寻花 List of DMV local gardens

寻花
List of DMV local gardens

List 1. Flowers by season.
List 2. Gardens in DMV by state/reagion

All seasons (in greenhouses)
For addresses, see List 2 below. 地址见列表二如下。

兰花 Orchards
U.S. Botanic Garden
Hillwood Museum and Gardends

Spring:
山茱萸 Dogwood

樱花 Cherry Blossom
Where: Tidal Basin, East Potomac Park, Kensington, MD
Pretty much all over DC area
US National Arboretum

芍药 Peony
Seneca Creek State Park

杜鹃花 Azalea
Brookside Gardens
Brighton Dam Azalea Garden

郁金香 Tulips
Brookside Gardens

紫藤 Wisteria
Brookside Gardens

Summer:
向日葵 Sunflowers
McKee Beshers WMA
Royal Farm
3209 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD 21111

熏衣草 Lavender
Seven Oaks Lavender farm
8769 Old Dumfries Rd, Catlett, VA 20119

莲与荷 Water lily and lotus
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Fall:
菊花 Chrysanthemum
Brookside Gardens
US National Arboretum

List 2. Gardens in DMV by state/region

Maryland:
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902

Seneca Creek State Park
11950 Clopper Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Brighton Dam Azalea Garden
The Azalea Garden is scheduled to reopen in Spring 2020.
111 Brighton Dam Rd #77, Brookeville, MD 20833

McKee-Beshers WMA
GPS: N39.08155, W077.37309

Virginia:
Green Spring Gardens
4603 Green Spring Rd, Alexandria, VA

River Farm
7931 E Boulevard Dr, Alexandria, VA 22308
River Farm is the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, VA 22182

District of Columbia:
Dumbarton Oaks
1703 32nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
1550 Anacostia Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20019

US National Arboretum
Two entrances – one at 3501 New York Avenue, NE, and the other at 24th & R Streets, NE, off of Bladensburg Road. The R Street entrance is CLOSED to incoming automobile visitor traffic after 2:00 p.m.

U.S. Botanic Garden
100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001

Hillwood Mansion, Museum & Gardens
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008

Tudor Place Historic House & Garden
1644 31st St. NW Washington, DC 20007

Meridian Hill Park
16th Street & W Street NW, Washington, D.C.

Posted in DC area Events, Life is beautiful, Travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A July 4th Trip to Upstate New York in 2014 年纽约上州游

Watkins_IMG_1048s

It is summer. Suddenly all of my friends around the world start their summer trips. That makes me wonder: maybe I should do something.

As I browse through my old photos, I come across this set for our July 4th, 2014 trip to upstate New York and Niagara Falls. There were other things going on, so the trip was filled with mixed feelings. However, I was amazed to see this many waterfalls in the New York State Parks. I may not have time to write in detail for what we had experienced, but I’ll list below the attractions we visited during our short trip.

The first stop was Watkins Glen State Park. A short 2-mile hike along the cliffs brings you to sites with nearly 20 big or small waterfalls.  Some of them even covers the path. Shuttle bus is available at the top so that you can take a ride back to the parking lot.

IMG_1043s

还是2014年7月初独立日那次出游的照片。纽约州-沃特金斯峡谷州立公园中有大大小小近20挂瀑布,完全改变了我对美国山青水不秀的看法。从山门开始第一个秀美的小瀑开始,人们在悬崖之间穿行,时而从水帘下穿过,时而途经双瀑清音,反正左右都是水,即使天下小雨,也无伤游兴。公园上山路仅两英里,下山可以搭乘班车,特别方便。

Then there was the Letchworth State Park, the “Grand Canyon of the East”. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, so I can see why it is called so. With lots of vegetation in the summer, it is hard to feel the grandeur of the canyon, but still worthwhile to see the river from the overlooks. The Genesee River runs through the gorge, creating large waterfalls. You see double rainbows near the falls under the bright sunlight.

纽约州的莱奇沃思公园,据称是“东部的大峡谷”,但是风格和气质相差很远。植被丰茂几乎遮盖了峡谷,有些象《夺宝奇兵》似的景色,蜿蜒看不到尽头。几挂瀑布也美,还有常年悬于半空的双彩虹。

To see the American Falls (Niagara Falls) from the Canadian side is a different experience. The view is better and funnier. When we looking from the street across the falls, the water appears to be hanging on the sky and pours down. I chuckle every time I look at this picture.

IMG_1058sIMG_1055s

“出国”到加拿大去另外一边看大瀑布。然后回来到安大略湖边看鸟。晚上围着篝火啃西瓜。

And Lake Ontario, the easternmost and smallest of the five Great Lakes, looks still wide without edges. We stayed at our friends home in Rochester, lit a bonfire and talked all night.

Lake Ontario_IMG_1106sIMG_1134s

IMG_1241s

The state park in which we had most fun was Stony Brook State Park. All those “Do Not Enter” signs fail to prevent people from entering the shallow streams along the way. There are many small water falls. So fun to play within. A short walk from the entrance of the park brings you to a small pool , filled with all natural, flowing stream water. The water is a little cold, but dipping into it is so much fun!

石溪公园,水浅滩平,多小瀑布。虽然禁止下水,游人们还是情不自禁踩到溪水中间。下游把水一拦,形成天然泳池。溪水凉而洁净,玩的是野趣。融入山水之间的感觉真好。Stony Brook_IMG_1198s

Our last stop was the Corning Glass Museum. Definitely worthy of a visit — even for those who do not like glass works.

