO … Bill!!!!!! I LOVE that!!!!! Will try it and let you know how it works, lol!!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!!

Thank you so much, David!!!!!! How kind of you!!

OOOO!!! Clever Carolyn!!!!! You noticed my painting of the petals, didn’t you!!!! Oh, they were such a mess … all raggedy and black and bitten up by the chomping bugs!!! But I’m not really complaining … I LOVE to paint … so it just gives me an excuse to have even more fun!!!!!

LOL!!!! Thank you, Leslie!!!

thank you, sweetheart!!!!! Oh, if I had any more fun, they’d probably find a way to TAX me for it!!! ROFL ROFL!!!!

thank you so much, Linda!!!

Awww, Maggie, me darlin’!!!!!! Many thanks!!!!!! Hugzz!!!

thank you so much!!!

Hi Maureen!!!!!! Thank you!!!

Hello, my darling Butterfly-Buddy!!!! I don’t get much variety in species here … so I have to pose these guys differently and use the light differently to get any variety!!! LOL!!! So glad you enjoyed my efforts!!!

Thanks so much, Dave … I think one of the key ingredients to a good “bug” shot is the background. I did a series the other day with a grasshopper and the 60mm … still in the camera. He was pretty sedentary as opposed to a flighty butterfly, so I thought I could get some decent close-in detail shots and wasn’t worried about an interesting dof. But for the butterflies, that 70-300mm is the way to go, as far as I’m concerned!!!! I have a slightly lighter version of this one that brings the background up better .. you have no idea how I struggled over which one to post!!! Decisions, decisions, lol!!!!!

Hiiii Elisa!!!!! Thank you, sweetie!!!! Yes, unless the weather turns ugly, I do plan to be there … probably won’t make it for breakfast, though, so will probably meet the group in the parking of the restaurant I guess. Where are you planning to meet up with everyone??

Thanks so much, Curtiss!!!!!

Hi Trena!!!!! Thank you!!!!

thank you so much!!!

So glad you enjoyed it … thank you!!

Hi Lori … thank you, sweetie!!!

Awww, Eric … thank you, hon!!!!!

Dee … you know exactly what I’m talking about, then!!!!!! I’m not complaining, tho, because I love to “paint” them … such fun!!! But an out of the box “as is” is impossible unless you’re content with … ahhh … er … a gunky shot!!! LOL!!!

LOL!!!! THANK you!!!!!

Hi Tom!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

Hi sweetie!!! Thank you!!! OOO … I have a funny story for you … the other day as I got into my car a pretty little butterfly hopped onto the hood. He walked over to the round windshield washer squirtie thing and started dancing around it … of course I had my camera … and started snapping immediately … I’ll probably make a collage of the dance … it was hilarious … I have no idea what the butterfly thought the squirty thing was, but he seemed to be very curious about it!!!!!

Thank you very much, Gary!!!! I’m so glad you liked it!!

Thanks, Bela!!!!!!!

Hi Arvy!!!! Thank you so much, my friend!!! Yes, the pesticides are trouble for the good bugs as well as the bad … if you love butterflies and bumble bees … AND flowers … you have to make a choice, lol!!!!!

Thanks, Evita!!!!! I do love these guys!!!!!

Karl, you’ve got me laughing here … last week the lawn dude came by and I came roaring out of the house to make sure he wasn’t spraying insecticides. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind until I explained. Fortunately, he was only squirting weed stuff!!!! Bless his heart … you can tell the head office what you want a million times, but unless you get the guy with the boots, you never really know what’ll happen!!!!

thank you, Rick!!

LOL!!! it was pretty funny!!

Hi Deborah!!! Thank you so much!!!

Andrei … thank you so much!!!

Hello, hello Ray!!!!!! Thank you … and I’m so glad you’re finally getting summertime!!!!! Bust out the flip flops, the Bermuda shorts and the beer!!!!! WHEEE!!!!

Hi Tracey!!!! Thank you!!

Thanks, Lori!!!!!!

thanks so much, dear Detlef … you just can’t beat that late day light!!!

Thanks so much!!! Hugzzz!!!

Hiiiiii Clark!!!!!!!! Oh, thank you!!!!! Bless your heart …. i see so many beautiful butterfly images here … and the critters are so varied and unusual … we basically have this guy and two others … so I fell kind of funny uploading shot after shot of the same brand, lol!!!! (not brand … species??? Genre??? Whatever!!!) ... And I’m sorry … but glad … to hear you have munch marks on your flowers, too, lol!!!!!! Oh, well, it’s just another excuse to do some “painting” ... wheeeee!!!!

Thanks sweetie!!!!! I have a slightly lighter version … you should have seen the bullets I sweat over deciding which one to upload, lol!!!!

_laughing yeah, I know. And if we can get photoshop to work on his greenfly, maybe we can get it to work on our wrinkles next????

... well … MY wrinkles anyway, lol!!!!

Thank you, Gina!!!!!

Thank you, sweetie!!!!!

Bambino!!!!!! hello, hello my darling boy!!!!!!!!!! how the heck are ya????? OOO … so glad you enjoyed this one!!!!! I must pop over and see what you’ve been up to lately!!!!! I haven’t seen anything come thru on my feed …

naaaah … you’re still a spring chicken, kiddo!!!!!

Hi Shaun!!!!! Thank you!!!!! I do get lost, but probably not in the sense you mean, lol!!!! I’ve been meaning to get out there and get some landscape-like shots while everything is in bloom!!!

Thanks, Tibby … this shoot must have been pretty funny to anyone watching … Trying so hard not to step on any of the flowers (or frogs?) ... while trying to catch fun angles of the butterfly!!!! I do enjoy them so much!!!!

Thanks so much, Jennifer … I pay the price though .. it’s been very very wet here, last summer and this one … and the mosquitoes are an incredible nuisance. Those guys LOVE me!!! LOL!!! The price I have to pay for pretty butterfly friends!!!

thanks so much!!!!! I love my butterflies!!!!

Hi Elfie!!!! Thank you so much!!!!

LOL!!! hiiiiii Dave!!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!!! So glad you enjoyed it!!!!

thanks so much, hon … my Dear Hubby gave me a new camera and I swear, that thing does NOT like to take a bad pic!!!! LOL!!!

Ahhh Poopsie!!!!! Thank ya darlin’!!!!

Hiii sweetie!!!!!! Thank you!!!! You know, you saw the ones I emailed from this session … which is probably what you remember!!! You’re not having shorthimers, lol!!!!!! Hugzz!!

Hi Sheryl!!!! Thank you!!!!

Paolo, what a wonderful thing to say … thank you so much!!!!!! I’m honored!!!

Hey Patricia!!!! Thank you!!!!

Thanks, sweetie!!!!! I do love these guys!!!!

thank you, Nira!!!!!

Thank you!!!

Thank you!!!! What a lovely thing to say!!!

Thanks so much, Sean!!!

Thank you, dear Meeli!!!

Thank you, sweetie!!!

thanks, sweetie!!!

Thank you Louise!!!!!

Hi Annie!!!! Thank you so much!!!!! YAY!!!

Margaret!!! Thank you so very, very much!!!! This is such an honor!!!!!!