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Around Napa Valley XIV

These are photos that I took around Napa Valley, where I live. They were originally posted in my Picture Gallery, and then as space ran out, I moved them over here to this blog rather than simply deleting them in lieu of new pictures. The photos were taken during a period from August 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011. (Most were taken in February and March.) The comments shown below originally were attached when they were posted in the gallery. In some cases, the comments are disjointed. This is because as people delete their Wireclub accounts, their comments leave with them.


Picture #01: Aftermath of a Traffic Collision (#1 of four)
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: This KIA, driven by a distracted 20 year-old girl, rammed me from behind when I was stopping for traffic in front of me. She tried to stop, and tried to miss me by pulling to the right, but she hit me, and pushed me into the vehicle in front of me.
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: She damaged my car FAR more than she damaged her own. Luckily, she was fully insured. I didn't have to pay a dime, but now, if I ever want to sell my Toyota, I can't truthfully say that it's never been in a collision.
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Bugga indeed!



Picture #02: Aftermath of a Traffic Collision (#2 of four)
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Here's the damage she caused the rear of my poor Corolla. Note my wallet (containing my driver's license), my camera case, the blue envelope that contains my vehicle registration and proof of insurance, and a pen sitting on the car. I had been exchanging all of the vital information with her.
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Her front driver's side hit my rear passenger side. After she hit me, my front driver's side hit the rear passenger side of the pickup in front of me. Oh, and I forgot to note earlier, and as I heard the sound of her skidding behing me, I instinctively tried to steer towards the right, trying to get out of her way or whatever. It was an instinctive act, and it might have actually put me right where she was trying go to avoid hitting me.
> SABLES says October 04: so many factors you can't always predict...
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Isn't someone going to make a dirty joke about being "rear ended"?
> shells333 says October 10: Just glad you are OK.



Picture #03: Aftermath of a Traffic Collision (#3 of four)
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: She pushed me into a pickup truck that was stopped in front of me. It had no damage at all, but look at my poor crunched up Corolla!
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: It cost a LOT of money to fix, Sebby. It didn't cost me, but the bill was a big one. Cars are designed to "crumple" to absorb energy in a collision. Helps to keep you from getting hurt, but it really increases the repair bill.
> SABLES says October 04
yep it is amazing.. the front bumper and the clamps that hold it on can be a really easy 1500.00 bill here in Canada, never mind fixing the hood and your rear...
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Ironically, some good did come of this. A bit over a year ago, while I was parked in a parking lot at my bank, I emerged from the bank and found that some careless driver had brushed their car against the front bumper of mine, scraping some paint off. They didn't stick around to take responsibility, and I was stuck with the result, which I blogged about it here, and posted a photo.

http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=1280870

(If you compare photos, you can see in the above photo where the previous damage is.) The repair on that little scrape would have run over $600. My insurance policy, like most people's, has a $500 deductible. So rather than shelling out that money, I just decided to live with it. So after a year of grumbling to myself every time I looked at that place on my car, it's been fixed along with the other damage.



Picture #04: Aftermath of a Traffic Collision (#4 of four)

> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Here's the tire marks she left on the roadway as she skidded into me. You can see how she was attempting to pull to the right and miss me, but in the process of locking up her brakes, she lost her ability to steer.
> Musician says October 04: ........She lost the ability to steer...Are you saying before locking up the brakes she actually had the ability to steer? The steering wheel is a big circular device infront of you while you drive; A 20 year old girl that pestered her daddy to buy her a KIA could easily miss this slight hitch of enormous importance.
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: It was just one of those things, a very common traffic collision. She was driving, and her boyfriend was the passenger. She wasn't paying enough attention, and when she realized that traffic was stopped in front of her, it was too late. Perhaps if she had anti-lock brakes like my Corolla, she would have been able to stop in time, or would have had more ability to maneuver while braking. I love those anti-lock brakes. They've saved me before.
> Musician says October 04: I've been in 2 of those now, as a passenger, big bumps and a bit of whiplash in one but nothing too serious. Not done it myself fortunately.
> SABLES says October 04: yes abs brakes are great...save you from locking and skidding into another vehicle...but she did the right thing by trying to miss the traffic, just both of you had the same idea...lol you needed to speed up a bit for her to have not hit
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Difficult to do with a pickup truck right in front of me. (shrugs)
> StuckInTheSixties says October 04: Hahaha! I was waiting for you to say that!
> WittyPup says October 06: I'm glad no one was hurt.
> StuckInTheSixties says October 07: It wasn't a hard enough hit to even trigger the airbags. Just a typical fender-bender.
> Musician says October 15: I wanted to say "wrong side of the road" too but I'm living in Spain now, which is also a right handed country (talking about the roads not the political system)