回程安排到玻璃博物馆,馆藏很丰富,密密匝匝地陈列,埋没了不少。玩玻璃工的演示很有意思。带着聃在藏品之间找动物。康宁玻璃博物馆藏品众多,从古自今,各式各样,远非几张图片可以代表。就连不喜欢玻璃制品的我也不住惊喜。我们走马观花的参观,有些委屈它了。玻璃工的活看上去也很有趣。图片中有古物,也有科研用器皿。

IMG_1263sIMG_1264s

Posted in Life is beautiful, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Canifornia HWY 1 加州一号公路

See photos for this trip (435 total) on [OneDrive].

I’ve been busy on work and many other things and been lazy on updating my blog. As I told many of my friends, I own California Hwy 1 a blog post. We made the trip last December, before the rain and landslide damaged the bridge and roads. We were lucky, the weather was extremely good during our trip, plus, at least for some time, no one could make the same trip we did due to the road conditions. When I search back for the short WeChat posts I wrote from Dec 2016 to Feb 2017, they added up to a long post. That helps me a lot recalling the details and sequences of our trip. All trips are live changing for me, but I have to say the CA HWY 1 trip last December was most memorable. The text will be mainly in Chinese (alright, I copy and pasted from earlier writings), I’ll try to mark all English locations in red. Pictures should tell the story by itself.

IMG_7815s

十年前我博士毕业艾芸硕士毕业,一起到三藩。还是年轻胆大,住市中心的青年旅社,骑自行车走遍三藩好多角落。骑车过桥又坐渡轮回来,实在骑不动了,最后一段上坡路,坐公交车回旅社。十个多月后小黄聃出生了。带着孩子玩三藩,完全没有以前的自由。再也不能想去什么地方就去,想吃什么就吃,想做什么就做。一万个不合拍。人也老了十岁,吃不得,走不得,累不得,时差忍不得,一个背包走天下的日子一去不复返。

双子峰夜景。很多电影里都有的情景。著名的裸体海滩Baker’s Beach,也是著名的金门大桥观景点。当然,这天儿只有风景,没有人体。美!

Ten years ago when I got my Ph.D. degree and my wife her M.S. degree, we visited San Francisco for the first time. Living in a hostel in downtown SF, toured the many attractions on bikes. We are back! The hostel still exist, but we are no longer the young backpackers. Living in a downtown historic hotel, we had a different tour of the city. The twin peaks night is beautiful so is the Baker’s Beach and Golden Gate Bridge.

从三藩沿280国道一路南行,自92转880到Fremont。横穿海湾的十二英里大桥,两面都是海。下桥一路,由高往低处前路,颇有弗罗里达七里长桥的味道。远处84号路另一座桥周围雾汽围着,天气不算好,但在弱阳下有淡粉的光影。从圣何塞往Santa Cruz开,17号公路一路弯弯曲曲的山路,又是另一番景象。一个S又接着一个S,比主题公园的游艺项目更刺激。阳光斜照,把本不是特别繁茂的山峰染上色彩。真正转上一号路,堵车开始。画风一转,两边变成成片的农田,于是我们临时决定开到海边的Moss Landing,避开交通高峰。

Moss Landing State Beach, 加州1号上路离Monterey 16英里,好多人在这里看鸟。海滩衔远山,也很美。成群的环颈鸻在湿地上飞行,好热闹。Moss Landing有一块小海滩,正是太阳下海时。日映海面,天空中一只薄云遮挡的圆轮,海面上一只浪花荡碎的太阳。浪花飞溅出点点细碎金黄。海边沙丘背面有湿地,是snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus,环颈鸻) 的繁衍地。成群的海鸟时不时惊起盘旋,在夕阳下随不同角度,一会是灰色的保护色,只看得到密密麻麻的细线;突然翻转,白色的腹部在斜阳下一闪即逝,就像活烟花,惊奇看不够。难怪好些观鸟者扛着“长枪短炮”在这里守候着。

观鸟毕,重回一号公路,交通已经通畅,开车赶到海边正好是夕阳落下,光影最美时。太平洋你好! Asilomar Beach在Monterey半岛边,沿岸有好多深色的礁石。远处水天相接的地方是一层一层金色和深蓝界线分明地交着。近处海浪拍打礁石,溅起高高水花,久久不能落下。走上礁石可以深入大海很远,脚下是石,身后是沙滩,三面临水。这时候伸开双手,拥抱前方的光明。

西海岸看日出,东海岸看日落。人与自然相比,不过是一个影子,同大海山川天地相比哪一点值得自大?

Carmel-by-the-Sea 是加州一号公路公路上著名的文青小镇,据说居民大多是艺术家,作家,诗人,演员。多任市长也是文青,包括伊斯特伍德。小镇的夜晚好漂亮,我们在冷风中看画廊的橱窗了。白天再去玩玩。

十七英里(17-mile)是海边的私人社区,交$10买路钱可以去走一圈。风景延续了附近的Asilomar海滩的样子,海水澹澹,岸石竦峙。加州空气不好,但是我们正遇上天蓝海蓝的好天气。这一片海滩叫Pebble Beach卵石滩,沙滩头有好多大卵石,有质感有特色。早上还挺冷,西班牙湾这边海风冻人,但早起的鸟儿已经开始寻食。看不够。

天气特别晴朗。十七英里卵石海滩一路碧海蓝天。海水是各种层次的蓝,浪花和泡沫是纯粹的乳白。在无息海那边,浪涛汹涌,拍击在礁石上激起水花,水花高高飘起,形成水雾,在阳光下闪出一道道彩虹,一瞬即逝。

无休海那边,浪个不停!大风把浪吹出了发型,像上海滩的腊波。浪拍礁石溅起万丈水花直接打在栏杆后的游人身上。激起的水花悬浮在空中,斜阳下折射出彩虹。静下时,海的泡沫把湛蓝的海水染得像乳汁一般。

