I was "buried" in unexpected work before the challenge rolled over and intended to give out some bling. Even though it's after the fact, I wanted to pin a BTC award on this quirky, engaging entry. This is for you...
I thought this might have been yours. I'm one of those 9s. And I LOVE the way the light/mist creeps across the top, with the tree and his friends in the distance keeping watch. You do this so well.
Lovely take on this one. Just try this... Look at the photo and imagine cropping off the very top part of the image where the stark white horizon is, it is a little disturbing and could be done without. Cropping to just above the posts, would be more than ample. One doesn't always need to include the horizon, think out of the box sometimes. A very lovely photo though. :)