Hey Meg -- We ended up blowing through st. louis really fast -- just stopped in for lunch. I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to meet you and Mabel. :-(

Hey Janet - We saw a high percentage of those idiots who think it's ok to get right in the faces of wild animals. I, however, was safely next to (or inside of) the car.. usually with many yards and the open car door between me and the subjects. I picked up a 1.4x lens extender mid trip which significantly increases my ability to "get close" and with 20+ pixels, I have plenty of room to crop. My bigger issue is holding the heavy lens steady without a tripod. My lens does have image stabilization -- but it can only do so much to help the arm jostling of the beagles.

Hey Trey, Thanks for sharing the link. The pictures are gorgeous! We did the tetons yesterday -- Yellowstone today. We'll have to make a note of the barn for our next trip. :-)

Hey Amy, Why don't we arrange a meeting of the dogs when we get back. Fred is a bit timid around large dogs, but Hank should be fine. After the meet and greet-- we can head to 5 Guys!