The Japanese Garden

It's been a while since I've blogged but we've been busy anyway. Last week a friend of ours from Russia was in town and I had the opportunity to take her out somewhere. I really didn't want to drive too far and I also wanted to be considerate of funds. Plus, she has a bad back so I didn't want to push it and take her to a ton of places.

I've always wanted to go to the Japanese Garden near Balboa Lake in the valley but just never got around to it. So, that's where we headed. Even though the day was pretty warm, well hot, we still had a real nice time. I took Jojo along with us and he did great. The entry is only $3 per person and $2 for a child under 10. The garden is only open Monday - Thursday. It's closed on rainy days and the day after a rainy day. Best bet would be to go online and check it out further.

It's really quite a peaceful outing! I would recommend it for a date or just hanging out with a good friend. There are places to sit and relax. It may even be a great place to just go by yourself and "think" or meditate on God's Word.

 Here's Katya and I. She and her husband are here taking the Biblical counseling summer session at the Master's College. I had a great time catching up with Katya and hearing how I could better pray for her and her husband as they minister in a church plant in Moscow.

I love Weeping Willows. According to the Japanese these trees represent women.

The tea house is in the background.

The garden is actually watered by a water reclamation plant which is right next door to it. It's actually quite interesting. You can go up to a tower and watch a video on how the plant works. All of Balboa Lake, the golf course there, the huge park, and the garden use the reclaimed water.