Visiting Our Son’s Family

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I are back in La Jolla to visit our son, daughter-in-law & granddaughter. It is truly wonderful to be with them in person.

Our granddaughter updated us on some of the artwork she has done while we have been apart.

“Every artist was first an amateur”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Creativity takes courage”

— Henri Matisse

“Every child is an artist. ...”

— Pablo Picasso

Aloha -- Cathi

Heartfelt Story of Love & Friendship

Aloha Everyone,

I took the last few days off to readjust to California time. The main activity J.J. and I were engaged in was to pick up Honu from the storage facility and to clean and organize its interior. To remove the 2 months of accumulated dust required some muscle power :-)  J.J. and I also utilized the time to catch up with news about our family and friends.

Here is a wonderful, heartfelt story of love and friendship: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/this-4-year-old-made-an-unlikely-friend-at-the-grocery-store/

Aloha -- Cathi

Returned to California

Aloha Everyone,

Our flight was divided in two segments — from Barcelona to Paris then Paris to Los Angeles. Total time was about 14 hours. Pre departure; transfer at Charles de Gaulle (Paris); and getting through immigration added another 6 hours. Considering that J.J. and I stayed awake nearly the entire duration, we were amazed at our energy at the of the trip.

J.J. saw 4 movies (English, American, French and Chinese). I was able to watch “Viceroy’s House”. Based on events in 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed to serve as India's last Viceroy. The story was about the partition of India as the British withdrew.

The most challenging part of today’s travel happened at the Los Ángeles International Airport. Due to thermal inversion, as our plane began to descend, dark layers of thick fog blanketed the airport vicinity. This caused delays because visibility was nearly zero. It added three more hours before finally reaching my Mother’s home.

Aloha -- Cathi

Spain Reflection

Aloha Everyone,

October-November is one of the best time to travel.  Most of the tourists are gone. We were blessed with beautiful weather.  It rained in Toledo for a few hours, but that was heaven sent as El Greco’s favorite city appeared just as he depicted in his paintings.

A few interesting facts about restaurant dining in Spain. You pay the lowest prices at a counter. If you get table service inside, then you are charged more. Additional premium is charged if you sit on a sidewalk table. J.J. and I chose the sidewalk for lunches if there was an ambiance. For dinner, we preferred dining indoors. In our 20’s we often ate standing at counters, but the two of us have graduated from that scene :-)

Nearly 2 months have sped by and we are going back with new resolves to expand our knowledge of Spanish history, art and language.

People are the same everywhere. We met some extraordinarily helpful people who went out of their way to give us directions.  

J.J. and I encountered numerous musicians performing in parks, on streets, front of monuments, museums and underground subway routes. J.J. and I have a soft spot for musicians — young, old, and in between, accomplished or hopelessly untalented. Seeing our granddaughter and our grand nephews’ practice, we can’t just walk by. We always gave coins and smiles.

Here is our last look at Spain including one of Plaza España in Barcelona where bullfights are now prohibited. The old bullring is now reborn as a shopping mall.

¡Hasta la proxima vez, Barcelona! (Until next time)

Aloha -- Cathi

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aloha Everyone,

We are grateful for our family, old friends and new friends, acquaintances and total strangers who have crossed our path. The have enriched our lives and enhanced our learning experiences.

Today was spent at Museu Nacional D’Art De Catalunya (National Art Museum of Catalunia). The museum is housed in the Palau National, an impressive Italian-style building resembling a castle  on Montjuïc hill. From Plaza Espanya, the building looms shadowy and imposing. Known for its impressive collection of Romanesque paintings, Catalan art, modernism and noucentisme, we spent nearly 3 hours and saw perhaps only 25% of the collection.

For those of you who are more interested in our Thanksgiving meals in Barcelona, let me start with our standard breakfast of croissant and café con leche.

Lunch being the biggest meal in Spain, we feasted on a three-course meal of olive and toast with tomato, followed by grilled vegetables and crab spread. J.J. and I shared the main course of grilled lamb dish. It was absolutely delicious.

For dinner, the two of us returned to the organic food specialty restaurant for mixed green salad for me and a calzone for J.J.

Aloha -- Cathi