howard, I agree with maggie, I truely do not see the faults you were mentioning in post #50.
For the moon rise shot, I would not have done it any other way. The high ISO grain is actually quite a pleasure to look at, and gives texture to the light illuminating from the moon.
Of course tripod use can give high IQ shots, but it is not always convenient to have your camera attached to one. Some pics can be taken in the spur of the moment, rather than having every shot planned.
I examined the thermostat shot carefully, and found it is a very sharp in focus shot. I suspect the noise grain may be a distraction, and may appear soft like. Maybe what you are referring to is the "pop" factor. With higher ISO shots, the grain and color can affect the "3d" of an image.