暖冬cool夏
这里一年四季温暖如春，没有酷暑没有严寒......
Like the previous three trips to Seattle, it was nighttime when we landed. The city welcomes us with its serene beautiful skyline, the colorful neon lights lit up the dark sky. The freeway we took after getting out of airport is No. 5, an interstate highway that runs across from CA to WA, the same highway we frequent in CA. However connected, the same freeway in Seattle is 1000 miles away, 20 hours’ drive from our California home, a distance not easily to be transcended.
My daughter was in her red new sweater when she met us at the gate. It’s chilly. I wrapped her with the coat in my hand, hugged her and hurried inside. She prepared crisp roasted turkey and carrot for us. They were delicious, and my husband complimented her in a flattery way that she is a better cook than me. Sure, that’s mom’s wishes too.
In the next few days my daughter showed us around a few new places in Seattle, and we went as far as to Oregon this time, a neighboring state bordered by Columbia river. Our five days’ trip can be briefed as follows:
Day1: Seattle, WA
a. Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, a national historic landmark, “the first lock facility constructed and remains the only one capable of handling Ocean-going vessel. At the time, these were the only locks in the country accommodating tidal fluctuations and separating fresh and salt water”.
b. Kerry Park. It provides a perfect viewpoint of overlooking downtown Seattle. From there, we relish the towering iconic Space Needle thrusting out of the surrounding skyscrapers.
c. Bruce Lee’s cemetery. Being a fan of Bruce Lee, my husband finally had a chance to pay respect to him. It turned out that the day before his visit is Bruce Lee’s birthday. Flowers were displayed in front of the tombs (his and his son’s) to honor a dragon that was buried here, a legendary Kongfu master whom people still remember today after his death for almost half a century.
Day 2: Portland, Oregon
a. Pittock Mansion: A historic House Museum situated at the mountain area was originally resided and owned by a business tycoon, a British born journalist. However magnificent the location and window views are, the mansion is in no way comparable to Hearst castle.
b. Washington Park: Strolling along the canopied forest, we found International Rose Test Garden a gem, where myriads of different roses are nurtured, a few of them still blooming in the cold winter.
c. Powell bookstore: The world’s largest independent bookstore, where new, used, rare or out-of-print books are sold. My husband, who claims to have finished all his life-long reading at college, asked a store assistant to locate a Bruce Lee’s English version biography book, but to no avail. He ended up buying a book of Lee’s kongfu.
Day 3: Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
a. Columbia River Gorge: Our trip is highlighted by the visit to the Multnomah Fall. Tucked away in the depth of Columbia river gorge, the Multnomah Fall is ranked the 3rd place in the world, right after Yosemite’s fall. After stopping by a gorgeous waterfall called Bridal’s Veil in the pristine cold morning, we braced to Multnomah Fall. The view is stunningly beautiful, unique in the freezing winter, when water drops spilled from the falls were frozen to white snowy ice hanging on the cliffs. I slipped and would have fallen to the icy ground, had it not been propped up by a kind visitor in the back.
b. Mt. Hood: Our drive to Mt. Hood was later hindered by the snowy road condition. But a brief drive-thru at the lower elevation gave us a glimpse of the winter mountain, where inches tall snow carpeted the surface, and coated heavily over the tree branches. The fresh snow, glistening under the sun like shining stars, helped create a dreamy white wonderland.
c. Twin Rocks beach: A- three-hour drive through meandering mountainous road took us from the mountain to the sea. Coming from southern CA, we are never short of beaches. But a look at Twin Rocks beach still excited us. Two elephant-shaped rocks standing side by side are said to be chiseled by the wind and wave over million years, a testimony of nature power.
d. Tillamook creamery: In the twilight on our way back, we visited Tillamook creamery, the 48th largest diary processor in North America. Through the window, we toured the facilities and watched the cheese being sealed into a 42 pounds’ package. Before we set out again, we had dinner there, treating ourselves to their freshly made ice creams as a desert.
Oregon is known as a state without sales tax. To complete our trip, my daughter and I rushed to a big mall before it closed, and she bought herself a new iPhone, making this trip more worthwhile and memorable.
We reached home a little after 12.
Day 4: 12/01/2019
It was drizzling on the first morning of December. We had a lazy relaxed morning, before she had to get up and work on her project for about two hours. Then we hit the road again around 2 pm, shopping at Ikea, Costco and 99 Ranch, to replenish her daily supplies.
Day 5: 12/02/2019
It’s Monday, and my daughter has to go to work, as an important project is due in a week. After sending her off to work, we cleaned up her apartment, finished the laundry and packed for our leave. It was about 1:30 when we drove by her office and dropped off the key. I hugged her and waved good-bye as she went back to the glass window building. Our flight is 6:55 pm. With five hours to go, we leisurely toured the city with Google’s GPS. When we left for airport at 4:20, we never expected the traffic in downtown Seattle to be so horrible, worse even than LA. One-mile long drive took more than 40 minutes, slower than if we walk on foot. What we thought to have ample time for the flight ended up with a hasty rush.
It is always nice to be back home, a sweet home.
有女儿带路，旅行丰富多彩又幸福温馨！
晚上上飞机前都还有两个被罩没有烘干。 等我们到家下了飞机，她的短信追过来声讨。 因为她最不喜欢套被罩了。 直到我解释本来想在离开前帮她套好的，但是没有算好时间， 她才缓和了，“Sorry I assumed you left it on purpose because you wanted to teach me to do womanly things lol." 从你的文里能感觉到你是个温和耐心的妈妈。 真心赞！
周末快乐！
你很幸福，常和女儿见面。
我最近比较懒，进城的时候不多，有时写了博文也没发，看了很多的电影，听了几本小说。
祝快乐！
西雅图只去过一次，跑了周边的国家公园，觉得比东北的景色要美
女儿这么远多让父母惦记啊，唉，希望啥时你们全家可以在一起
I would not suggest Twin Rocks if you don’t have much time, as it is a 2-3 hours’ drive from Mt. Hood, unless you or Tim are/is interested in Tillamook too. They are a mile or two apart.
Thanks for liking my post or pictures. Sometimes I find my English writing poor and writing in it is time-consuming. I know I shall keep reading and writing. Thanks again, and have a great weekend, my friend!
西雅图和波特兰都是我出差时去过几次的地方，因为时间有限，只是在市区走了走。跟着你们的镜头看到了更多的美景。
LA的夜景拍的很棒。美景处处有，关键要有发现它们的眼睛，这正是你们伉俪的厉害之处。妹妹周末快乐。
"Be like water, my friend." as he said in an interview is directly translated from "上善若水."
Would like to visit someday the places you guys did:
- Powell Bookstore,
- the Multnomah Falls,
- Twin Rocks, and
- Lee's grave.
Lee had Kong Fu and the showmanship but I think part of what makes him stick in
the Western memory is the Eastern philosophy he brought here. "Be like water, my
friend." as he said in an interview is directly translated from "."
These days, he has even more relevance. From his looks, you can tell that the
guy might die from something exotic but not diabetes/heart disease/etc. He's one
worth imitating for us first-generation Chinese immigrants.
Your girl is VERY smart not to buy a car. She has financial discipline and is
environmentally responsible.
Great pics as always.