Guess I need to give the Bose a try also. Hearing aides have helped; however, I am missing some complete ranges of sound so no amount of amplification is going to make a difference. In a noisy room or where there is background noise you can hang up my being able to hear much of anything. Also I don't think most people know how much whining noise automobile tires make on the road.
As to tinnitus I often tell my friends that the ringing in my ears has now been drown out by the hissing. Sometimes at night I begin to hear sounds that are not actually there, usually it sounds like every dog in the neighborhood (plus many more) are all barking at once.
At any rate, it sucks; but, that is simply how it is.

Fantastic photos.

We have relatives in the Clermont area, may need to visit with them more often. To date I have mostly shot sunsets there.

Saw a truly beautiful moon while out Thursday evening, didn't have camera or other equipment, so decided to get out Friday evening to catch moon rise. Best laid plans, heavy cloud cover.

Beautiful. I love the contrast.

My hearing got hit with a double whammy; I have traumatic hearing loss due to a couple bicycle tires (100 psi) exploding right beside my head while doing road repairs and I have a genetic predisposition for hearing loss from both sides of my family. My hearing (after the traumatic experiences) was declining for many years until six years ago when I finally gave it an purchased hearing aides. That was when I relearned what a very loud place the world has become. There are frequent occasions when I go without the hearing aides and I most definitely enjoy my early mornings (when I have the house to myself for several hours).

On my D610 I use the 28-300. I have found it to be an all around excellent lens that fills most all of my needs.

I am including a link for Ken Rockwell's review of the Nikon 28-300 lens, he is very positive about it. Next you should consider that the 28-300 is an FX format lens (full frame) while your D7000 is a DX format (cropped) camera. That is not to say that the lens will not work, it will work beautifully; however, the 18-200 or 18-300 Nikon lenses are DX format lenses and far less expensive.
I have the 18-200 on my D7100 and the 28-300 on my D610, both are my goto lenses for those cameras; they stay in use about 90% of the time. As has also been pointed out, consider a used lens; I did in both cases and have been very pleased with their performance.

I find the first image to be by far the most dramatic, it is the one I would use.

Each winter I do photography for the Summit County Colorado 50+ Winter Games especially the down hill event. My finding is that the participants want a complete image but very closely cropped so you can see the action but tell who they are. Not always easy at 0f, wind, and snow.

Excellent photograph. There are so many elements included within this one capture that I cannot do adequate praise.

Outstanding photos which carry the story of the impact of the moment. B&W was the right choice, adds a great dimension to the photos.

Your grandson has a very long term best buddy and protector. There is no better all around dog than the German Shepard. The last one I had was back in the late 60's, but I still remember and miss him; even as a pup he was very protective of our son.

In the past year the major Sears store at Crabtree Valley Mall here in Raleigh closed; seems they owned the store which they sold back to the Mall for something in the millions. Must admit that the store seemed empty most of the time. Now the remaining store is located in Triangle Towne Ctr mall which has just changed hands in bankruptcy; so no one knows its future though the store seemed empty most of the time.

There is truly nothing exactly like American executive management. As was stated earlier (and the subject of some business reports I have read) management was receiving major bonuses while employees and retired employees were fighting because pension fund payments were not being met.

I agree with Linda totally here, cliche. Also, I too cannot see the point or story being conveyed.

You have a great combination. Extra sharp and very well composed. Total winner.

90% of the time it is the 28-300 that is mounted on my D610. This has proven to be an excellent combination and the lens is very sharp.