We're sitting in the San Francisco airport waiting for our oversold and delayed flight to Tokyo.  A surprising number in our group have laptops and we have filled all the available outlets in the waiting area trying to charge our computers one last time before out 10+ flight (and everyone else seems to be on a cell phone). Looking out the window at the humongous airplane set to carry us around the world, it is hard to believe such a thing can fly. Fortunately, the airport is filled with fine art to distract us, including a huge metal cutout by one of my favorite artists, Carmen Lomas Garza, a Texas-born artist who lives in San Francisco.

Last night we were treated to dinner at the Japanese consulate, a home high on a hill with a fantastic view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay, and Alcatraz. It was a beautiful, clear, surprisingly cool evening and the food was absolutely wonderful (sushi, of course - I think my favorite was the eel).

We are all sleep-deprived and anxious to get to Tokyo.