海边的高尔夫球场格调太高,虽然风大难度高,也无法阻止它成为全美排名第一的公众高尔夫球场。

就这样走走停停,每一处都舍不得不停,每一处都舍不得走。从中国石那边往鸟石处向南望,海面上的大浪如万马奔腾,还扬起马鬃。大浪被风吹出纱,可惜摄影技术不佳,拍不出狂浪卷起万马奔腾抛白纱的既壮丽又婉约的样子。

海豹躺满礁石,就像岸边泛红的沙地植物,远看开满花,近看才发现不是花,花朵红白,在瑸玢中并不显眼。

午餐后去点萝卜丝(Point Lobos)公园,登高俯瞰海滩,十分壮观,像望着仙岛。一号公路沿线更是无与伦比,太平洋海岸在雾中气象万千。看不厌,停车不止。没有太多时间,在Point Lobos只走了两个小步道。先是在捕鲸湾,上山后居高临下鸟瞰小海湾,别有一番风味。黄聃走下来与公园管理员聊了半小时鲸鱼,管理员邀请他明年暑假去同她一起当讲解员。海狮步道地势更高,走在海边,烈日高照,大海在脚下幽深,路上可能听到海狮咆哮的声音。

IMG_8113s

Monterey Bay以南的Big Sur是一号公路最美的一段。从北往南开,太平洋就在右手边上,夕照下烟雾起来,停车一望处处是蓬莱。远处仿佛有紫烟升起。公路在海水和山石之间延伸,弯曲,上下,深蓝的水,金色的山,让我舍不得专心开车。我们太喜欢了,每个地方都不想离开。今天相机拍摄了几百张照片,手机也拍了不少。这些照片完全无法概括今天的美景和震撼。特别是在沿海的公路上蜿蜒而行,左边是宽厚,右边是包容。有一段路我们来回开车两遍,天黑后才开下山去。

我觉得有很多话要讲,又突然语塞,无法用文字表达当时的感受。兴奋,舒畅,相机不能抓住美景的万一。

IMG_8135s.JPG

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park里面McWay Falls是加州两个直接流入太平洋的瀑布之一。我们没有找到紫海滩的时候,在这里问路。正是傍晚光线最好的时候。夕阳刚好照到瀑布的出水口。

走错了路,千辛万苦终于在天完全黑之前来到紫海滩Purple Beach,往返多走的二十英里,崎岖狭窄的小路,渐黑的天色都没能打消我去看看的念头。相见恨晚,却抓住了夕阳的尾巴。大美。真的有紫色的沙!海边两块大石头,有如桥洞一般的大洞。浪和夕阳都从洞中穿过,美哉。就是这个紫海滩,紫色的沙是天然的,从海边那块大石头上冲下来的,海水会把紫沙带走,所以不是总会看到(网上说大雨后去最好)。两只大礁石很大,而且各有一个通海的孔洞。远离海岸时,大石把海都挡完,只从洞中和边缘可见海面的色彩。浪把海水推进洞中汹涌而出,带一些紫沙回流入海。紫色是高贵的颜色,我们还是忍不住带了一捧沙走-反正大海要把沙收回,我们带一些念想回家珍藏,比贝壳宝贵。日落的光影又惊呆了观者。再夸张的画布都无法这些相比。绕过大石到海边,湿润的沙滩上映着无数变幻的色彩,从金黄,蓝紫到深红。幸亏坚持去问路,飞车去了,否则路过错过留下遗憾。

IMG_8162sIMG_8164sIMG_8181s

紫沙滩学名叫Pfeiffer Beach,如果没有去过很难找到。我们第一次路过时完全错过,开了十五英里想着不对,又返回到McWay瀑布去问一位州立公园的工作人员,才知道怎么走。先说明,一进入Big Sur地界,几十个英里都没有手机信号。(紫海滩上AT&T有信号)所以不要指望Google。公园入口在一号公路上没有标志。有一个大斜坡上面挂“Narrow Road”的黄色小牌子,从北往南走时可以看到。如果看到右边非常不明显的邮局,那就是走过了。如果从南往北走,则入囗离McWay瀑布所在的Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park大约十英里,开过左边的邮局,注意左面一个大斜坡,开下去。右急转后才能看到Pfeiffer Beach的牌子。往下开几乎是单车道,有两英才到海边。注意对面来车,及时在稍宽的地方避让错车。千万不要停在1号路边走路下去,两英里路程不近而且路窄危险,停车费才$10。路不好找,也不好走,但是值得一去。

夜深了,从弯曲的沿海山路驱车去住宿的地方,沿途风景看不见,只听到涛声,还有海象滩海象的叫声,仿佛嗅到它们了。夜深人静,睡了一个好觉。宿海边,窗外就是海。早晨突然被一阵鸟叫惊醒,赶紧用手机录下来。正准备抛窗帘看看是什么海鸟,发现黄聃设定的闹钟在响,继续睡。

IMG_8199s.JPG

Morro Rock是火山喷发留下来的,现在加州安然,但从地质上处于大断裂带,对人来说好长时间,对地球只是一个呼吸之间。著名的火山栓Morro Rock从旅馆阳台就能看到,于是转去Montaña de Oro看海。首先经过紧桉树林,林中桉树精油浓郁的天然香味,呼吸特别舒畅。公园很多路径可以骑马,十点过时,好多人带来马儿,山野热闹起来。Montaña de Oro金山之称来自于满山遍野的金色虞美人花,季节不对,但公园管理人员给我们看了一张照片-在海边山上,一片金黄-果然是仙境。Bluff步道的一头自然中心是一家老屋改建的博物馆,还原了当年的生活场景。沿海的步道人人都爱,风不大日不烈时行走最佳。老屋座落的地方有风景独好,眺望远处的小海湾。沿海的步道据说风很大,厉害时人站不稳。

