Kauai flowers

Venice and Rome, June 2008

Sonja, the muffins, Nanci, Xiao Ming, Sooz, and Bob rented apartments in Venice and Rome

One of many delightful lunches outside, this one on the island of Murano

Dinner in the apartment, cooked by the guy with the blue shirt with his back to us, brought in for the occasion

A canal, what else?

Another, molto pittoresco

Our apartment looked down on the Rio degli Fuseri, full of gondola traffic with music from 4 pm to 9 pm.

We finally found a traghetto in operation and crossed the Grand Canal for half a euro, an amazing bargain

Waiting for the boat home from Torcello

The Kitty of Torcello

Burano

A secret spot in Rome

Rome is covered with graffitti. Where is Mayor Guiliani when we need him?

When we engaged the centurions for this photo, we were quoted 5 euro. But they extracted 10 euro on the flimsy basis that there were two kids. Can you find Z? When we developed the picture, though, we thought it was well worth it.
Marco Polo's house in Venice. Not yet given the attention it deserves.

Este, June 1 to 7, 2008

Este is a village about 50 miles southwest of Venice, in the Veneto province. Friends rented a big old villa there for a 50th birthday party. Seven consecutive wonderful dinner parties for 16.




Trompe l'oeil in a nearby Palladio villa

Unmistakenly Palladian

Our villa

A non-Palladio villa on our way to Venice at the end

Donnatello's masterpiece in Padova

More Palladio

Our group

Again

China, May-June 1982 (NBER trip)

Pictures Bob took on the legendary NBER expedition in 1982 to China. The place has changed completely since then.

The members of the delegation and some of the Chinese hosts

The Yanzi, starting down the now dammed gorges.