Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Oakland Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire 2016
The fire on 2016-12-2 Friday night in Oakland occurred in a warehouse that was being used as an artistic and performance venue. The building, known as the Ghost Ship, located at 1305 31st Ave, also housed a community of roughly 25 artists who lived in the building even though it should not have had residents. Residents and visitors described the building as both a haven for artists and a fire trap, with a warren of trailers, broken pianos and stacks of wood and a complex network of electrical cords and generators. On 2016-12-5, I went to the neighborhood and took some pictures.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
週末秋日遊 Tilden Park, 百香果開花時!
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。
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 (中秋節), 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:
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。
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 (中秋節), 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:
Thursday, April 7, 2016
死亡谷野花大綻放與大風暴 Death Valley Super Bloom 2016
近日天氣很好, 春意盎然，請大家看看野花, 雖然沒有家花香, 但死亡谷今年的Super Bloom, 大約十年才會有一次, 有的人一生只能看到一次。野花為沙漠帶來生命跡象, 發出生命的活力。
美國死亡谷(Death Valley)是 Timbisha (意:Red Rock Face Paint, 前稱 Shoshone) 印第安人的家園，他們在此至少居住了1000年。死亡谷最低處(Badwater)低于海平面282呎(85.5公尺), 為美洲大陸的最低點, 只離美國本土的最高山(Mount Whitney)84.6哩, 年平均降水量只有1.5吋, 溫度曾達134°F (56.7°C), 是世界上最低和最乾旱地區之一。
今年冬天罕見的大降雨，讓雨水滲入土裡，數百萬顆野花種子從冬眠中醒來。沒有人知道種子可以躲在土裡多久，在2005年的綻放, 有些花朵從來沒有出現過, 從這點就可知道，這些野花種子在死亡谷裡沉睡了好多年，才終於醒來鑽出泥土。再上次的野花盛開則是在1998年。
像今年這樣花朵盛開的情景，可以持續數月，而今後隨著氣溫的升高，海拔較低地區的野花將逐漸凋謝，山谷較北和海拔較高的地區逐漸開花。雖然晚了數週, 而且還沒配眼鏡, 我們趕快從加州方向開車，通過上天之路(下圖一), 從海拔約1500呎的 Nadeau Trail低點，爬上前面的高山進入死亡谷。
山上已經看到很多沙漠的花, 下圖黄色的花叫 Yellow Cups (Camissonia Brevipes), 它有一或幾個綻放的花序, 明亮的花朵。 紫色的花是 Notch-leaved Phacelia (Phacelia Crenulata), 它的葉片氣味難聞, 防止敵人。 白色的花是 Desert Chicory (Rafinesquia Neomexicana), 它有白色艷麗的花朵，乳白色汁液，無力，曲折莖，長大後通過其他灌木的支持。橙色的花是 Desert Globemallow (Apricot Mallow, Sphaeralcea Ambigua), 它是極抗旱的沙漠植物，可供大角羊，綿羊和山羊食用, 在盛開時形成整個西南沙漠壯觀的景色。
爬過高山，抵達了低於海平面的山谷後, 看到遍地的Desert Gold (Geraea Canescens 沙漠金), 看起來像是黃色的雛菊, 是這裡生長最多的野花。雖然從最盛開時遲了數週，花群不那麼密集，但每一株生動盎然，有的還含苞待放，陸續炫耀。
Desert Gold's flower of this colorful annual is popular with bees and birds, while the seeds are an important food source for birds and rodents. After a spring rainfall, the flowers can be found in abundance along desert roadways and is common along with sand verbena and dune evening primrose.