在加州山区行车,青山连绵,一路上都是Windows XP 桌面壁纸的美景。Los Alamos附近,红色的葡萄架依山而立,一排一排又一排。大片牧场中牛儿悠闲地漫步。这让我想起那天看到的阳光,大海,青草,快乐的牛产美味的肉。

IMG_8226s.JPG

突然想起12月正好是洛基山脉以西帝王蝶到加州越冬的时候。Pismo Beach的蝴蝶林中聚集有两万五千只。华氏五十五度以上时开始满天飞蝶。必须亲眼体验。正是正午,光线不太好,但是天气暖和,蝴蝶纷飞的场景非常好看,头顶上全是扇动翅膀的帝王蝶。那么多蝴蝶在树上堆着停着,是多么壮观的景象。

特别爽,基本上一路上都没有手机信号。不用玩手机。中午来到丹麦小镇(Danish Town, Solvang),吃到好东西了,必须要发朋友圈。肉香,菜好,全部是本地有机农场产本店现做。好久没有吃到这么好吃的三明治了。连黄聃都主动吃完盘中的菜。午餐11点到3点,1点半就卖完不接受新客户了,我们运气好。Donut上的那片厚肉好好吃。盐足,比较咸。

IMG_8249s.JPG

从手玩(Solvang)到三塔芭芭拉,有一段八英里大下坡路,山路蜿蜒直向太平洋冲去,非常刺激。半山腰暂停,从群山峻岭之间远眺,大海在天边。圣芭芭拉(Santa Babara)是一号公路上最美的城市,依山傍海,从路上观景点看去,远处的海面和白色点缀的城市在同一平面。是车行路游,只去看了法院大楼。西班牙风格的建筑可见一斑。圣芭芭拉(Santa Babara)海滩最美的日落,拍了好多照片,我几乎一张都没删,金色的海滩太美,身临其境才能真正体会到。海豚就在金色海岸边嬉戏,我们幸运地看着他们。

IMG_8285sIMG_8309sIMG_8335s.JPG

三分之一的加州草莓出自Oxnard地区,而加州占去全美85%,全世界四分之一的草莓产量。早晨从Oxnard出发,路边全是草莓地,一个个红艳草莓在阳光下闪闪发光。车里也仿佛弥漫着香喷喷的味道–那是昨晚买的草莓。

IMG_8340s

蜻蜓点水般的走完1号公路,看到美景就停下来,走走停停终于来到了尽头。点水的也不光是我们,海洋那么大,时不时还可以看到一点水花,那是鲸鱼喷水。鲸鱼和人相比不知道大了多少倍,但是与海洋相比也只是那么一点若有若无的水花。Malibu,Santa Monica, 一号公路结束,66号公路也终于Santa Monica。走到这里有一个类似大多美国海滩的Pier和乐园。著名的66号公路止于此。这一路的海边才像有冲浪人的加州阳光海滩。沿路都是,另一种生活方式。

从桑塔莫妮卡到洛杉矶,再沿五号到圣地亚哥San Diego,十三年后重走这一段,那些著名的路标还在。

IMG_8358sIMG_8408s

UCSD,Scripps Institute和Salk Institute下有著名的布莱克海滩Black’s Beach。除了这里是全美第一的天体海滩外,野海滩的风景独特,不可错过。地貌非常特别,特别美,美得令人惊叹。海边的黄土悬崖松软,水土流失造成沟壑纵横,站在边缘看下面如蚂蚁一般的小人,又怕突然垮塌,有掉下去的危险。夕阳西下,海面光影迷人,刺激又不舍离开。海滩的一端有很多行天体日光浴的人。或卧或坐或立,无拘无束,在阳光下身上泛起金属色泽,十分和谐。沙是黑色,那些不穿衣服的人儿和穿衣的人与天地海浪自然和谐。昨天圣地亚哥的气温超常的暖和,所以行日光浴的人也挺多的,但是他们大多集中在沙滩的另一面,隐私保护挺好的。

地貌也是不一样的美,大海在百米悬崖下面。水土流失造成的黄土沙崖岸边有很多沟壑孔洞,踩上去软软的,从崖边望下去,风景独好。果然非常之观在于险远。

前行好远,跨越好多沟坎,来到滑翔俱乐部那边的下行步道。又急又险,比起乐山大佛边缘的步道有过之而无不及。百多米的道路蜿蜒在悬崖上面,危险却很有趣,有的梯道甚至接近90度。也是水土流失得很厉害,好多地方都有漏空。下行到底部就可以在沙滩上漫步。我们在悬崖边上望着下面的人儿,像蚂蚁一样的黑点。海滩上晚上忘了,看崖上的人,也像蚂蚁一样的。就这样我望着他们他们望着我们,再看看海滩上面些躺着坐着走的人们,夕阳西下,明天雨就要来临,有很多很厚的云,阳光穿过乌云,照到海滩上,就是另类的美。每一天,海上日落都不一样。远处城市的华灯初上,与天色呼应。我们降到海边时,天已快黑尽,迎面就是一位节省布料的大叔坐在伞下。这种大叔就像“仙剑奇侠传”游戏里无关紧要的人物,随机的走来走去。海滩的人不少,大家各行其事亨受自然,互不干扰。云层好厚,把落下去的红日拦住。远方城区华灯初上与天色交相辉映。人类创造之美与自然之美孰美?不若天合一也。

天黑尽,再爬上悬崖,开车路过几座研究所的大楼,实验室里面灯光还通明。这让我想起从前做研究时的情景。前面的一位导师曾经就在Salk Institute工作。这个私立研究院曾经是艺术与科学并重,故而学院的建筑也是很有特色。第一次来时我就特别喜欢这个地方,这一次我例外。我觉得我把青春留在了这里。

