Balboa Park

If everything goes according to plan, we will be moving to Bakersfield, California Monday. Yesterday was our last time to attend the Prime Time luncheon at First Lutheran of Northridge. It is hard to believe that during our two months here we have met such wonderful friends at this church. So many expressed their unwillingness to let us go, and we feel the same way about leaving them. That is the biggest problem with the free wheeling life style which we have adopted! At the luncheon we met another retired couple who have done something even more radical with their lives. Dr.Dennis and Paula Lofstrum put their retirement plans aside and started a medical center in Tanzania, Africa. They have formed International Health Partners with the Victoria Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. They spoke at the luncheon of the progress they have made in the ten years since they built their first clinic. Paula  talked about all the wonderful people around the world who have aided them with their service and money, which has made possible many healing miracles for Africans. Now she and her husband are traveling around the states telling their story to anyone who is willing to listen and open up their wallets. Hmmm, I guess if our travels here in the states get too boring, there is always the possibility of John and I traveling to Tanzania and doing some volunteer work! After the luncheon we headed to Balboa Park to work off our meal.

We walked around the lake twice, observing the activities of the people and birds around the lake. Many snowy egrets were around the lake, as well as the occasional solitary great blue heron.

Speaking of egrets,  we have also learned to look up to find them.

 We also saw some trumpeter swans. This is a good time of the year for sighting migratory birds here in California. The black spots in the lake are coots, a type of marsh bird. Some of the birds in the lake are also cormorants. The latter are easy to identify as they swim partially submerged.