This is probably my best photo from the film days. It was digitized from a slide that I took in 1970. I came home from work and noticed that these swans were resting in the pasture below our place in Maxwelton on Whidbey Island. I grabbed my camera which had a new roll of film with 20 exposures. I donned some rubber boots and ventured out into the flooded pasture. I was snapping pics right and left, all the while testing how close the swans would let me approach. Then on the 21st exposure (fudging an extra shot) the swans entered the water and got in single file and well what you see is what I got.

I have recently had a renewed interest in photography because of the digital revolution. I bided my time until a digital SLR was within my budget, well I mean was within the realm of reality. I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel which has turned out to be a great camera. I still haven't bought an additional lens but am considering a Canon EF lens 70-300mm lens with IS (Image Stabilization).

Along with taking digital photos I learned that I could digitize our slides that we had started taking in the late '60's. I bought a Konica Monolta Dimage Scan Dual IV. Let me tell you that it was the most rewarding purchase that we have made in years. Digitizing treasured slides and being able to access them from the computer for cropping, exposure control, color correction, and being able to actually save underexposed pictures has been phenomenal.

Not my photo.

This regal bird is a black grouse. In more ancient times it was known as a heathcock. My ancestors apparently revered this bird and took it as their surname. I have used blackgrouse as a handle on the internet for several years.