為了看到海拔較高的開花，我們開車到Dante's View, 在那裡可往下看 Badwater Basin。 在坡路上, 看到一片片的小黄花, 與平地的 Desert Gold 不同, 應該是 Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix Glabrata), 十分燦爛的野花。 下圖在山上看到橘紅色的 Desert Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja Angustifolia), 看起來是花, 實際上是豐富多彩的苞片, 隱藏著有白頭髮的薄外套, 管狀黃綠色的花。
雖然 Zabriskie Point沒有花，但它的山形很特別。
我們晚上住內華達(Nevada)州的 Beatty, 在途中路邊, 最有趣的是白色的Gravel Ghost (Atrichoseris Platyphylla 砂石魂), 它的又高又瘦枝莖, 支承著一些香白色有紫色點綴的花朵，跨越出現在空中盤旋，宛如漂浮在地面的幽魂。
Gravel Ghost's heads of white to purple-tinged flowers 1-inch across appear to hover in the air because the stems that support them are tall and thin. Flowers are fragrant and readily withering.
我們也看到許多盛開的粉紅色仙人掌花 Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia Basilaris), 這種仙人掌莖寬扁類似海狸尾巴。
第二天早上, 我們再從 Beatty 回入死亡谷, 早晨的花好像更綻放盛開。 但今天的風很大，看到的 Desert Gold 與 Gravel Ghost 就東歪西倒。我們開車往死亡谷最低處 Badwater Basin, 很驚喜這裡花也成長起來了。它有很好看的 Desert Five-Spot(Eremalche Rotundifolium 沙漠五點）, 粉色的花瓣上有5個鮮豔的紅點, 花卉白天打開, 夜間關閉。它是最美麗的沙漠花之一，當光線穿過嬌嫩的花瓣，花球就像一個發光的燈籠, 所以它也被稱為燈籠花和中國燈籠。同樣驚喜, 很乾旱的 Artist's Drive也有野花。
Desert Five-Spot is one of the most beautiful flowers that grows in the desert 4 to 24 inches high. Its sparse leaves are round to heart-shaped, with scalloped margins up to 2 inches wide. The color of the leaves is green and often red with short, bristly hairs.When light passes through the delicate petals of the flower, the globe resembles a glowing lantern. For this reason, the desert five-spot is also known as the lantern flower and Chinese Lantern.
很驚訝的是，在下午有一個很大的風暴來到死亡谷，本來想看 Sand Dunes，看不到了, 我們趕快回旅館。
大風暴來臨之前, Badwater 附近的花:
Superbloom: How Death Valley Springs to Life.
要看到更詳細死亡谷的 more detailed Super Bloom 和 內華達州的 Nevada's Ghost Towns, 請點擊:
Death Valley Super Bloom & Route 95 內華達州 2016。
美國死亡谷(Death Valley)是 Timbisha (意:Red Rock Face Paint, 前稱 Shoshone) 印第安人的家園，他們在此至少居住了1000年。死亡谷最低處(Badwater)低于海平面282呎(85.5公尺), 為美洲大陸的最低點, 只離美國本土的最高山(Mount Whitney)84.6哩, 年平均降水量只有1.5吋, 溫度曾達134°F (56.7°C), 是世界上最低和最乾旱地區之一。
今年冬天罕見的大降雨，讓雨水滲入土裡，數百萬顆野花種子從冬眠中醒來。沒有人知道種子可以躲在土裡多久，在2005年的綻放, 有些花朵從來沒有出現過, 從這點就可知道，這些野花種子在死亡谷裡沉睡了好多年，才終於醒來鑽出泥土。再上次的野花盛開則是在1998年。
像今年這樣花朵盛開的情景，可以持續數月，而今後隨著氣溫的升高，海拔較低地區的野花將逐漸凋謝，山谷較北和海拔較高的地區逐漸開花。雖然晚了數週, 而且還沒配眼鏡, 我們趕快從加州方向開車，通過上天之路(下圖一), 從海拔約1500呎的 Nadeau Trail低點，爬上前面的高山進入死亡谷。
山上已經看到很多沙漠的花, 下圖黄色的花叫 Yellow Cups (Camissonia Brevipes), 它有一或幾個綻放的花序, 明亮的花朵。 紫色的花是 Notch-leaved Phacelia (Phacelia Crenulata), 它的葉片氣味難聞, 防止敵人。 白色的花是 Desert Chicory (Rafinesquia Neomexicana), 它有白色艷麗的花朵，乳白色汁液，無力，曲折莖，長大後通過其他灌木的支持。橙色的花是 Desert Globemallow (Apricot Mallow, Sphaeralcea Ambigua), 它是極抗旱的沙漠植物，可供大角羊，綿羊和山羊食用, 在盛開時形成整個西南沙漠壯觀的景色。
爬過高山，抵達了低於海平面的山谷後, 看到遍地的Desert Gold (Geraea Canescens 沙漠金), 看起來像是黃色的雛菊, 是這裡生長最多的野花。雖然從最盛開時遲了數週，花群不那麼密集，但每一株生動盎然，有的還含苞待放，陸續炫耀。
Desert Gold's flower of this colorful annual is popular with bees and birds, while the seeds are an important food source for birds and rodents. After a spring rainfall, the flowers can be found in abundance along desert roadways and is common along with sand verbena and dune evening primrose.
