Margaret, Nancy, and I went back to Balboa Park: the Japanese Tea Garden and the Mengei Museum.  Nancy goes home to Maryland tomorrow, so we wanted to get as much of our beautiful park into our schedule as possible.  The Japanese Tea Garden is enlarged and many changes have been made in it since we were last there.  The strolling garden on the hillside in back of the entrance is a wonder of working something beautiful from a very small space.  When the cherry blossoms bloomed in the springtime, I looked over them from the viewing area near the entrance.  I thought it was a good way to see them, but now I can hardly wait for springtime to come again because I can see what I was missing by not going down among the trees

The visit to the Mengei Museum was a reminder that the world is wide and big and wondrous.  It’s hard to believe we once were in a war with the Japanese.  I wonder what was happening with the tea garden when the war was underway and where were these wonderful pots and other Japanese crafts kept in San Diego during the war.  Learning what happened in the early 40s with this part of the Park will be a project that I'll begin.  

David, Margaret, Nancy and I went to the San Diego Museum of Art today.  We were reminded that San Diego, with its Balboa Park and with the museums, is a very good place to live... and to visit. I never get tired of seeing the works of Rivera, Cotan, and Johns... but of all the great works of art that we saw today, the one I go back to see over and over again is the Portrait of a Man by Giorgione.  Wow!

Supper with Ed Jirjis at his house.  Wonderful time.

Cedar Street, Little Italy Farmer's Market.

We've just come off three days of the Republican National Convention, the time when the Republican Party selected Donald Trump as its candidate for the November elections.  Mr. Trump announced his choice of individual for Vice President.  Tonight Hillary Clinton announced her choice for Vice President, and he turns out to be someone I don't know personally but is married to someone I do know, the former Anne Holton.  Anne Holton Kaine and Tim Kaine have three children.  Good choice.

This afternoon Nancy and I took a trolley ride down to the Convention Center where Comic Con is in full swing.  Wow!  It's easy not to take about politics in any area where Comic Con is happening.  The sign I liked best is, "Why can't life be like Comic Con?"  After listening to as much of the Republican Convention as I could stomach, I believe the presidential election cycle this year has been too much like Comic Con.  Give us a break, PLEASE.  Next week's Democratic National Convention should be better.  Here's hoping...

Supper with The Davids, Margaret and Nancy... and Cali, Cookie, and Tommy.  Great evening.

I'm a few days behind in my blogging, so I'm taking this day, Wednesday, July 20, to catch up.  The first pictures are from Monday, the 18th, when we walked up the Big River from Mendocino.  The third picture was taken toward the end of the big day, Sue's big day, when Nancy was pitching the corn bag, and Jeremy was waiting his turn.  The fourth picture is of David getting ready to throw and Shane waiting his turn.  Next is Sue's house with the great group of people seated for a wonderful meal.  The last pictures were taken on Tuesday at the Aquarium in Monterey and along the coast below Carmel.  Life is good!  

We picked up Nancy at the airport in Oakland and headed north to the San Rafael/Richmond Bridge and across the bridge to Highway 101 to Willits and then to Fort Bragg and then down to Susie's place at Mendocino.  Wonderful three days, all included in this one blog entry.

...from the airport in Oakland.  We pick up Nancy tomorrow at the airport and go on to Mendocino.