Click to see larger pictures. 點擊看較大圖片. Topics list is at bottom of page.

Sep 25, 2016

師大週末秋日遊 Tilden Park

Tilden Park佔地十分遼闊, 有兩千英畝,需要開車才有辦法在園內晃,走路可能有點困難。公園內手機信號不強,有時不通, 經常迷路。 公園就在柏克萊大學的後山,有小農場、湖、植物園、小火車、高爾夫球場、旋轉木馬, 很適合帶小朋友過來,大人也很適合。 最近灣區的天氣很好,師大組織了秋日登山健行, 參加人數超過40位,相信大家有一個愉快的聚會活動。

我們沿著公園內的Lake Anza走一圈,湖上還有一些悠遊的鴨子。 路高低不平較難走,戰戰兢兢, 然後走到Botanical Garden, 如果春天來這裡,百花盛開, 會很漂亮。我們在草皮上野餐,有Oakland Chinatown買的越南燒烤雞肉豬肉三明治,郤是意外的好吃! 最後走到公園最頂端Inspiration Point,後面是水源保護區San Pablo Reservoir,再走一些路, 風景也很棒, 可以看到舊金山海灣大橋,可惜沒過去。

Click to see All pictures.
我只拍到這個走的戰戰兢兢視頻:

Sep 14, 2016

中秋節快樂 百香果開花時!

這次也許用英文多了,因為這報告是我和兒孫及in-law討論中秋節、嫦娥等等的結果,他們是不懂得中文的。 我13歲的孫女已經跟我討論有關遺傳人類學,因為學校有教,哈哈。我兒子給我發email有關中國歷史的特別文章: Chinese Civilization Come From Ancient Egypt。 別把這當荒謬事, 否則可能你的子孫會用英語教你中國歷史。 我的舊金山Asian Art Museum專家朋友還特意問我這個題目。

On 9/15 Thursday, it will be Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the 2nd largest beside Chinese New Year. Actually it is celebrated in most east Asian countries. There are 3 popular legends: Chang-e 嫦娥 Flying to the Moon; Jade Rabbit 玉兔 Pounding Medicine; Wu (Woo) Gang 吳剛 Chopping Laurel Tree. The stories are so old that nowadays some researchers think "Queen Mother of the West" in the story is Egyptian Queen. Ha... Below watch Chang-e flying in sky 嫦娥飛天:

Interestingly the lady and the rabbit were mentioned in a conversation between Houston and the Apollo 11 just before the moon landing.
Houston: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, is one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-O has been living there for 4,000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.
Michael Collins: Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.

Below the 1st picture showing the rising moon from our deck: 祝大家中秋節快樂!
Our passion fruits are flowering now! 原來百香果是秋天開花結果的, 有蜜蜂來!

The 1st type is Frederick passion fruit: Lots of yummy tasting fruit for salads, sherbets or eating right out of hand & intricate, whimsical, 3.5” flowers will delight you from early summer thru fall. Evergreen & quick growing, ‘Frederick’ can easily reach 15’ high & wide but can be made smaller by cutting back to 1’ in winter. It's is one of the hardiest of the Passifloras, surviving winter wet & brief frosts (to 20 degrees F) with bravo, going semi-deciduous! Takes heat well, too!

The 2nd type is called banana passion fruit: Passiflora mollissima is ideal for areas with cool summers & mild winters. Quickly growing over 20’, it produces elongated yellow fruit almost year-round while attracting butterflies & hummingbirds galore! This evergreen Passiflora is gorgeous and tasty - with pendulous, pink blooms that glow seductively against dark foliage. An excellent choice for eating fresh or juicing! 它會結出大且明亮的黃色水果,成熟時非常甜蜜,會讓人吃不停嘴,粉紅色的花朵花開不斷,為蜜蜂及蝴蝶最喜愛的食物。

Please watch my 中秋節 video: