Japanese Garden

I had a day off from work today, and my husband suggested we take in some of the museums in Balboa Park. As members of one museum, we were given a special offer of free admission to other museums in the area. We visited four museums, plus toured the Japanese Friendship Garden. The grounds are tranquil and lovely, with all the requisite attractions of a Japanese garden--irises, maples, a koi pond, a waterfall and other beautiful spots. The smooth paths take you along the many points of interest. I particularly liked the view of this bridge taken from one of the lower areas in the garden.

I also took a photo of the koi pond area, where two ducks were perched on rocks along the edge and looked longingly at the huge koi swimming around. Suddenly one of the caretakers rushed onto the rocks with a long bamboo stick and shooed the ducks away. I think he didn't want the koi to become their next meal. I read in the brochure that the oldest recorded koi fish lived to be 236 years old.