Annie, my late wife had a passion for kitties, so we had as many as six in our household at a time. This created a problem because we often moved from one state to another. Besides the occasional rented apartment or house, we bought and sold 10 houses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Colorado. In every case, we packed them up in their carriers and took them on flights after tranquilizing them. My wife once took one of them with her on a transatlantic liner to Europe, then returned her by air so I could pick her up at Kennedy Airport in New York. We had the best-traveled pussycats in the world! But we gradually felt we had to slow down, so we stopped replacing them as they aged out. The final character cat, Cindy, said her goodbyes at age 14 to me in 2014, four years after my wife passed away. We enjoyed every one of them over the years, and I like to think they were just as pleased with us.

The last few days we've had a flock of Cedar Waxwings stop by each evening. I consider them about the most beautiful bird we have. They like berries and the local mulberry bushes are loaded. I caught this pair doing a behavior which is unique to Cedar Waxwings - sharing food. Note in the first shot the left bird has a bug leg sticking out of its mouth. Then they kind of "kiss." The final shot the right bird now has the bug. They often sit several in a row on a branch and I've heard of them passing a berry down the whole line of birds.

Our daughter and her family have just moved to Boise from Phoenix to live closer to us so we now get to enjoy grand parenting on a closer setting, they live with us for a short while! Here are a few pics of my wife and I with the kiddies without parental supervision. It was their first time on a teeter totter and my pics from the other end, yes I was teetering too while trying to take pictures, did not show the teeter totter but did show the joy that we all remember from going up AND coming down. I also added a bit of Orton effect to a couple. In the end, it was a magical days for us all. Thanks for looking...

We made a short visit to this lovely city and its "Old Town".

Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria. It has three universities with many cyclists riding around. It was also the birthplace of the 18th century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid 20th century, the city was the setting for the play and film, The Sound of Music.

Traces of human settlements were found dating back to the Neolithic Age. The first settlements in Salzburg continuous with the present were apparently by the Celts around the 5th century BC. Around 15 BC the Roman Empire merged the settlements into one city. The name Salzburg means 'Salt Castle' which derives from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river.

The construction of Hohensalzburg Castle began in 1077 with many expansions and additions over the years. It was refurbished from the late 19th century onwards. During the early 20th century is was used as a prison. It is now a major tourist attraction. We have visited it before but did not have the time so you can see if from afar! I justed wanted to give you a flavour of the city.

Canon 650D, 18-55 lens.

Please try the downloads