圣迭哥少雨,就被我们遇上,吃过早饭雨停了,还是多云,远方的海上有阳光的影子。

IMG_8435s.JPG

La Jolla Cove故地重游,圣迭哥最美的海滩,狂浪依旧,拍在岸边礁石上,水花可以溅上身。聃和盐巴妹妹下到海边,与浪花玩耍。两位明显玩得开心了,一有Wifi便交换了微信。

有一些海豹没有慵懒地躺在沙滩,在海中游泳,灵活非常。海豹常见而海豹在水中嘻戏不常见。

IMG_8443s.JPG

驱车去Bolboa Park。公园有众多博物馆,莲池,温室,沙漠花园,和著名的圣迭哥动物园。没有时间仔细参观,只能走马观花,看看这里西班牙殖民地复兴式风格建筑。

再到圣迭哥老城Old Town San Diego十多年后故地重游,变化不大。在老地方照相,去烟草店吸烟。美国的“古镇”全国各地大都一样,不同而又相似的历史,各种劣质小商品市场,以正能量心情游玩,多看多聊少买东西,其实也挺好的。圣地亚哥老城,泥墙上剥落的疤痕已经补上,但依然能看出原先一模一样的形状。地方不大,几步便走完,在圣地亚哥少有的阴雨天气中,并不显热闹。

IMG_8516s.JPG

傍晚开车过San Diego – Coronado大桥去皇冠岛海滩上看圣迭哥夜景。好长好宽广的沙滩!岛上一角是科罗那多酒店,1888年开业,木质维多利亚海滩渡假村风格,是全美第二大的木结构建筑。虽然盛传爱迪生为酒店安装了电灯,但这只是有趣的故事罢了。梦露的著名影片Some Like It Hot曾在这里拍摄。如今这座酒店连同其他15所高级酒店已经被中国安邦收购。

Irvine也有好多华人聚居,中餐馆也是很集中的。早上想去吃豆浆来到这里。进门也是人山人海,看来人多不是一个店的专利,不能作为生意好坏的决定标准,是因为确实人多。服务员看到聃聃长得好看特意给他加了一个蛋。好有在中国吃早餐的感觉。有些时候没有在美国吃到过小笼包(不是汤包)了。

有好多次想去吃In-N-Out都未遂,越是这样越想吃。华盛顿地区的Five Guys的汉堡已经很好,但据说In-N-Out是第一。很多大厨,包括Ramsey, Julia Child都是它的粉丝。我们最近一次尝试在拉斯维加斯,赶飞机前专程前往,结果人家还没开门。今天也是特意前往,开到门口就堵上车。排队进门,里面人山人海(这是是家快餐店呀!),点餐号是56,这时才发现领餐处叫号才到28。薯条没有Five Guys好,汉堡各有千秋:肉饼新鲜,味道适中,回味很好,面包柔软有面包香味,果然名不虚传。

IMG_8548s.JPG

奥斯卡红毯铺过的地方平时也像普通的Mall一样,人们走过星光大道,找寻自己喜欢的明星,对其他人无情地踏过。想当年在这里为停车纠结,如今正大光明从中国剧场正门进入观看电影。一直以为Grumman’s Chinese Theatre(被中国人买了冠名权后改为TCL)只是明星大腕们举办电影首映式,大家走完星光大道,到门口看明星手印脚印签名的地方。没有想到可以买票进去看电影。这个近九十年的历史建筑保存完好,门口的两只石狮为明代文物,内装修豪华气派,13,14,15年技术提升后IMAX屏幕,音响,投影效果都是顶级的:世界最大的单个屏幕,曲面,增加70mm投影系统,dual-4K激光投影系统。昨天看的最新《星球大战》3D IMAX,简直爽呆了!比身临其境还清晰。1977年首部星战电影就是在这里首映,意义非凡。电影迷星战迷一定会理解我有多激动。

去年跨年夜是在车上渡过,从佛罗里达州开回马里兰,12点时一家人一起庆祝。今年跨年夜在飞机上渡过,从加州飞回马里兰,12点时也是一家人在一起。愿2017年行得更快,走得更远。

Posted in Life is beautiful, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Solomons Island – Calvert Cliffs

