and good story too!

I'd suggest you taking a tour to Mystery Valley within Monument Valley, spectacular scenery and cultural resources abound and it's worth every penny for the tour. Heading south from Monument Valley are many place to stop, Navajo National Monument, and driving by the Painted Desert and a short side trip to Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado is not too far off the road. Of course the Grand Canyon is not far and Lee's Ferry is a short drive and where the river trips start and quite interesting and scenic. Sunset Crater is loop road before Flagstaff before heading down to Sedona and I highly recommend stopping at Jerome just south, the real deal and very interesting communitybefore heading south to Phoenix. Toom many places and not enough of time!

Time for people to take personal responsability for resource use!

Lots of papers available today. I prefer cotton based with no optical brighteners for longevity. Hahnnemule PrhotoRag Baryta is a favorite, with Canson Platine a close second. I'm using more Canson these days as it's not as expensive Hahnnemule and very similar results. Both are a satin finish and with pigment inks the images look rich and will last.

Do you not consider photograms as photography?

My favorite part is being out there, wind in my face in a wild place surrounded by Nature. Some of my exposures have been up to 8 hours so there was lots of time to have fun! New Years Eve 1989, 8 hour plus time exposure at night at Potato Bottom along the White Rim Trail Canyonlands NP. I was solo and had a little party for myself and ended up eating the worm. Woke up to find my camera next to me in the tent in the morning and I had shut down the camera and that made me happy!

We are free to enjoy the art of photography in any way we choose. Digital imaging allows for less craft to expose an image than in the past and added a certain ease. I don't think as a result photography is necessarily better, but it certainly has become more prolific. It's far easier to make more images, but the "art" hasn't become any more easier. As to the best picture ever, the past includes amazing photographs, created with much more difficulty and I don't think is surpassed by photographs being made now. Digital does add some interesting tools and allow images to be made not possible in the past. I don't think digital has surpassed analogue as they both have different qualities to offer and it's a personal decision how we make images, what counts is what's in the frame ultimately!

Marijuana has been very helpful with dealing of the side effects of chemo therapy. Not only the physical, but emotionally as well. Amazing to me in this day that marijuana is illegal and people are in jail because of it. It's legal here, yet still a stigma attached to it for some people, who cares what I take into my body if I'm not bothering anyone else?

I've been using Dexter Mat Cutter and T square for over 40 years and you can't beat the price!

Nikon F3, if limited to 35mm format which I still own, but actually favorite SLR was a Hasselblad 503CW. I miss having focusing aids in the viewfinder.

I had a 55 micro Nikkor and didn't use it much because the camera would be too close to subject. I recently acquired a Micro 105 f2.8 and is much better for close ups.

Thanks for the compliment, I use it with a Desmond 46 ball head which is surprisingly good for and paid less than $80 shipped. I have a couple Gitzo ball heads which are not being used as they don't work as smoothly.

Thanks, it's my go to place, Surui W-2204. The true test is the Grand Canyon, but I really enjoyed using tripod!

Landscapes are a favorite including time exposures and night. I don't own a 500mm lens (300mm for 8x10 longest lens I own) so, not an example you requested, but night image does illustrate the tripod was steady in a difficult situation because the ground was so soft. Exposure at night with full moon at a favorite place. Just acquired 105 Nikkor micro and finally be able to do some 1:1, so pictures to follow. I'm 5'10" and the tripod is more than tall enough for camera to be at eye level with no center column. The locks are sweet, can use one hand to extend the legs and they stayed where set every time, unlike my Gitzo tripods, which require 2 hands (awkward with camera on tripod) and do slip. I used it with metal spikes and it didn't slip on the rocks at all. Dunbar Brook Cascade is very precarious and real test for a tripod.

I'll second on the Surui, I have a W-2204 CF and it's my favorite tripod and I own 4 Gitzo's. The leg lock system works great, easy to set up and fold up and once the legs are set they don't slip. First tripod where it fits in supplied bag (very good quality) with a head on it.