Young Climbers

This afternoon we went to two birthday parties with my son Len and his family in Baltimore. This was at the second given by a friend from Nepal for his wife; she is from Brazil, as is my daughter-in-law Luciana, and there were other Brazilians there. Family blips are yesterday and for Ella's first birthday--more from there.

It was a very welcoming group, and 16-month-old Ella had a great time playing with the other children. Needless to say, she didn't participate in this activity, which was soon forbidden; the three kids leading the way belong to the household. Baltimore has a significant Brazilian community; Len and Luciana moved there about ten years ago, soon after they met and married (he had been living in San Francisco, they met New Year's Eve in San Francisco and got married three months later after a whirlwind transcontinental courtship).

In the morning we visited the Walters Art Gallery, to see a fascinating exhibition entitled "Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe." It "invites visitors to explore the roles of Africans and their descendents in Renaissance Europe as revealed in compelling paintings, drawings, sculpture and printed books of the period." (The map shows the location of the Walters Gallery.)

One year ago: See Washington and Lafayette at the New York Historical Society.