We went to a wedding this weekend in Philly and on Friday night there was a cocktail reception and a preview of the new exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Manet and the Sea. . I enjoyed it very much; both the cocktails and the exhibit. Especially the Godiva Chocolate with the cocktails and the painting Manet did in Venice. I think it's the most colorful of the Manet paintings in the exhibit and although not really of the sea it's the one with the most life. The other painting we liked was the one of the civil war naval battle between the Union ship Kearsarge and the Confederate ship Alabama. This battle took place off the coast of France. I didn't realize the Civil war was waged elsewhere near other countries. The Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed the exhibit very favorably and if the crowd on Friday was any indication it's going to be very popular while it's here. Manet isn't the only painter there's also Monet, Renoir, Whistler among others in the exhibit.

We visit Florida on a regularly irregular schedule. On the Gulf Coast near where we visit is Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, home of the manatee. The park is very scenic. You can ride a boat over to the main entrance and get a chance to hear about and see some of Florida's flora and fauna in it's natural setting. In the park itself there are many more native species of birds, animals, fish, a very non native hippo left over from a previous incarnation of the park and of course the manatees. They give regular talks about them and people crowd around the"the salad bowl" to watch as they feed on the greens tossed into the water. Manatees move slowly and rise to the surface every three to four minutes to breathe. Thus they are vulnerable to injury by boats. Many are killed every year. They have been long on the endangered list and thought to have a very low population, the state has recently passed tougher boat speed laws and restrictions on development and access to the waterways where they live. Now a recent study has shown that the population is larger than previously thought and the developers and boaters are trying to get the manatees off the endangered list so the restrictions can be lifted. Smithsonian Magazine published an article this month on the furor over these gentle giants. All the time that we've (people) been around we still haven't been able to figure out how to live with our neighbors so we all can live. We're still unable to see the importance of every living thing to the whole scheme of things.