IMG_6583s
Every 4th of July, we plan a trip to somewhere; short or long, it doesn’t matter. It is the quality time together that we cherish as a family tradition. So on the 3rd of July, we left early from a party at friend’s house and headed for Solomons Island, a small town in South Maryland for a two day trip.
IMG_6629s7月3日下午开车直奔向马里兰南边的所罗门岛。很少在雨中漫步,乌云的高光让世界显得更加清晰。小镇不大,人少,倍感安静舒心。随便选了一家餐馆,Island Hideaway,位于水边,坐在deck上就可以看船,味道很不错,Crab dip几乎全是蟹肉,剩下不少加到沙拉中。鱼肉是新鲜海产,最后的甜点巧克力蛋糕相当好吃。店主Lori老太太出来聊天,聊高兴了还把她儿子的鲨鱼牙齿化石拿出来送给聃。她家就住在卡尔弗特(Calvert)悬崖边上,可以放一根绳子下崖去游客无法访问的海滩上捡中新纪海洋生物化石。晚饭后,在“怕他生”(Patuxent)河边散步,河对岸烟花四起,特别浪漫。“怕他生”河汇入“切蛇皮”(Chesapeake)海湾,连接着大西洋。马里兰大学有海洋生物实验室在所罗门岛上。FullSizeRender (1)
We’ve been in the region for ten years but have never visited this part of Maryland. We arrived Solomons Island on a rainy day, the island town was quiet and clear in the rain. Walking on the boardwalk along the Patuxent River, all was peacefully.
So we had dinner at Island Hideaway, right by the water. Sitting on the outside deck, the boats are right in front your eyes. We had very pleasant conversations with the owner Lori. My son was so excited when she brought out fossil shark teeths for him to pick. The food was delicious.IMG_6645s
The next day we went to see the lighthouses at the Calvert Marine Museum and the Cove Point. Getting to the top of lighthouse was wonderful. We got to see the beautiful crystal Fresnel Lens. The Marine is small but nicely arranged. We had lots of fun inside as well.
阴天之下的灯塔特别显眼,灯塔上配的水晶灯组,可以把灯光聚集发射到三十英里之外。到美国来看过不少灯塔,却是第一次爬上顶,有趣加兴奋。美国从开始就有航海的文明遗留,所以西人对灯塔有特殊的情感。潜移默化中,灯塔不单是航海工具,也成为地标和精神的体现。Calvert Marine Museum是一个小小的海洋博物馆,没想到内容挺丰富的。不但讨小孩喜欢,大人看了也想买一艘船玩一玩。那只像狗的鱼比狗还凶,像狮子的鱼比狮子毒。IMG_6655sFullSizeRender
The big event of the day was to visit the Calvert Cliffs State Park and look for fossil shark teeths on the beach. From the parking lot to the beach, there was a 1.8 mile forest trail. The rain did not bother us too much. The parts of the trail was sandy and the other wooden boardwalks. Green forest, pure white wild water lilies, and the natural sound of different species of frogs accompanied us all way long.
IMG_6665sIMG_6687sIMG_6575s
下雨天游玩也挺有感觉,夏天暑热,雨天不但没有烈日曝晒,还可以兜风玩伞。淋湿了也没有关系。去Calvert Cliffs悬崖边要经过一片1.8英里的树林,步道是细沙地,经过沼泽湿地时是木道。蚊虫们翅膀湿重飞不动,终于让我安心通过。光脚走过细沙地上,只有少许雨水从密叶之间滴下来,大时沙沙声变成啪啪声。我也不管,走到一片开阔的湿地,全是盛开的白色野生睡莲,每一朵花上都饱含水珠,近半英里。那一荡荡的水面泛着雨点打出的波,又干净又活泼。来回一路六公里,聃聃有些累,后来我们说起很多很多年以后,人类灭绝,新物种的父子对话谈论发现的人类化石。它们把人类命名为拜婆子(bipods, 二脚兽),一路拜婆子走到停车场。聊天走路仿佛距离缩短,一家人一天没有碰手机,也过得充实。这才是我们小时候出门游玩的意思。
IMG_6683sIMG_6701s
Once we reached the beach, it was unfortunately high tide, but that did not discourage us from diligently working to dig for fossils. Apparently large shark teeths are not easy to find, but we managed to find some small pieces of fossil.
IMG_6692sIMG_6711s
Awesome short trip, and we shall do it again soon.
马里兰州南边,切萨皮克湾沿岸一条中新纪化石带悬崖 – Calvert构造(Chesapeake Beach到Scientist Cliffs),Choptank构造(到Long beach),St. Mary’s构造 – 富含8百万到2千2百万年前的海洋生物化石。特别是已经灭绝的大白鲨远祖牙齿是广大群众喜而乐见的。于是昨天我们以极大的热情去浪淘沙了。天上在落雨,海浪在浸润裤头,我们不停地挖沙,淘沙,干得不亦乐乎。然而化石并不好找,全身尽湿后,除了几块很小的化石,没有淘到鲨鱼牙齿。在重温了此大陆先行者的辛苦后,我们深深地感受到淘金的不易。悬崖层次分明的橙色艳而不俗,百看不厌。远处Cove Point的灯塔灯光闪烁,很远都能看到。IMG_6694s
Posted in Life is beautiful, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Snow goose at Middle Creek WMA

IMG_5947s

It is very hard to imagine what it would feel like when over 100,000 birds are hovering over your head. You gotta see it by yourself. The sound is loud, can be heard from far away.

The snow geese are large birds, migrating from the South to the North in the Spring and back in Fall. The weather was still cold for us human being, but it was well worth the effort to see them at Middle Creek WMA.

I love wildlife, but not an avid bird watcher. This March was the first time that I saw so many birds being together. The experience was almost like a dream. Snow geese have wide white wings with black patch at the end. Under the sun, the geese are bright and beautiful. At night, the geese stay on the water to keep from cold and predators. Day breaks, and the birds all fly out to feed in the nearby fields. That was the first sight of thousands of snow geese flying. At sundown, birds starts to fly back to the resting place, and you see the “moving clouds” coming from far away. This was the second sight of the birds. If you’re lucky, sunrise and sunset happens at the same time. The brilliant color variations of the sky and the flocks of birds compose something really sublime. The sound of the birds broke the tranquility of the lake, but it was the noise that made the silence as well.

Nature is a silent place full of noises of harmony.

IMG_6005s  IMG_6012sIMG_5882s  IMG_5932s

IMG_5980sIMG_5922s

Posted in Life is beautiful, Travel | Leave a comment

Camping at Assateague 2015

IMG_3643s IMG_3654s

For all Photos please visit [OneDrive Photo Album]

到海边露营是精神上的享受而不是肉体的舒适。这是从内到外的升华。于是三天两夜之后,带着50多个蚊虫叮咬的痕迹和满心的幸福回到家中。忙碌的时候也能时不时回忆起那光影,那海浪,那宽广的胸怀。和自然和宇宙相比,我是多么渺小,存在是自然神奇的求证,尽力而为体验本心,一点一点往好的方向改变自己,再发散出去,希望能一点一点改变周围。蝶翅之力不为小,一已之力亦不为大。

