Going through some old images and found one I thought had potential. However, I think I've failed to bring it up to standards worth posting in the galleries.

Could some of you sages and mages give me an honest critique of my attempt, and possibly give ideas about what I could have done better (or could have done right, instead of what I actually did)?

I'm including the original (but cropped and sized) image, plus the one I've munged.

One concern is the lack of sharpness in the foreground. A combination of low light and a bit of a breeze was a problem, and I just couldn't get things to look any sharper in post work. Any suggestions? Or is my original just not good enough to start with? If not, do you think a small bit of fill flash would have done the trick without making it look like a snapshot?

Thanks!!!