為了看到海拔較高的開花，我們開車到Dante's View, 在那裡可往下看 Badwater Basin。 在坡路上, 看到一片片的小黄花, 與平地的 Desert Gold 不同, 應該是 Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix Glabrata), 十分燦爛的野花。 下圖在山上看到橘紅色的 Desert Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja Angustifolia), 看起來是花, 實際上是豐富多彩的苞片, 隱藏著有白頭髮的薄外套, 管狀黃綠色的花。
雖然 Zabriskie Point沒有花，但它的山形很特別。
我們晚上住內華達(Nevada)州的 Beatty, 在途中路邊, 最有趣的是白色的Gravel Ghost (Atrichoseris Platyphylla 砂石魂), 它的又高又瘦枝莖, 支承著一些香白色有紫色點綴的花朵，跨越出現在空中盤旋，宛如漂浮在地面的幽魂。
Gravel Ghost's heads of white to purple-tinged flowers 1-inch across appear to hover in the air because the stems that support them are tall and thin. Flowers are fragrant and readily withering.
我們也看到許多盛開的粉紅色仙人掌花 Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia Basilaris), 這種仙人掌莖寬扁類似海狸尾巴。
第二天早上, 我們再從 Beatty 回入死亡谷, 早晨的花好像更綻放盛開。 但今天的風很大，看到的 Desert Gold 與 Gravel Ghost 就東歪西倒。我們開車往死亡谷最低處 Badwater Basin, 很驚喜這裡花也成長起來了。它有很好看的 Desert Five-Spot(Eremalche Rotundifolium 沙漠五點）, 粉色的花瓣上有5個鮮豔的紅點, 花卉白天打開, 夜間關閉。它是最美麗的沙漠花之一，當光線穿過嬌嫩的花瓣，花球就像一個發光的燈籠, 所以它也被稱為燈籠花和中國燈籠。同樣驚喜, 很乾旱的 Artist's Drive也有野花。
Desert Five-Spot is one of the most beautiful flowers that grows in the desert 4 to 24 inches high. Its sparse leaves are round to heart-shaped, with scalloped margins up to 2 inches wide. The color of the leaves is green and often red with short, bristly hairs.When light passes through the delicate petals of the flower, the globe resembles a glowing lantern. For this reason, the desert five-spot is also known as the lantern flower and Chinese Lantern.
很驚訝的是，在下午有一個很大的風暴來到死亡谷，本來想看 Sand Dunes，看不到了, 我們趕快回旅館。
大風暴來臨之前, Badwater 附近的花:
Superbloom: How Death Valley Springs to Life.
要看到更詳細死亡谷的 more detailed Super Bloom 和 內華達州的 Nevada's Ghost Towns, 請點擊:
Death Valley Super Bloom & Route 95 內華達州 2016。
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