Carmen and I went to the Nasher Art Gallery at Duke University ...

... to see the exhibit of Spanish art from the reign of Phillip III. It was very impressive to see original El Greco's on this side of the Atlantic. It was worth the drive, even on a gray rainy day. Carmen even bought a bottle of very fine Spanish olive oil in the museum shop.

The day before we had driven down to Greensboro and had dinner with our Korean family, Yu and his kids. Yu's little girl, who is 11, wanted to know why I was her 'uncle.' I told her that it was because her father and I, and 'Uncle' Jed (the Mountaineer) were out in a big thunder storm one dark night and a bolt of lightning hit us and somehow made us all related, so she was my niece.

She demanded to know if that were really true. I said no, it was just that the three of us were just such good friends. Then she decided she like the lightning bolt story better. She likes to write stories and that was a good one. I thought so too. It was a parable.

After dinner we went over to the hospital to see their mother who is a nurse on the night shift. We had not seen any of them for almost three years and it was very good to meet all of them again.