First time shooting the SX50 off of AUTO

I went to Mercer Gardens on the north side of Houston this morning to try some bird shots but with so much of the gardens under construction still from IKE's damage and last years drought I didn't find any birds. So I just practriced using the camera and enjoyed the 80 degree weather. My results were about 50/50 with keepers and bad shots--motion blur and OOF.  Here are a few samples:

water lilies

red vine

camelias and bee

Murry

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