Thanks to all the great information from the UHH community, my thoughts of just getting an SX50 HS was sidetracked. Reading everyones thoughts comparing the three camera's it came down to: SX50 HS, FZ70 and FZ200, the one thing the comments that hit home were the ones that suggested holding the cameras for comfort. I found the SX50 a bit small for my hand while the FZ200 seemed to have more space to grip..although it is a bit larger. OK. So I won't have a 1200mm zoom. I'll get closer to the subject--unless its the moon and that could be problematic. I'm not a bird watcher unless its in my backyard and I wont need 1200 for that! Grandkids, travel, family, usual stuff. Probably will experiment with landscapes or other things as I see fit. The good news is that the cot isn't breaking the bank and this will give me what I believe is a wonderful learning tool.
Anyway, thanks for all the reading pleasure. You folks know your stuff. I weighed things out as carefully as I could and pulled the trigger. Camera is coming next week so be ready to see some pretty awful stuff for critique. As a relative newbie to digital (I have vast experience with p&S and phones!) I'm looking forward to making myself a better photographer with the help of the UHH'ers.