Very good and useful information. I will keep and refer to frequently. Thank you, David

I am looking at the Canon R50 as my new "all purpose" camera and wish to acquire with it a "single" light zoom lens that that will shoot from 16" out to moderate telephoto range. As I recall, there is a Canon RF/STM lens that is rated 18 to 150 mm. Does anyone have experience with this lens and can comment on its virtues and limitations. I am concerned about low-light images (i.e. dusk) and image stabilization. Would it pair well with the R50? And for that matter, your experience with the R50 would be appreciated.

Cottonwoods? (The trees appear to be clumped, and have all turned color simultaneously.)

Police cars are usually equipped with laptop-type computers, and an increasing number also have automatic license plate scanners. This, combined with the constant back and forth radio communication between the officer and dispatcher, must create an enormous level of distraction for even experienced officers. I am surprised that accidents are rarely caused by "distracted patrol officers."

I wonder how quickly Samsung can recover? I imagine that the company has just fired the heads of the battery department, their procurement department, and their quality control department...

As I recall, menhaden are used for fish meal and commercial oil. The fish meal is probably for fertilizer. Don't know where or how the oil is used.

The cabinet is very handsome and practical. How long do you estimate you have before "she" begins a subtle takeover of this cabinet too?

I susbscribe to and support CR and read its reviews carefully whenever I intend to buy an automobile or major appliance. I pay close attention to their evaluation criteria. I also try to assist CR by submitting accurate survey information based on my product experience.

This said, I have never substituted CR's judgement for my own. I have frequently added one or two criteria to those cited by CR and, as a result, selected a product different than that recommended. In short, CR is a starting point for me for major purchases.

Problem: CR appears recently to have changed its format. In the process, it seems to have shortened and dumbed down its analyses. I hope that this does not continue...

Ron,

Thank you for the information about camping in Australia. I have already identified several campgrounds along the ocean in Victoria that look good. The use of cabins means that we may not have to go to the bother of renting a small caravan or pop-up. We do notice, however, that the cost of a cabin is about the same as a motel room. So the primary reason to go the campground cabin route would be location - to, for example, be where the ocean is. There is naturally the pleasure of meeting and socializing with fellow campers...

Your photo of the camper trailer (caravan) seemed somehow wrong until I realized that you folks drive on the left, and so, of course, the trailer door has to be on the left also.

Great bird photos, by the way. Thank you.

David

This is a "caravan park" (i.e. "Caravan" in Oz presumably translates to "recreational vehicle"). Yet I don't see any RVs, camper trailers, or even tents. Instead there are only prefab cabins. Is this common in Australia? Or is this just the cabin section of a larger campground? Or is this campground particularly upscale?

I am asking because my wife and I have long wanted to travel by car through Australia as we have in the US and Canada, and have heard that camping is a good way to do so. We had thought to bring a tent or to rent or buy a small camper van to do the deed, but you photos of cabins suggest that this may not be necessary.

Can you identify a web site that can give us an idea as to the camping options in Australia? David, on Florida Gulf Coast

October may be prime leaf peeping season. The Washington folks may crowd onto Skyline Drive on weekends with their families. The most trafficked section would be the several miles southward of Front Royal. The further south you go, the more tranquil it should be.

Incidentally, two communities at the southern end of Skyline (or northern end of Blue Ridge Drive) are interesting and photogenic: Abington and Damascus.

Abington has Civil War roots, and is a delightful area to drive around with a camera. Damascus is a waypoint on the Appalachian Trail, and you may see several section hikers getting the last of the season outing. The outfitting stores will also be clearing out this season's clothing and equipment. Look for fairs and fall events on both sides of Skyline and Blue Ridge Drives.

As always, a side trip to Charlottesville and its historic places would be worthwhile. Avoid football weekends.

Please show us some of your photos when you return.

I enjoy Jerry's posts, and read them first. I frequently learn something from them, and subsequent discussions. I am not big into Facebook, except for thr grandkids. Keep it up, Jerry!

Great photos - several look like they are HDR or otherwise enhanced. No matter, since they make me want to spend a couple of weeks driving around Yorkshire with my camera!

My only experience with Yorkshire folk: When I was 19, a buddy from Georgia and I hitch-hiked around Europe. One evening, We checked into the youth hostel in Augsburg, Germany, where we were directed to the "English-speaking floor".

After dumping our backpacks, we greeted our room-mates. Their response was friendly but incomprehensible. It literally took us several minutes to begin to make out what they were saying. And even then, many vocabulary words were - as far as we could tell - un-related to any English that we recognized!

As it turned out, they were all proudly from Yorkshire. They informed us in all sincerity that their English was the original, genuine article; it was the rest of England that let its grammar and vocabulary wander from its pristine purity.

While I imagine that even Yorkshire folk are occasionally given to exageration, I've always wondered how much of the lingo I'd actually be able to understand traveling the backroads of this lovely area of England!

I assume you have a carbon monoxide detector. If not, I recommend one. This is especially important at night, when you may reduce flow of air into the woodstove.

Texcaster, your main heat loss is your roof. Am I correct in seeing that there is no insulation? If so, I don't know what can be done about it now, practically speaking... Unless there is a cheap product sold in Oz that can be cut and glued up against the plywood ceiling. Cheers, drkeene, from Florida and Michigan