I was told a few days ago that some members (over 40) had chipped in to buy me a thank you gift, and to expect a package delivery. This was in relation to the days of agony during our server bot attack problems which resulted in 2 server migrations. To my amazement it was a Fujinon 360 for my 8x10! Plus money left over to take the wife out to dinner. This is the exact lens I have been scoping out and something I REALLY needed badly. My poor wife, I think she had thought I received some news that someone passed away when I approached to tell her what I got in the mail (I was a little misty). You guys really overwhelm me with your generosity and I can't thank you enough. I now have a Nikkor 240 and Fujinon 360 both given to me by the membership here. It truly warms my heart to know that my photographs will be taken using the lenses given to me by friends.

I think everyone involved in this gesture would like to thank the man who put it together, Gene LaFord (aka papagene). I can't imagine the legwork that must have gone into pulling this off. Thanks so much Gene!

I have 4 days off as of now, so hoping to get a few shoots in!

Thanks again and again and again! Sean :)

Wonderful!

You definitely deserve such a present. It's nice of our fellow APUGers to think about your wife too: all the time you're busy working on the site asks a lot of patience from her. My Girlfriend knows that too ;-)

Have a nice shooting!

G

Sean, you more than deserve it! The hours (and hours!) you put in, the professionalism you show in all your dealings and the amount of yourself you put into APUG all make it the wonderful place it is. You are so very much appreciated!

I hope your good lady wife thoroughly enjoys the dinner; being Mrs APUG can't be easy and I hope this goes some way to making up for the trials and tribulations.

Gene - Hats off to you, sir! Beautiful piece of organisation (and research in getting just the right lens)! Many thanks.

Wow! What a wonderful act of kindness!

Sean, I'm sure you will enjoy that lens and I'll bet the images you make with it will be magical :)

You definitely deserve it Sean. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to this great community.

You deserve way more than that, Sean. Thanks again for all the fine work you've put into the site!

Is there a way to contribute to this gift retroactively? I had no idea and definately would have contributed. If this is too difficult, Sean, what other items do you have on your darkroom / camera wishlist at several different price points? (there must be something). Mine are (not that I expect anyone other than me or my wife to buy them):

--Hasselblad X-Pan
--6x17 Fuji
--210 APO lens for my RZ II
--an 8x10 camera.

Sean, this is my #1 photography site and its the best run, most intuitive site I have been to. Bravo.

Sean,

I'm sure a lot of folks can say it much better than I, but APUG is much, much more than a website about analog photography. APUG has grown into a real community and has allowed all of us to meet new people from all over the world.

Here we can share our experiences, help each other with technical matters, and display our works. However, the most important thing is the friendships that have been made through these forums. For that alone, we can never thank you enough for your untiring efforts and devotion.

As my kids say, "You 'da man!"

I'm with Bob on this! Thanks Sean for such a great place!

And Gene, you are a gem of a man! :)

I'm sure a lot of folks can say it much better than I...


No Bob, that about sums it up for me too!

I live at the end of the road on the north coast of BC, Canada. It's a 1000 mile drive to the nearest store that sells large format gear or a photography gallery. APUG *is* my community.

Thanks Sean,

Murray

P.S. COOL MOVE GENE!!!!!

I think everyone involved in this gesture would like to thank the man who put it together, Gene LaFord (aka papagene). I can't imagine the legwork that must have gone into pulling this off. Thanks so much Gene!

I have 4 days off as of now, so hoping to get a few shoots in!

Thanks again and again and again! Sean :)Ditto regarding Gene, and you're welcome Sean.

Cheers,
Graeme

For those that did not get in on the gift to Sean can show their support by donating money directly to Apug.

Thanks again, Gene, for getting everything together.

Sean, I am so grateful for what you have created here. Your dedication more than merits such a splendid gift. KUTGW and happy shooting!

For those that did not get in on the gift to Sean can show their support by donating money directly to Apug.

Thanks again, Gene, for getting everything together.

... or if not already, become a subscriber!

BTW - I was remiss in my previous post - Gene, you did a beautiful thing, thanks for pulling it together! :)

Sean...
I want the details of where you took your wife out to dinner! ;)
As bob said this place is more than a web-site, but a living, thriving community of like-minded photographers. I have met some truly wonderful people (hopefully, in person some day) here and learned a thing or two about my art/passion.
Witnessing all your efforts through those rough times this winter, I felt something had to be done to say "THANK YOU!"
And to all the others to whom I did not contact, sorry 'bout that... but if you still would like to help Sean out and say Thanks at the same time, please subscribe to APUG. If you all ready are a subscriber, please donate to the site.

Sean... Enjoy man, you really deserve it.

gene

PapaGene "I want the details of where you took your wife out to dinner!"

Nah we want the pictures ! :)

Sean

Just a small way to say thanks for the hard work over the last 2 years, hope you enjoy the meal and the lens, you deserve them both

Warmest regards

Phill

Sean,
Enjoy the lens, It was indeed Papa Genes idea, with list members like this one has it was a sure thing from the conception. Glad you like it!

Several of the list members have indicated that this particular Fuji lens makes much better images when you remember to pull the dark slide!
just a thought :-)

Don't forget Sean to show us some results.

Sean -

You deserve everything you're getting!!!! And so does your wife!

Kudos to Gene for doing all the leg work!

S

You're most welcome, Sean. And thanks to Gene for organizing the effort.

Perhaps a written report from your wife regarding the dinner, augmented with photos, would be interesting, Sean. :cool:

glad you are happy Sean, use the lens well. Gene was a sweetheart for organizing everything.

Somehow I missed the opportunity to be a part of this but would like to throw a thanks out there anyway. Thanks to Gene for putting it together and thanks to Sean for the site. Look forward to checking in every day with all the help and encouragement this site offers my work continues to grow. Thanks again, Sean your help recently has been over the top. I need to put a thanks out to Jorge also!

Thanks for all the nice replies in this thread. I will certainly take Lisa out for Dinner and provide a few snaps :) Might be in a week so stay tuned..

Sean,

this webpage is an awesome place to be. You created it, you maintain it, and you make sure we can benefit from this community - and you do it in a very efficient and professional manner.
I'm glad I could do something to benefit you, and your wife, as a thank you for what you do for all of us photographers and users of the forum.

Thank you!

Gene, thanks for pulling it together!

- Thom