Does anyone ever actually meet?

Sue - any time you come this way you would be more than welcome to stay and go on safari to the game reserves and watch all our amazing bird life. We have it all from mountains to wonderful beaches, from bushvelt to deserts, canyons to gold & diamond mines, etc. etc.

Are you coming soon???

Andrew - I actually learned about the site after meeting Ron. I was visiting Oxford and took his C.S. Lewis tour (Which I highly recommend if you get the chance!).

I also met Maria who lives in Italy but has a brother living out side of Boston, Massachusetts, where I live. She came here to visit with him and she and I spent a lovely afternoon together. :-)

Hello Sue! It's nice to see you here. I miss "seeing" you in real time.:-)

Unfortunately, I haven't had contact with Maria recently. I know she is on Facebook, perhaps I will look her up there and ask if she can "pop" into POE and say hello.

I think the idea of an apportunity to meet up with a small ggroup of other POEsters would be great and there is usually safety in numbers.

I live in the West Midlands and I'm fairly sure we have a number of members from that area. I belong to another  photo organisation which provides the opportunity to meet up 10 times a year and I usually manage to make 3 or 4 of those. it can be fun and also informative, however when it comes to photographic equipment I'm in a bit of a minority with my Olympus four thirds system.

Nothing wrong with that Sally and I do like the colours Olympus cameras have and back in the '70s loved my Olympus OM-1. Only looking at them in the shop the other day, but for one reason or another, ended up with a Canon G12 and have had a lot of fun with that. You only have to look t your photos, and others here too with amazing photos, and look at the cameras they've used with astonishing results.  

Used to enjoy those Olympus TV ads of the 70s/80s with David Bailey......Who does he think he is, David Bailey???  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l1jUXC6858

or     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSm10LZauA&NR=1

Well, I can vouch for Paul Hilton, but that cheeky Ron Brind...hmmm ;-) lol.

No seriously, my husband David and I had the privilege of meeting Paul, Ron and lovely Anna when were were in England in August 2009.  These two chaps are gentlemen through and through and great tour guides as well.  I'd been chatting with them here for about a year or so prior to that, and I never felt in any way uncomfortable about meeting them.  That's the beauty of POE - unlike other sites where people chat, everybody here is respectful and the culture here reminds me of just meeting up with friends for a chat and a drink or cup of coffee.  Most people here put their real names and faces up, so that adds to the genuineness of the site and its participants, IMHO.  But people who aren't comfortable doing that are welcome here as well.

If you all arrange to meet some fine day, I'll be sitting here in brown and pleasant Arizona wishing I could join you.  But maybe next year....

It would be kind of neat to see all your different photographic perspectives of the same field trip.  We did that with a photo club at my work and it was great.

Last year I met a member from another forum I post to. She came over from England and we met in New York City. We hit it off immediately, and now email several times a week. 

It can be tricky meeting people from online communities, I've heard such horror stories. As for POE, like Ruth said, we post our own faces (well, most of us do), post our own  pictures of England, and comment as we would in person, so you can pretty much get a feel for what the person is like over the years.

I'm hoping to meet Ruth in Arizona some day, especially after my oldest boy told me that when he gets out of the army, thats where he plans to make his home.

There are many here I would like to meet for sure. I was hoping to meet Andy, we had planned a birding trip, but now he's gone, and I still mourn his loss (gone from the forums, not from the Earth), and his pictures of birds, which were fantastic. 

And I plan on seeing Ron, Anna, Chirs, Sarah and Paul again for sure. Yes Ron, there will be no escaping me. I know Wheatley like the back of my hand, I can track you down.

This is a great community and joyful was the day I discovered it on Google.  

Thanks Ruth and David, hoping you are both well?

Sue? Well, umm, err I've painted the house purple so that you won't even suspect it's me. It's different so you won't find it will you? lol

You know we look out for you Sue. Thinks.....gonna get my running shoes on just in case that Sue arrives in Wheatley unexpectedly. lol