又去海坨了！

今天跟的是绿野的达达驴队，走的阎家坪。玩得很开心。回程司机绕道沙城，车沿着白河，两侧的山、平原，一路风景优美。白河堡水库很大的一片水，很美。在此感谢达达驴 - 上山时还帮我背了东西。

海坨山顶的草甸上有很多这样的小花。

Trip to Xiaowutai Mountains - 小五台山

Last Friday at 8:30pm, we left Beijing for Xiaowutai Mountains, which are the highest mountains in Hebei Province. We arrived at about 12pm and then slept in a rough and crude room in the small village at the foot of the mountains.

We got up early the next morning, and started off to the mountains after breakfast, carrying our heavy backpack.It was the first time that I went hiking with heavy load. My back felt sore soon and finally in the afternoon we reached our campsite at the altitude of 2,200 meters.

I took a walk along the mountainside with a friend, and took some pictures of the high mountain flowers. The mountains are very magnificent. All the mountainsides were covered in trees and wildflowers.
The mountains are famous for this golden flower, which is also a member of the Buttercup family.
That night when I was lying in my tent, how I missed home! and my tears came out:(. The phone had no signals in the mountains, and we would have to walk many many hours to be out.I was worried my daughter, she insisted staying at home and not going to her grandma's.

海陀山 - Haituo Mountain, June 6, 2009

上山的时候一路下雨. 雨不大, 我们行走在湿湿的小径上. 林木遮掩下几头牛站在那里, 它们一动不动, 安详地望着我们. 牛角短短的, 很漂亮.
It was raining when we hiked up the mountain. We walked on the wet trail. A few cows were standing under the cover of trees, watching us innocently.

上到山顶, 云雾铺面而来. 鼻孔清透. 山谷里也满是浓浓的雾和云.
山顶的草甸上野花星星点点的开放. 蒲公英的花瓣都合拢着, 它们在等着太阳出来, 即刻绽放.

这是狼毒花, 它们的根和茎都是有毒的.
这是银莲花(white wood anemone), a member of the Buttercup(毛茛) family. They are also known as windflowers, because they tremble in the slightest breeze.
这是虞美人, 不是罂粟.
This variety of yellow flowers is my favorite. They bloom facing down at the tip of every stalk.
我一整天都在后悔没有拍牛的照片, 当时主要是怕影响队伍前进.

如果再去海坨，我最想看到的就是那些牛——它们的眼神，它们那种与自然一体的状态，似乎与我的心息息相通.

海陀之行，印象最深的是那些牛，它们有不同的颜色、斑纹，在雨中，站在那里，那是触动心灵的美.

另一个印象深刻的画面是，在大海陀村的田地里，一个妇女手里拿着镰刀，身后跟着她的小孩。那种老式的镰刀，我还是在只有几岁的时候见过，现在看到，格外的亲切。那个小孩，短短的头发，红红的圆脸，只有四五岁的样子，手中的绳子上牵着她的玩具小汽车。我小的时候一定就是那个样子的吧。
为什么我看到那些牛，心里会感到安详，而看到这个去田里劳动的妇女，心里就感到悲凉。有多少女性，一生生活在大山里，偏僻的乡村，长大，嫁人，生育，劳作，然后老去。生活在城市，又有区别吗？

雾灵山

刚从雾灵山回到家. 雾灵山是我见过的最美的山, 茂密的原始森林, 蓝蓝的天, 洁白的云 - 云在很近的山峰的背后慢慢的移动着.

All the mountain ridges are covered in trees.

Wildflowers are everywhere. They color the mountainsides, they bloom happily at my feet and keep me company all the way.

With this magnificent scenery, I was feeling happy and my sorrow was gone.

野三坡 - 十渡

长周末, 我和女儿去了野三坡和十渡.

过去的一年, 我经历了很多, 也成长了很多. 最大的收获, 是我懂得了珍惜 - 珍惜亲人, 珍惜自己, 也珍惜每一天. 如果是以前, 我会为风景的不完美感到失望, 我会为那些人工的建筑破坏了景致而惋惜. 现在, 我坦然的接受. 我看到美的一面, 我呼吸新鲜的空气, 我享受温暖的阳光, 我珍惜和孩子相处的分分秒秒. 也许, 我的成长是从空中楼阁踏到稳固的地面上, 但我不会与自己的原则妥协. That is, I will always be true to my heart.

