We finally made it to Yosemite! After canceling one reservation, it seemed as if forces were conspiring against us but, somehow, everything worked out in the end. Now that we're back, we only wish we could have stayed longer, but duty calls. Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous and, by car (gas was about $4.82/gallon in Yosemite), we explored almost all of the park, although we didn't spend much time in the valley. We didn't see any bears, but we had a great time, nonetheless. There were these signs everywhere, representing a place where a bear was recently hit by a car. I did get to see a few deer on the side of the road and lots of interesting birds. We can't wait to return for another visit...Vito's arsenal of animal sounds continues to expand. He can replicate the sounds of birds, cats, cows, dogs, donkeys, frogs, horses, pigs, sheep and wolves. When driving in the countryside, something we've had occasion to do regularly in recent weeks, Vito attempts to communicate with the cows he sees from the car by mooing or, as close as he can get,"booing" them.
Besides his animal ensemble, Vito is beginning to imitate many of our other utterances and, while thrilled that his language experimentation is increasing, this worries me a little bit. If you don't know me, you might be surprised to learn that, behind closed doors, my language use may be somewhat more inclusive than it appears at first glance.