osmondrs

Great shots, again! I did manage to pick a favourite from this batch. The focus and DoF manipulation in the first pic couldn't have been better, due to which the amount of detail in the picture is awesome. Thanks for sharing. Os

Beautiful pics, Brandon. Tried to pick a favourite, but it's just impossible... each of them is a superb capture! Keep up the excellent work. Os

Got suckered by CT - YET ONCE AGAIN!! Saw the flyer last night & got tempted by "fishfinders 1/2 price". Got to the Cedarbrea CT barely minutes after opening & went straight to the fishing section. All finders are under lock & key, so the mission was to find someone to open the display cabinet (took 25 minutes - don't ask me how). Off-the cuff answer: "no fishfinders on sale!". Well, after showing thim the flyer, and pointing to one solitary sign announcing one finder on sale at half price, the guy decides to look into it. I needed a portable one, so we start searching for one. 1st, not on sale: 2nd, not on sale: 3rd, not on sale. Probably the guy started feeling sorry for me and offered to look for one he thought might be on sale. Answer, ten minutes later, "out of stock". Check other stores: no store in Ontario has one!! Go figure! Just like Terry, feel better now - but only slightly, though. Os

Some of us actually had to do some work at work!!! I missed having OFC running in the background & taking a peek at new posts every now & then.

Thanks, guys. Good to be back. OFC-withdrawal was beginning to get me down. Didn't realize I was so addicted in these few months! Os

DARN!!! I just realized I closed mine for a few thousand moments, and now they're all gone!

Dan, Abby is not only smart, she's gorgeous... the first of the deer is one beautiful capture. Os

Nice compositions.

WTG, Matt. What a week!! I do those things often - in my dreams. Thks for sharing. Os

Thanks for an excellent analysis, Spiel... now, only if I can get my wife to read it & quit thinking I'm acting suicidal by getting on the ice 'after what happened' !!

You'll find some good fishing on Manitoulin Island.

Hey, Drifter. I don't blame you for your sentiment. Mind you, I'm saying this as a recent immigrant. Conservation laws don't mean much in many parts of the world and I have quite a bit of experience with trying to get someone to enforce laws in places where poaching is considered a birth-right. Effective enforcement takes place when everyone who cares acts as a C.O. when required, and takes a stand. In my view, I don't give two hoots what the person's background is when it comes to someone trying to destroy what belongs to all of us and our generations to come. You did the right thing by calling the cops on the guy you saw breaking the law. Your efforts are in no way wasted. That dude will probably think twice before doing something like that again, knowing that there are those who care.

Congrats Bullybass... you're certainly in for a lot of fun & exploration into the digital world with the xsi. I'm sure you'll have no regrets. Have fun! Os

I received these pictures in an e-mail today & thought they're worth sharing around. The text below is copied from the e-mail I received: This is a case of a photographer photographing another photographer. The following pictures were taken by Hans van de Vorst from the Netherlands at the Grand Canyon, Arizona . The descriptions are his own. The identity of the photographer in the photos is unknown. I was simply stunned seeing this guy standing on this solitaryrock in the Grand Canyon . The canyon's depth is 900 meters here. The rock on the right is next to the canyon and safe. Watching this guy on his thong sandals, with a camera and a tripod I asked myself 3 questions: 1.. How did he climb that rock? 2. Why not take that sunset picture from that rock to the right, which is perfectly safe? 3. How will he get back? After the sun set behind the canyon's horizon he packed his things (having only one hand available) and prepared himself for the jump. This took about 2 minutes. At that point he had the full attention of the crowd. This is the point of no return. After that, he jumped on his thong sandals... The canyon's depth is 900 meters (3,000 feet) here. Now you can see that the adjacent rock is higher so he tried to land lower, which is quite steep and tried to use his one hand to grab the rock. We've come to the end of this story. Look carefully at the photographer. He has a camera, a tripod and also a plastic bag, all on his shoulder or in his left hand. Only his right hand is available to grab the rock and the weight of his stuff is a problem. He lands low on his flip flops, both his right hand and right foot slip away... At that moment I take this shot. He pushes his body against the rock. He waits for a few seconds, throws his stuff on the rock, climbs and walks away. Presumably to a bathroom to change his shorts. I know I had to change mine - and I was just watching!

Thanks for the encouragement, MrEh. I'll surely remember this and not hesitate to ask questions, even if it's just to get some 'smart arse answers', which, by the way, I usually find more interesting & entertaining than the 'correct' ones . Os

My sincere condolences to you and your family, Leechman. You should consider yourself fortunate that you had the opportunity to take care of, and be with your father in his last days. Those that don't get that opportunity sometimes have to live with regrets for the rest of their days. I can tell you from personal experience that it's a heavy burden to carry. God bless you in your time of sorrow.

TJ, thanks for thinking about the poor beginners. On behalf of all the newbie fishermen, I have a very simple request: please include a glossary & meanings of technical-&-exotic-sounding terms in English - that non-fisher(wo)men can also understand (and not make fools of themselves by asking stupid questions when they walk into a tackle store). Would that be too much to ask, or even hope for?

Thanks, guys... this website has become a part of my daily routine in the short time since I joined. Your efforts and time are much appreciated even if you don't receive too many TY notes. Keep up the excellent work and don't hesitate to call on us if you ever need a hand... Os

Hi Gerritt: I switched to Fuji recently as well. I got the S2000HD, which is more of a newer & slightly-improved version of the S1000HD. I'm quite happy with mine. For action shots of fast-moving objects, try shooting in the 'burst' mode. If I'm not mistaken the 1000HD shoots 6 or 7 fps. Also, you should try operating the camera in manual mode, & increase the shutter speed a couple stops faster than it would set in auto mode, and a higher ISO rating (around 400 should cover most of your needs, unless you're shooting in low light). Another excellent feature in this camera is the macro. If you decide to do some creative macro photography, you will love this camera twice over! Happy shooting! Os

Smalliefisher: Thanks for the excellent idea. I guess it'll have to be a local 'club'. Maybe newbies like me will learn something from this media & start hooking some fish . Os

Sorry to bring the discussion back to wives, as long as my better half thinks my $180 rod & reel was bought for $40 she's okay with it. Rule of thumb here is what she doesn't know is not gonna hurt her, and what I don't know about how much she spends on shoes, dresses, & what-not ain't hurting me! It's mutual bliss, so to speak. Os

Take a back seat, Hell's Kitchen, here's some serious competition!

Wherever they're from, they're awesome (including the 'ice-fishing flea market' added later by Jet).

If the owners of the cars in the last picture were to read the small print on their parking receipts, I bet it says something to this effect: "Parking lot operator or attendants are not responsible for the safety/visibility of your vehicle at the time of your return this evening. All responsibility for the vehicles and any items left in the vehicle lies solely with the owner - and the ice gods!" (I will resist the temptation of adding an "lol" to this text in sympathy with the owners)

Photogenic child, Dave... the first of the two b&w pics is my pick from this bunch. Thanks for sharing these. Osmond