We went hiking in the canyon first day, along the long loop trail. We spent the second day at 十渡. We walked into a village, where all the houses were built at one side of the mountain. It was the first time I had been in a real mountainous village. Dogs were barking in the distance. Chicken were chucking and sheep bleating. The village was peaceful and tidy.

过年

应该记录下来的, 是大年初一我哇啦哇啦一直在哭. 初二一早醒过来, 又满眼是泪, 接着哭.

会不会要哭一年呢?

即使是哭一年, 又如何呢?

哭完了, 我会哈哈笑. 我才发现自己其实是个乐观开朗的人.

我感到自己就象一只狼. 独自一人, 我行走于这个城市.

November

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

- by Clyde Watson

最有价值的工作是没有报酬的

It is true that the most important work in the world is done without a salary. When a mother staying at home cooks meals, washes dishes or changes diapers, she is in charge of another human being's well-being and future.

And an education is not about job training, or knowledge teaching. An education is the building of the soul.

与朋友聊天, 我们都为自己感到自豪. 我们为了孩子的健康, 为了孩子的成长, 所付出的努力, 会让孩子受益终生. 我们的孩子又会把他们得到的珍贵的东西传递给将来他们的孩子. 这是比挣多少钱, 做多高的官都要有价值的.

我很高兴, 孩子在健康地长大. 我很高兴, 在她的成长过程中我一直没有离开. 我也很高兴, 我的努力已经有了可喜的成果, 她是那么优秀, 快乐和健康.

flowers blooming in the moonlight

Flowers are flourishing beside the door, around the window. Delicate petals. Pleasant fragrance. Can't depict how beautiful they are.

Time like this I wish I had someone to share the moment with, to enjoy the flowers I grow.

I've realized that most part of love is to share joys together. And to give support or help at hard times. Fragile souls.

I would feel more peace and safety walking in the darkness of night, than among crowded people.

喇叭花开到了阳台的顶上

立了秋, 那三株喇叭花的藤上就迅速的长出了花蕾, 一串串的. 每天的早晨, 许多的大喇叭花向着太阳盛开着. 有一支竟沿着衣架爬到了房顶上, 无处再爬, 只好盘旋在那里, 花儿们也开成了团团的一簇.

游故宫

Even under the baking sun, there are still many tourists visiting the Forbidden City. (I don't think Forbidden City is an exact translation for this former imperial palace.)

Places like this you can see people speaking different languages, and with different skin colors. They are taking pictures with great interests.

The Palace is not a good place to live in. The more we look around, the stronger we feel this way. We have to watch out for all the stone doorsteps to every house, and all the thresholds between rooms. Rooms are not drafty. Few trees are growing there. I do have seen some pines, which seemed to be their liking, but they have small crowns as we know.

You can feel the supreme power emanating out of even the architecture. You can see ancient treasures from all over the country, although some of them look timeworn and even covered with dusts now. What had those emperors really owned? Power, jewelries, or the comfort of living in this large palace, with many women? I deeply doubt about that. And I deeply feel sorry for those women who had lived in such a place, which was nothing better than a tomb. Even as a mere material place it was not humane, to say nothing of the feudal system.

I even feel glad when I find wild grass growing in brick crevices in a patio, almost treeless like all the others.

Power is such an awful thing if you can not use it correctly. And all the treasures, the largest jade carving, the longest ivories... once someone owns them, they ruin them.

The tour makes me getting angrier. The whole history of Chinese feudalism, is totally a history of killing women and children. When power was being used to oppress people, it led to its own demise. The history decayed all the way.

那些价值连城的珍宝, 笼罩着一股破败之气. 那巨大的玉雕, 那世界上最长的象牙...一旦人们拥有了它们, 也就毁坏了它们.

封建社会的历史, 可以说就是一部迫害妇女和儿童的历史.

天行健, 君子以自强不息

It becomes my motto.

天, 即宇宙万物, 在不断的运动, 刚劲强健; 人, 应效法天, 自强不息.

之所以将其作为座右铭, 是因为我对这句话有了新的理解. 它不单是指, 人应努力进取, 不断的超越自己. 当年龄增长, 梦想淡化, 生活似乎定型的阶段, 自强不息有了不同的内涵. 那是内心的力量, 内在的鼓励, 象宇宙万物一样, 生生不息.

