Went shopping today at Northgate Mall. Hadn't been there for about 20 years! Bought some shirts, a couple pair of slacks, a good pair of shoes, an iron and a few other things.

While eating lunch at a Chinese buffet, a friendly 65-year-old retired schoolteacher named Larry stopped by my table and handed me a P-I editorial to read. He was intent on handing it to someone in the restaurant, and chose me because I was already reading a newspaper. A little while later he came back to chat about the editorial. I invited him to sit down and we chatted for about 90 minutes. He had lots of interesting stories to tell! He grew up in Seattle but has traveled to 70 different countries, including 24 years spent teaching in Italy and a couple years in Ghana for the Peace Corps. I really enjoyed the surprise encounter.

Came upon this tree in a yard in Magnolia during my walk this evening, yet another pleasant surprise!