Thanks all! This started as a simple test of some new Speedtree objects, but then then the Megascans seemed like a cool set of assets to test, and then the Easy Clouds needed some more experimentation, and so on...
Dune: there is a rather extensive back story here, I'll put it up later.
Rene: glad you made that comparison, as a former easel painter of Southwest scenes, using digital media to continue those themes comes naturally.
Luvsmuzik: too much! but appreciated non the less!
DocCharly65: did my mother pay you to say that?
Archonforest: I think I wore those little guys out moving them to and fro so much in numerous test renders. I'll post a test render from a different POV later, and indeed one is offset a small distance behind and slightly scaled.