First photos posted on forum - C&C appreciated!

Hi all,

These are my first photos posted up here. Was just messing around in the backyard and liked the way these came out and would really like feedback.

They were shot raw and all I did was hit the "Convert" button in ViewNX2. Most were captured using Ray Soares' suggested settings/picture controls. The last two were using Ken Rockwell's suggested picture control settings for people (which I really like as well).

Would really appreciate feedback and suggestions - thoughts on PP, cropping, white balance, focus, sharpness, etc. (besides the feedback to mow my lawn and do more weeding - I'm very aware of that

Also, the first photo (ckw3901) has a spot in the upper left corner. I see the same thing in several photos shooting into the sun. Is that because I forgot to use the lens hood or is that something on my sensor?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to your input!
CW

P.S. I don't know how to post originals, so please let me know if I need to do something different when posting.