就象一棵大树, 我们努力的长高, 长壮. Like a tree, we are always growing taller and stronger. The power of our heart, is the power of universe.

零星的记忆 之二

多年前, 我去一家韩国人投资的公司工作. 那是我工作时间最短的一个地方. 一个月后, 投资人突然撤资, 公司就迅速解散了. 我的邻座是个虎头虎脑的小伙子, 很壮实, 也很英俊, 刚毕业没多久. 我们都做coding work, 但在不同的项目组. 不过有很多时候, 遇到难题时我们仍要互相切磋, 因为坐的近确实很方便. 他很聪明的.

有时我们不得不加班到很晚. 我们都住城市的北郊, 乘同一趟公交车, 然后他奔东, 我奔北. 车上一般没座, 如果有, 他一定是让给我坐. 多数时候我们都站着. 有一次我意识到, 他站立的位置, 离我并不很近, 但使我完全处在一种受保护的状态, 即使有紧急刹车, 其他人也不可能冲撞到我身上. 老旧的公交车在夜灯下向前开着, 他就以那样的姿势, 站在车里.

公司解散前的一周, 他辞职了. 一周后, 我也换了另一家公司工作. 随后有一段时间的早晨, 我们仍然在那个大的车站换乘同一趟车, 上车后我们仍是抢着为对方买票.

即使现在回忆起来, 他的全身仍透着一股孩子气. 也许, 他也是那样看我的, 因为他不知道我比他年龄大很多. 后来, 我搬到了城里, 就再也没见到过他. 他留了手机号, 我已经给弄丢了. 而且, 我已经忘了他的名字.

零星的记忆 之一

在很早以前的一个英语班上, 老师在黑板上写: 白领 white collar, 蓝领 blue collar, 然后回头问大家:''我们是不是都想成为~~~" 同学们异口同声:"white collar~~~" 只有我喊:"blue collar~~~" 前面的同学诧异的回头望, 一定认为我在捣乱. 不过我当时确实是想成为一个蓝领, 因为整天坐在计算机前的工作, 已经使我感到越来越违背自然.

Little House on the Prairie

have been reading the book Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I love the book so much, so does Yuan. The Ingalls family lived a life I so admire, or even envy, which I see as REAL life. I always think that real life makes people happy. In real life, I would not be sad when thinking my career is going to an end. I would not care about how beautiful or ugly I look. And I will feel more like part of Nature, like the trees, winds, or clouds...

I was even moved when Charles made a rocking chair for his wife with slender willows. What a wonderful chair that was, and full of love and warmth. It always touches my heart when a woman is honored. I think the real civilization is that when women are honored and children are loved and taken good care of, as an equal human - no one would feel so deeply as I do about it.

Yuan said her mouth almost watered when they were eating toasted prairie hens and stewed jack rabbits. She is excited she has known all the details of making a log house and stout doors.

the most beautiful egg

Our new lamp not only gives off brighter clearer light, but also creates more obvious shadows as well. My little girl noticed that. After dinner, she took an egg out of the refrigerator (a boiled, salted duck egg, btw) and placed it under the bright light. Bending her head over, she started to draw the egg with her pencil. She spent the whole evening drawing and shading this perfect egg.

wildflowers

My little girl took some pictures that look very cool. (You can NOT rely on a cellphone to make a clear picture, especially under the dazzling sun.)

Wildflowers are blooming happily this time of year. As we walking we saw so many along the roadsides and in the lawn, my little girl decided Oct 2nd to be the Wildflowers Day. I think these flowers finally got a chance to embrace the sun because mowers no longer cut them so often as in summer days.


三叶草 - Woodsorrel

Dandelion

a book

从图书馆借来一本书，《丰子恺谈名画》。喜欢他的文字，那种简单和洒透出的慈善。正如他的文字，他是一个多么简单又慈善的老人呀。Always like his words, and, what a simple and kind person he was! The first one he started with in the book, is Jean Fransois Millet(1814 - 1875).


"他心中非常难过。回到家里， 把身体躺在床上，他的眼中流出眼泪来了。"
"画中的人多么辛苦，多么善良，这样子使人人看了都要感动。"

The gleaners, the cultivators. How they moved me, since I once did exactly the same work when I was a kid.