Oh Debi, well I am flattered and thank you for your kind comment.

And one of these days I will learn to type properly as of course I meant "your" own bed not "our" own bed, lol. How embarrasing. Take good care dear one, again you are my hero!!!

WOW - Debi you look so wonderful and gorgeous and happy - you are absolutely amazing !

And thanks for those photo links - glad you all had such a great time - if the best medecine is truly laughter, Debi look s like you got a lot of it that day !

Rant: my dial-up at home is too slow

Rave: I was able to see some pictures!

Rave: now I know why "everybody loves Raymond" - he posted his pictures first

Rave: I knew P_M would yodel! Thank you, AnnMarie!

Actually, AMC is quite the yodeller herself!

You folks are so much fun to be around I just couldn't help myself! Although I'm not so certain it was yodeling so much as bad singing, lol. ;-)

...it certainly explains the pack of howling dogs who greeted me outside the door of the RH.

Had a great time and nice to see some old faces and meet new ones. Debi, thanks for the invite and, again, God speed in your recovery and a safe trip home. Sorry I had to leave early, but... Ray and Ann Marie - thanks for the pictures! Another gorgeous day in Houston today, so the trip to the zoo should be perfect.

Ah, come on, AnnMarie, I think you're a closet yodeler. You did quite well for a "beginner"!

It was a gorgeous day Sunday, Debi. Hope you had a great time at the zoo!

Y'all look so happy! (yes, at work I cold see both slide shows) I am a little jealous Keep up those GTGs!

Great photos!It's fun to be able to put faces to screen names.

Debi: You are amazing to put together this GTG and you look terrific! Your soul and strength is an shining example for all of us.
rkkwan: Great pix you took, thanks!

Thank you so much for sharing the good times and good news!

Glad you guys like the photos.

For indoor shoots like this, equipment does make a difference. Most important is the 17-55/2.8 IS lens. Wide angle, large aperture, image stabilization - which combines for a killer combo. And it's also very sharp. [Just don't ask how much.]

Then add a external flash with a built-in diffuser to just add some highlight.

I shoot in RAW format, so I have very wide latitude to "fix" the image once I get home.

But most importantly, we have beautiful people!

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Just in case the link is hard to find in the thread, here is it again:

rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p616767963/

Great photos!

I'm not intending to be sexist, but in a day when men are sometimes given a tough rap, I'd like to commend the ones that attended this GTG. It demonstrates a certain sensitivity that may be a rare quality!

Raymond, the quality of the photos is outstanding. What camera do you prefer? I am on the verge of purchasing a new SLR - but have not quite made up my mind.

Debi and all - great to see you!

cabo - I use the Canon Digital Rebel XTi, but the camera body is just to record what passes through the lens. The lens is the most important part, not the camera itself. That 17-55/2.8 IS also costs more than the camera itself.

The flash is the midrange Canon 430EX.

Thanks, RKK - a big help.

RKK - Sorry everyone - just one more quick question - I have Nikon lenses - well, lenses from my Nikon....so as much as I lean toward the Canon, I guess the cost of all new lenses doesn't make sense. Am I right?

If you have a decent selection of Nikon lenses that you want to keep, then stay with Nikon. Two things to keep in mind though:

1) Don't know how old your lenses are, and of what Nikon series, but many of the earlier Nikon Auto Focus lens do not have a motor in them. You will not get AF with those lenses if using the D40 (Nikon's cheapest dSLR). You need the higher level ones like the D70.

2) I got the Digital Rebel because I already have a Canon film SLR (Elan) and some lenses. I thought I would re-use many of the lens I already have. But in reality, the two lens I use most often now (the 17-55 and the 10-22) are new design lens. And I can't use my old 420EZ flash either. So, most of the stuff I'm using are actually brand new; and I could have gone with Nikon, Pentax or other brands in that regard, not that I regret sticking with Canon.

Maria_so,
sorry, this has nothing to do with the get together. Hope you all had a nice time.
I was doing a search on MD Anderson and saw you said you worked there. We are desparately trying to get my mom (she has stage 4 colon cancer) into a doctor for surgery down there. Do you have any suggestions? You can email me direct at [email protected]
Any input would be so gratefully appreciated.