Picture #05: This rain-swollen creek on Atlas Peak would normally be only a trickle
> Tink says February 21: I really like this one
> StuckInTheSixties says February 21: I wasn't even sure whether or not to post this picture. Glad you ladies like it.



Picture # 06: Vandalized anti-abortion billboard
> StuckInTheSixties says February 27: I'm all for a woman's right to abortion, but I wouldn't go about voicing my thoughts about it in this way.
> Morsy says February 28: Tacky way to do it
> StuckInTheSixties says February 28: It's kids. It has a distinctly juvenile quality to it. The p3nis with the hairy balls squirting "sp3rm" is a nice touch, isn't it?
> SABLES says February 28:



Picture #07: Goats (#1 of three)
> lumu81 says February 27: *shudders* goats are evil
> Morsy says February 28: Evil!!! No way....
> SABLES says February 28: they are adorable but their eyes freak me out
> Karma says February 28
> MissCellaneous says February 28: Freddy is right. They are evil.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 28: Look at their hypnotic evil eyes ... LOOK AT THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!! *whispers* Satan!
> MissCellaneous says February 28: We had a pet goat named Nikki, cause she looked like Santa, as in St Nick... She was evil and hated all of us except Mum. But whenever we tried to show Mum how evil she was, and how she chased us, and headbutted us and kicked us... she'd play all sooky and nice again while Mum was looking. Evil. She eventually ate some plant she wasn't meant to, and she got gas and blew up (yes, really) which I actually think was cosmic justice.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 28: (laughs hysterically) Damn! I'd pay to see that! Ka-bloooie!
> StolenHeart says February 28: Great shot...I'm reminded of an episode of Little House on the Prairie, called "fred" Fred the goat liked to butt people in the arse
> StuckInTheSixties says February 28: The goats are pretty cool, but it's not really a good picture compositionally. The problem is that yellow rope. It really lessens the composition. (I'm shedding light on how my thought process works with my photos.)



Picture #08: Goats (#2 of three)
> Morsy says February 28: Excellent clear photo and goats are cute too



Picture #09: Goats (#3 of three)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 28
I'd been driving past these two goats (often penned in with the horse shown several pictures above) for quite a while, and I thought I'd stop and take some pictures of them. They were just standing there, doing nothing, but the moment I approached, they both suddenly became fascinated with that yellow rope. They started playing with it, nuzzling it, flipping it with their noses, rubbing on it, pushing against it, wrapping their neck around it (as you see above), etc. Somehow, my presence seemed to cause them to begin playing with it.



Picture #10: Horse, vineyard, houses, trees, Mt. George, clouds
> Morsy says February 28: Excellent love this photo
> Karma says February 28: Nice



Picture #11: Wildflowers and wall
> Morsy says February 28: Cool.....
> SABLES says February 28: beautiful
> MissCellaneous says February 28: Does that make them wallflowers?
> StuckInTheSixties says February 28: Karma, did you hack into Holly's profile ?!?



