That Thomas Hill painting at the luncheon is gorgeous!

[pokerfan]

Hill first saw the panoramic vistas of California's Yosemite Valley in 1862, an experience that led to his reputation as the "most ardent devotee at the shrine of Yosemite and the most faithful priest of the valley." Shown at the National Academy of Design in 1866, View of the Yosemite Valley not only conjured for New Yorkers the grandeur of Yosemite but also confirmed that the area was already tamed by tourism, as indicated by the couple on horseback at the center of the composition.