Museum of Man

It's a beautiful day in San Diego! Balboa Park was on the schedule for today, and it was the perfect day for it. We started out at the Visitor Center, which turned out to be just a gift shop - I was disappointed. The Japanese Friendship Garden is just behind the Visitor Center - the bonsai was especially interesting and attractive. We found the Cymer, Inc. donor plaque - they've donated over $100,000!

My special desire for today was the Museum of Man, and there was no disappointment there. San Diego should be really proud of this museum and its great displays. The Pleistocene Era, the Mayans, Evolution, Primates, and the Kuna of Panama. My favorites were: the gigantopithecus blacki (for picture, see above link), the Mayan stela, and the fabric work of the Kuna - (it was indescribably fantastic.)

We ate lunch in the sculpture garden of the San Diego Art Museum. I've never had lunch at a place where you can eat outside on the grass and have chilled wine at the table. We didn't have the wine, but the two tables on each side of us did - the server came and added ice to the ice bucket during lunch. A new experience! There was also a Mobile sculpture at the side of the garden - we sat and watched it and watched it and it was fascinating.

After lunch we went across to the Reuben Fleet Museum of Science to watch IMAX. Before the show started, we all had a good time with the hands-on science displays. The movie was Mystic India. Very mystic indeed.

Back to Tom's house - take my shoes off - big glass of diet Pepsi - put my feet up - feel great - I love San Diego, I love Tom's place, and I can't wait for tomorrow!

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And here's Dick's version of our day:

Our first day at the Tom Steiger residence and we were greeted this morning by Conni before she had to get back to work. She told us of her planned trip to the Galapagos Islands later this spring. Tom took the day to escort us to Balboa Park. He dropped us off at the Visitors Center, (A gift shop with a small help desk attached) while he parked. We toured the Japanese Garden which is supported in part by Cymer. It was fun but we had to do a fast shuffle to get ahead of the guided tour.

After the Garden we went to the Museum of Man. It is a great display which currently features an extensive exhibit of evolution through the Pleistocene as well as an excellent series of exhibits on primate evolution. We also enjoyed an exhibit on the art/clothing of Panamanian Indians.

My favorite display was a modern shop tool cabinet with human tools from various epoch's. The tools ranged from a hammer and screw driver in the top drawer to assorted stone scrapers and hand axes in the bottom.

My favorite overheard comment was from a boy of about 10 who was with his mom. He was looking at a series of models on childbirth. Looking at the next to last, he was saying in a shocked and disbelieving voice, "You mean they grab the baby by his head and pull him out?"

We had lunch in the sculpture gardens. It is set up so that you order and pay and reeive a large number to place on the stand at what ever table you select. The staff brings the food to you. I don't know how they did it, perhaps it was chance, but the server, a different person than the order taker, brought out three different plates and set them in front of the proper customers.

Folowing lunch, we scouted out the miniature train, (closed, it looks like what the TC train could become at a different venue) and then visited the Science center and Imax theate Mystic India was a "documentary" of a young yogi of the 19th century.