3,000 thousand clicks in 3,000 days

Yes, this is a big one.  And when I got up this morning I was hoping with fingers and toes crossed that I'd get lucky and have a hummingbird pass through.  So, you can imagine my reaction when I heard the buzz of lightening-fast wings and spotted this solo flyer hovering near a feeder.  He was not interested in the bounty of flowers - he wanted to just sit and drink nectar.  He looks like he could use a little fattening up, so maybe he'll stay a few days.  Anyway, I can't think of a better way to celebrate this milestone that with a hummer.

So...3,000 blips.  Holy cow.  For those 3,000 images, I've used 6 different Nikon cameras and at least 3 different iPhones.  My most-used aperture was 8.0; shutter speed 1/1,000; and focal length 300 mm.  My average entry was 300 words - yes, I'm verbose.  My journal has had nearly 725,000 views.  Those are the hard numbers - the facts.

But the more meaningful pieces of this are the friendships that have been forged, the tears and laughter shared, the trips taken, the learning, the discovery, the sheer joy of photography.   Through photography, I've become passionate about conservation, about the environment, about nearly every aspect of the natural world.  

I want to just say a big thank you to all the people who've visited me along the way, who've shared their wisdom on photography, life and the world, who've walked beside me both physically and figuratively.  Let me just say ... you rock!

Thank you.

Debbi