我爱大海,它日夜重复却从不单调,庞大而不乏细节。坐在海边看浪花,听涛声,待日出。没有哪一次不能感觉到它的不同,没有哪一次不能感觉到它的温情。看似平静的沙滩上,有沙虫,有贝类,波浪一过,钻出来,趁水还未退下便又迅速钻下去。仔细观察,这万千生命瞬间出没于海滩,姿态各异,色彩多样,怎能不让人欣喜?!那打磨圆滑的贝壳和石头,随海水起伏,时现时没,那是被生命和时光琢磨过的精华。无论是人是物,尽一生,希望总有机会留下这样一块,任人拾取、欣赏。

IMG_3502s IMG_3505s

夕阳在海对面,从沙丘后照过来,映得满天霞光,洒得海滩上金黄。人和物都亮了起来,和着水,升腾起诱人的光。我怎么舍得离开。待太阳已经没了顶,再回到营地,升起篝火。一头梅花鹿嗅着烤苞谷香气来了。这漂亮而乖巧的动物,与“禄”谐音而受人喜爱。在这样的环境中没有人伤害他,所以他自由穿行于我们营地,任人抚摸。

IMG_3582s

夜深火尽,满天星空只手可摘。就着涛声和海风入睡。月上来了,把营地照得透亮,夜晚的海边,无人,静谧,海浪把月光推向岸边。朦胧中传来一声轻嘶,是野马趁着没人占领了海滩,尽享清凉湿润的风。我悄悄地拍照,突然背后冲过来几团黑影,那是好奇的另几只马儿在瞅我拍照。惊喜之间,我悄悄地退回到帐篷中,露气已经上来,沾满帐外。

日出在六点,光影的盛宴却早已开始。远处的海滩上昨夜那群野马还在,在晨光下构成绝美的画面。我止不住激动,却安静地坐在沙滩上,不忍破坏这美景。年年看海上日出,年年有不同,丰富的色彩永远没有重复过。海鸟随着光线变化而繁忙起来,追逐着海浪的边缘。慢慢地,微红的太阳跳出水面,心脏律动开始,天空中再也没有比它更亮的。我迎着阳光,赤足在沙滩上漫跑,沾染着这温暖的阳气,时不时停下脚步拾起喜欢的贝壳。习惯成自然,自然成为仪式,内心的喜悦和外界的水天合为一体。

Posted in Life is beautiful, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Garden 敦巴顿橡树园博物馆及花园

IMG_6959s

[More photos on OneDrive]

It’s amazing that I’ve worked at Georgetown for nearly three years and yet to visit Dumbarton Oaks. The museum and gardens are part of the Harvard University, famous for its Byzantine and pre-Columbia art collections and garden landscapes. I listed this place on my 2013 New Year’s resolution but never had the chance to visit it. I was so impressed by it during my recent visit. The museum is open to the public free of charge; the garden charges a nominal fee from March to October. Even though it is a small museum, there are many interesting items on display. You’ll find items displayed right outside of the elevator. It’s a pity that I didn’t bring my camera, so all the photos were taken with a mobile phone.

【一】敦巴顿橡树园博物馆及花园(Dumbarton Oaks)位于华盛顿乔治城,是哈佛大学的一部分,以其拜占庭,前哥伦布时期的收藏和园林设计,园林建筑而著名。去年列在新年景愿中,却未能前去。这次去参观,我简直惊呆了。在乔治城工作近三年,居然没有来过。博物馆全年免费参观,花园在3月到10月收费,其他时间免费。博物馆虽小,布置得相当好,藏品丰富,连电梯口都见缝插针的摆有藏品,我没有带相机,只有用手拍了很多照片。

IMG_6962sIMG_6971sIMG_6977sIMG_6960sIMG_6964-65s

 

 

At the end of the World War II, delegates from China, Soviet, Britain, and America had a serious of discussions in the Music room, which are called the Dumbarton Oaks Conversations. Because of these discussions, we later had the United Nations charter that was adopted in San Francisco in 1945. The DC area has lots of museums converted from historic buildings and this one has a think history.

【二】二战结束前期,来自中国,苏联,美国,英国的代表在这里商议,写成了《联合国宪章》。华盛顿地区有不少历史建筑改建的博物馆。这一间的历史足够厚重。

IMG_6968sIMG_6991s

Two Pritzker Architecture Prize winers had designed buildings for Dumbarton Oaks. The Building that displays Dumbarton’s pre-Columbia collections was designed by the first ever Pritzker awardee Philip Johnson. The building is consisted of 8 halls surrounding a center fountain, divided but continuous. The pre-Columbia collection is just marvelous. Walking through the building and viewing the art works piece by piece, is a beautiful experience.

【三】两位普利兹克建筑奖(Pritzker Architecture Prize)得主,Philip Johnson和Robert Venturi,先后为这里设计。展示前哥伦布时期的收藏的建筑由Johnson设计,他在这里被授予普利兹克建筑奖。建筑由围绕着中央圆形喷泉的八个圆形展厅组成,间隔而又连续,加之精美的藏品,行走其间美不胜收。

IMG_6997sIMG_7002sIMG_7006sIMG_7084sIMG_7005s

The gardens are designed by the founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Beatrix Farrand. The original garden occupies over 50 acres of land. The terrace nature of the land makes the layered arrangement of the gardens. Many landscape techniques are used in the designs. Looking at the hollowed walls, see-through platforms, some places of the gardens feel like a traditional Chinese garden.

