80th BIRTHDAY

My family treated me to a special birthday dinner at Juniper and Ivy which is located at the north day of Little Italy.  The menu features many small plates which are fun to share with a group .

GOLD AT SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART

Nancy Lorenz: Moon Gold is the first major solo museum exhibition to showcase the art and alchemy of New York-based Nancy Lorenz. Having trained in the conservation of Japanese decorative arts, Lorenz continues to employ traditional lacquering and gilding techniques as points of departure in her studio practice. This collaboration with the Museum will features new works by the artist inspired by Japanese masterpieces from the permanent collection.

Among the painted works in the exhibition will be what Lorenz calls Pours, abstract compositions involving gestural applications of water-gilded gesso. Varying in scale, these paintings turn on the tension between arid fields of pigment and sumptuous cascades of gold, silver, and platinum. More intimate, though no less beguiling, will be a group of decadently adorned boxes.

Elsewhere, corrugated cardboard is transformed into a ground for gilding. Abstract scratches and striations coalesce into a landscape composition, an evocation of sea, sky, and slanting rain. This motif, studied from nature in the artist’s sketchbooks, remains a recurring theme in paintings large and small, and in the panels that together form folding screens.

We also visited a gallery at the art museum that featured paintings by American artists.

Portrait of Mrs. Henri by Robert Henri

painted by Mary Cassalt

Below the Towers of Towers Falls, Yellowstone Park  by Thomas Morgan

                                   A bougainvillea in full bloom near the Museum of Art.

AFRICA ROCKS AT THE ZOO

Africa Rocks spotlights the animal and plant diversity on the African continent and is the newest experience at the zoo.  The area is divided into several geographical sections.

Colorful drought resistant flowering ground cover plant in Africa Rocks

Closer look

 

We saw a Bateleur Eagle at the top of the Africa Rocks canyon.

The Hyraxes live in rock formations.  Their footpads act like suction cups to help get a grip.  They are related to the elephant!

Hamadryas Baboon

The baboon exhibit has the largest area with a good part of the canyon forming the Ethiopian Highlands section.  The Hamadryas Baboons have a large group that stays together and spends the day foraging. 

The Nubian Ibex are known for their impressive horns and are members of the goat family.  

Ring-tailed lemur

   Several species of lemurs are in the Madagascar forest section.  

West African Crocodiles are found in West African forests. How to tell a crocodile from an Alligator?  Crocodiles have a V shaped snout and alligators have a U shped snout.

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      The Acacia woodland is a haven for many animal species. Monkeys use the trees and scamper on the ground, birds perch and nest among the branch canopies and big cats lounge in the shade.

      A large aviary is part of the Acacia woodland.  Some of the featured birds include bee-eaters and the black-headed weaver.  The weaver builds  a hanging nest that it hovers around to attract a female.

Black Headed Weaver

     The Fischer’s Lovebirds have green backs with orange heads and a flaming red beak.

This colorful bird caught our attention

  An African Pygmy Goose is nestled in a large bowl.

A leopard is resting in the Acacia woodland of the African savanna

Cape Fynbos is located on the South Africa coast where the African Penguins live.  In this enclosure at the bottom of the canyon they enjoy a large pool and a rocky beach.