I noticed a few other hellos from newbies to the forum, so here's another.....

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my postings.

I'm also new, and hope to contribute at the very least as much as I've already learned from site!

Melodi

Hello.

Contributions are definitely welcome. I have 2 sisters living in Deland. Don't know where that is in relation to your town.

Hi Melodi, and welcome to the list! Don't be shy, jump right in. And remember, the only 'stupid' question is the unasked one.

Mike.

DeLand is just about 30 minutes away. I head over that way sometimes to some of the hiking trails off of the St. Johns River.

I don't recall whether the inland area West of Deland has alligators, or whether you're interested in wildlife photography, but in my last 2 visits to Charleston I've taken several shots of the local critters, and I can't seem to get a decent color - they always come out grayish and bland. I suppose perfect lighting would help, but that rarely happens. It's not easy to get close to them, and they tend to stay flat, close to the ground.