【四】花园是由美国园林建筑家协会的创始成员Beatrix Farrand设计。原占地超过300亩。由于修建在坡地上,整个花园层层叠叠又分割成多个不同的园林元素。用漏墙,空台,颇有中国园林移步换景的味道。

IMG_7020sIMG_7026sIMG_7029sIMG_7037sIMG_7056s

 

【五】跟随着讲解员走了半个花园,聊了很多与园林有关的话题。后来自由参观我走遍整个花园出门,发现她在门口等着我,又聊了好久。她邀请我有空再到花园去看看。多好的老太太!秋天的果蔬园里满是秋梨香味。每天能在这样漂亮的花园走一走,是身心的享受。

【六】相当喜欢私人游泳池,卵石花园和进门这间无花果藤围绕的暖房。以后我家这三者得其一,我就很满意了。

IMG_7067sIMG_7076sIMG_7068sIMG_7073s

Posted in Arts (including films), Culture & Literature, DC area Events, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

2013 China Trip (1) – Chongming Island, Shanghai–my inherited hometown

IMG_9580s

For almost a year, I haven’t wrote anything on WordPress. True, I was busy, but there were many things happened that I would like to share to everybody. My trip back to China at the end of 2013 was a big part. I plan to wrote 4 to 5 blogs on that trip. After all, I haven’t been back for almost 10 years and my maternal grandparents passed away within just 2.5 month in 2013 at ages 90 and 94. I miss them so much! These blogs and my trip to China are tributes to them and my background of which I will cherish and pass on.

[Full Photo Album: Shanghai (on OneDrive)]

During our 2013 trip back to China, we traveled to the Chongming Island of Shanghai, where my father grew up. Although I had only been there once when I was less than Dan Dan’s age, Chongming is my inherited hometown per Chinese tradition. The old family house (it used to have three courtyards and a well) has been renovated into a three-story modern building. My grandmother and one of my aunt still live there. Surprisingly, I still have childhood memories of the old places. I think everything runs and stays in my blood. An wonderful experience it was. 

IMG_9510sIMG_9657s
The photo above has my 93-year old grandma, still very healthy, my two aunts, my uncle, my father, and some other relatives. I have lots of family relatives that even my father can’t recognize.

It was quite a long walk from the bus station to my grandma’s house, so we took a cab, and it was still quite some walk to the final destination. When we arrived, our grandma had already walked further out from the front door, waiting to see her son, grandson and great-grandson. I was very much touched by the scene when my grandma held my father’s hand without any words. At that time, silence delivered so much beyond any language could express.

The three-story house was surrounded by family lands, which had different crops growing. Dan pulled out a radish by himself in the radish field. The fresh vegetable tasted so good that he ate almost half of it. A new well now stood in the front of the house. The old one that I still remember had been sealed. There was some old cabins where the family dog lived. Beside that was a room for firewood, and a small yard for cattle (sheep) and chicken. Some of the family lands were rented out for shrimp and crab farmers. The stretch of houses in the background of the crab fields belong to my grandma’s family (i.e. the family she belonged to before she married into our family). Although the Yangcheng Lake Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is most famous, Chongming Island is the hometown for the crab. Behind the lands are our family bamboo forest where my grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandparents were buried. Dan loved our family bamboo forest.

IMG_9480sIMG_9566sIMG_9505sIMG_9641s

IMG_9632sIMG_9508sIMG_9573sIMG_9597s

When the day broke the next morning, my father took us to a place in town for breakfast. Then we browsed around the small town market. While walking back, we found probably the location of my grandfather’s shop in the town of Beibu (photo above). The old street where my aunts and father used to help my grandfather with his business was still untouched but it may soon be gone in the next round of the town development.

Rural morning was quite beautiful. The air was very fresh, the atmosphere peaceful.  As I jogged on this land, I ran by a stretch of houses. All of them belong to families that descended from the same ancestor and therefore they were all my relatives. The other day my father and aunt accompanied me and walked door through door to made introductions. The feeling was surreal. That made my 5 days in Shanghai both light and heavy at the same time.

Posted in Life is beautiful, Travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Seven Oaks Lavender Farm

IMG_0843sOur Saturday trip to the Seven Oaks Lavender Farm was very pleasant. We read all the online reviews on Yelp, and I still wanted to go. Purple, for Chinese people, is a divine color. Both me and my wife love lavender, there was one time in our home that everything was lavender.

[For all photos, please visit my Skydrive here: Seven Oaks Lavender Farm]

The farm is even smaller than we thought. Once we exited the car, strong smell of lavender filled the air. The field was up on the hill, not the kind of sea of purple I had in my mind, but it was different. You do see rows of the plants from certain angles. I looked at them, wanting to grow some lavender from seeds for my own garden.

Bees and butterflies were busy among the flowers, and so do Homo sapiens. Up on the hill and around, there were plenty of tables and chairs for picnic. The weather was very pleasant: breezy with no touching sun. That made it a wonderful day for an outside lunch. Kids should be very happy holding baskets and scissors and running around cutting the beautiful lavender stems from the very bottom. Down the hill there were a play house and other toys as well as a petting pan full of cute rabbits.

If I were expecting a field full of lavender that I could dive in, I would have been disappointed. But I was looking for a family half-day trip that is full of color, fragrance, and little fun, then the place was just right.

They have very friendly staff, a little chat with them completed the trip.

IMG_0847sIMG_0865s  IMG_0869s IMG_0876s IMG_0908s IMG_0914s

IMG_0879s IMG_0883s

Posted in DC area Events, Life is beautiful | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Teddy Roosevelt Island

IMG_1441sThere is a hidden germ on the GW Parkway: the Theodore Roosevelt Island. The island can only be accessed from the northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. I still remember last year I circled around that section of the GW Parkway, but failed to located. GPS didn’t work at all.

And we were luck to arrive early enough to find a parking space.

Georgetown can be seen from the pedestrian bridge towards the island. Hiking trails on the island are relatively short and is covered by very nice foliage. We had a wonderful couple of hours walk in the island and picnicked near the Roosevelt memorial.

 

More photos of the Island are on my SkyDrive”:
[Theodore Roosevelt Island]

Posted in DC area Events, Life is beautiful, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment