I have a year on you and I have to say, American English is just horrid these days. Makes me think that there must be no reputable English teachers anymore...but more likely, we oldsters have stumbled into a generation which simply doesn't care. The young, newscasters, college professors...it doesn't make any difference. Proper English is dying before our eyes and ears.

What is now called the Grapevine going over the hills into/out of Los Angeles was actually waaay up to the east of the present route and it was called the Ridge Route, for obvious reasons. The "Grapevine" was just a short section going down into the Central Valley where grapevines grew wild. It did NOT refer to the winding road's many curves. One used to be able to drive the whole Ridge Route but it has been closed to through traffic for some number of years. I've driven it a number of times during spring wildflower season, but years ago. If you want to see what the road was like when your grandfathers traveled to/from Los Angeles from the Central Valley, check Google, Old Ridge Route, and the best is found at the strayngerranger web site.

Beautiful photos. Ohio is my birth state but I was moved out to California when only 2. I've only been back three times in my 74 years so I love seeing any and all photos so I can see what I'm missing!

I stayed at the Rauch (rhymes with "house") Ranch a little outside Mariposa with three friends thru AirBnB two years ago. It was wonderful! 5 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor (0ne review was my glowing one). The owners are most accomodating, the ranch is a working Angus cattle ranch and vineyard and it's quite historic. You would have a three bedroom bunkhouse all to yourselves. It's wonderful! You'd pay as much at a corporate, boring motel...currently $159 a night, but you really need to stay longer to do justice to Yosemite!! I've been there so many times and each time there are so many beautiful sights to photograph and visit. Have a wonderful, safe trip...and yes, the snow was deep and will still be present in the high country. I agree that Tioga will probably be out of the question. If you decide to stay at the Rauch Ranch, call the owners, Lesli or Mike and ask them about road conditions, along with CalTrans. Rauch Ranch and Vineyard, 3398 Ben Hur Rd, Mariposa, CA 95338 Phone: (209) 742-7162

Yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth and I love seeing it in all different forms of art. Just because it isn't seen in its original, natural form does not mean the presentation isn't beautiful. One simply has to view it through different eyes. Look beyond what you expect and allow the imagination to project a new and this time, rather wild image. I happen to think the second rendition is the prettier and I really do like the third one down the page. What you have done in the PP is amazing, to my eye...definitely wild, vivid and enjoyable, detractors not withstanding.

Poor baby! Such a lovely head, but I sure wouldn't want to ride her bareback! I hope she's treated well other than the lack of grooming!

He's smiling? A fantastic shot!

I believe, if you were on a river between Melk, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia, you were on the Danube. The Mosel, or Moselle, flows from France into Germany and then joins the Danube in Germany. And, yes, the von Trapps were Austrian and lived in Salzburg, which is on the Salzach River. All beautiful areas! This castle photo is gorgeous. What must it be like to live in a home such as this??!!

Those are actually darn good shots of a bird that is seldom seen. I got to see one in Costa Rica but was in a bus and didn't have my camera set to go. Was with a birder friend who didn't see it at all and probably to this day doesn't believe I saw it! I did, I really did! Are they common in Florida? And could you repost in download form? I'd love to have them!

Doonagore, a real castle, is a private residence now. Nice to see it out of the scaffolding that shrouded it 4 years ago. At Cliffs of Moher, 16 years ago, one could flop on one's belly and inch, literally, toward the edge of the cliffs where there are now upright boulders keeping tourists back from that edge. Seems part of the cliff fell off into the sea far below a few years back and the authorities don't want tourists that close anymore. We were told the wind at our backs could blow us over the side and we believed it! That's some wind! When I did the bellyflop back then, looking straight down, I could see LOTS of Atlantic puffins below. Very exciting! That was in early June, I think. You must have hiked along the cliffs to the south a ways to get the shots in sunrise and later. Very beautiful photos!

What great shots! I'm so glad you were ready to catch them in their glory as they banked! (This is going to be too wordy, but these planes are just so exciting...I simply love these old warbirds!) For a while I volunteered at the Chino Air Museum in Chino, CA...a really great museum. I got a flight in the museum's Mitchell for about 45 minutes, both in the center part of the plane and in the very back, where the glass had been removed for the museum's photographer to get some of his super shots of planes coming up behind at the air shows and demonstration flights at the monthly talks. My flight took the 7 of us around a number of man-made lakes around the Inland Valley and down toward Murietta. At each lake, the pilot banked wonderfully and it was a thrill that no roller coaster could ever imitate. The museum's B-25 Mitchell was used in a number of movies, the names of which I don't remember. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time...but unfortunately, my camera wasn't!! Not one single picture...

Unfortunately, this is what poppies do and all too soon after picking, which is only one of the many reasons why we in California should leave the wild poppies that our state is known for right where they are and not pick them, to say nothing of the fact it's illegal and has a steep fine with it. BUT...did you happen to look closely at the seed pod that was left after the petals fell? It is a gorgeous work of art! A close up of it could be stunning and you could claim you caused the disintegration on purpose!

What a pity! Windows pose a real threat to birds. One with that size body would hit pretty hard, and head first, would cause brain damage, probably. So sorry!

Pretty sure it' a California quail. Such a pretty bird! Love the head shot. IF the bird doesn't break its neck when hitting a window, it will usually just knock itself out. After a while, it recovers and becomes frantic if confined. We've taken an Anna's hummer and a Western tanager in a shoe box back to the San Gabriel mountain foothills after they knocked themselves out against a window, opened the shoe box and both seemed to stop a moment, say thank you to us, and then fly off, but not until they'd had some time to recover. If we'd just left them alone, the cat would have had a little snack!

Which Red Mountain? I've never been able to figure out which of the 3 I'm shooting!! Beautiful pictures! Along the Million Dollar Highway, right? Love it and love these pictures.