Hello everybody!
Mouse_Spouse and I got back safe and sound from our vacation.
On the flight into California, I sat next to an older woman from Austria. She was very talkative, which distracted me from the flight. (Immigrated to the US in 1960, has a couple of children, was in Denver for a grandchild’s graduation, etc.) I also read Mommy Knows Worst . It was a nice break from all of the pregnancy/baby guides I have been reading.
We rented a car and drove to Yosemite National Park. The Park was magnificent! Mouse_Spouse is an amateur photographer who admires the work of Ansel Adams. He was thrilled to see the valley Adams immortalized! I’m also a shutter bug, and the Yosemite offered many opportunities to stretch my skills and try new things. The a unknown bonus to taking pictures is it’s a good excuse to rest while hiking. * No, I’m not tired. This is a real nice flower, give me a minute to sit down and set up a shot.* 
Once, I tried to get a picture of a squirrel. “Don’t you usually take those pictures with the subject dead and pinned in position?” Mouse_Spouse teased. I took up photography as a work assignment. A researcher wanted pathology images of transgenic mice. After some study, and a lot of trail and error, I learned how to take good clear pics. Ever since, I’ve enjoyed taking pictures.
“Hey, it worked for Audubon.” I shot back.
My beloved estimated that we hiked over 20 miles. Not bad for a pregnant lady!
We saw many different birds: jays, hawks (I think – they were far away), sparrows, and a few ducks. There were ground squirrels and deer. Mouse_Spouse hoped to see a bear. I was happy that we avoided a close encounter of the ursine. 
As we hiked along the Merced River, I was able to see fish! Growing up in along the Mississippi near the Atchafalaya Basin, clear water amazes me. As a photo buff, one of my goals is to capture the flow and purity of mountain streams. (Excuse my saccharine doggerel.)
After three days in Yosemite, we drove to San Jose. Spouse’s work is based there, so he took me to the main campus. Silicone Valley is quite impressive! The eBay building had a “Now Hiring” sign along the road. :dubious: We also saw the Winchester Mystery House. It’s not my beloved’s thing, but he didn’t complain. I’ve always wanted to see this place since Jack and Holly Palance talked about it on Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Tiffany stained glass, windows in the floor, a door that opens to a two story drop, séances for building instruction. Great weird stuff!
A friend watched the cats while we were gone. They didn’t act too badly. Mostly the boys tried to beg a lot of treats from her. Astrix, our young rambunctious orange kitty, is used to wrestling with Spouse – much to my disapproval. Apparently, Astrix launched a couple of sneak-attacks on the sitter. She didn’t appreciate it one bit, but understood that he was playing. 
On Monday, we return to the usual routine. Hopefully, the lab is still in place and my job is still there. But, I feel reenergized and ready to tackle any insanity that may crop up – which is inevitable considering my track record.