Picture #12: Arf!
> Karma says February 28:



Picture #13: Fields of wild Mustard and a ridge just south of Napa (#1 of four)
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Picture #14: Fields of wild Mustard and a ridge just south of Napa (#2 of four)
> StolenHeart says March 27: I am in love!!!!I love clouds, and this is stunning
> SABLES says March 28: Teddi and I would love to walk along that lane.......
> StuckInTheSixties says March 28: Actually, I was standing at a fence while shooting this picture wishing I could be on the other side where I could take this road and that other fence out of the picture.



Picture #15: Fields of wild Mustard and a ridge just south of Napa (#3 of four)
> Karma says March 27: This is the actual plant that mustard seeds come from?
> StuckInTheSixties says March 27: Doubtful, though I'm not really sure. This is wild, just weeds. It grows everywhere around here, but there's no industry for harvesting it or anything like that. So that suggests to me that it's a variety of the plant that's not of any value that way.



Picture #16: Fields of wild Mustard and a ridge just south of Napa (#4 of four)
> Zhya says March 27: I'd venture all day there.
> Tink says March 28: Beautiful



Picture #17: Valley Gate Vineyards winery, just south of Napa
> StolenHeart says March 27: this one has lots of appeal
> StuckInTheSixties says March 27: The combination of curved lines and straight lines is was the appeal for me. I find that in vineyards a lot, and I always like that combination. Sort of natural, yet synthetic.
> SABLES says March 28: I find this one really appealing too



Picture #18: Grazing Cattle
> Karma says March 20: Moo. (Cows are always impressed when they encounter a human who has bothered to learn their language.)
> StuckInTheSixties says March 20: What does that mean in Cowese? Or Cowish? Whatever?



Picture #19: Hy%^$ Sheep (#1 of five)
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Picture #20: H%y*z Sheep (#2 of five)
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Picture #21: H^%&^ Sheep (#3 of five)
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Picture #22: Hwz^* Sheep (#4 of five)
> Karma says March 20: Was this near your home?
> StuckInTheSixties says March 20: Yep. Perhaps a mile away.
> Karma says March 20: Are they all males, or do the females have the horns too?
> StuckInTheSixties says March 20: The rams have horns, the ewes don't. This flock was almost all males. You can sort of see a ewe behind a ram in Picture #5.



Picture #23: Hy*@^ Sheep (#5 of five)
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Picture #24: A stand of California Poppies growing out of a cyxy* in a street gutter
> Morsy says April 16: Love seeing this happening in the concrete, go nature
> SillyLaura says April 16: suddenly feeling sleepy *yawns*
> StuckInTheSixties says April 16: They're totally drug-free poppies. Just pretty, that's all.
> SABLES says April 16: I love California poppies
> Karma says April 16: Poppies. Poppies! Poppies!
> Tink says April 16: They are beautiful though.
> lumu81 says April 16: Such a striking colour!
> AussieOi says April 18: Looks heaps better than gray concrete.



Picture #25: Gnarly Oak Tree - A Study Of Form (#1 of five)
> StolenHeart says March 21: oohhhh, I love it. It reminds me of my very kinky, curly hair.
> SABLES says March 21: amazing tree!



Picture #26: Gnarly Oak Tree - A Study Of Form - Zooming In Tighter (#2 of five)
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Picture #27: Gnarly Oak Tree - A Study Of Form - Zooming In Even Tighter (#3 of five)
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Picture #28: Gnarly Oak Tree - A Study Of Form - Zooming In Tighter Still (#4 of five)
> SABLES says March 21: this is my fave...the grey of the bark with the light blue of the sky, would make a nice photo on the wall Sits
> Tink says March 21: Very cool tree



Picture #29: Gnarly Oak Tree - A Study Of Form - Tightest Zoom (#5 of five)
> Karma says March 20: Love these photos!
> Morsy says March 21: Love these photos I like taking the same type with trees adds a beautiful perspective and composition



Picture #30: California Poppies and clover
> Karma says April 24:
> lumu81 says April 25: I love that colour