I never dreamed that four years later I would be sailing again at Shoreline Lake in Silicon Valley, California.

Four years ago, I sailed for a first time on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. That day, the wind was quite strong and I soon experienced the force of riding on the winds without efforts. Alex, my future son-in-law, taught me how to sail. Under his guidance, I learned to navigate using tiller. For example, when approaching the Longfellow Bridge, I steered toward the Golden Dome near Boston Common; when approaching the Harvard Bridge, I steered toward the Citgo sign.

(Alex taught me how to sail on the Charles River in Boston, September 11, 2021)

Today, Alex and I went to Shoreline Lake for sailing, he was the driver, and I was the passenger. On the road, I told Alex that I didn’t like air conditioning, and he replied that he also preferred the natural breeze, so we both opened our side windows. While pushing the button to open my side window, I said, “We should have taken the convertible today, we did not plan well for this trip!” Alex replied, “Yes, topdown would be more fun.” We continued on our way, feeling a bit regretful.

It was a working day outside of the rush hour so the road was clear and it took us just over half an hour to drive from our home to Shoreline Lake.

Alex parked his car next to a Hello Kitty enthusiast’s car, which was noticeably covered and filled with Hello Kitty characters inside and outside. As my daughter was a fan of Hello Kitty many years ago, I could not resist taking photos of the car.

Today, there were very few boats on the water, and the small open-air restaurant on the bank still had many empty tables. It was a glimpse into a quiet weekday scene of the park with noticeably less traffic. When we put on our life jackets before boarding the sailboat, we saw a uniformed police officer and a staff member standing face-to-face and having a conversation. It turned out the police officer was performing an oral safety exam on the staff.
(A Hello Kitty enthusiast’s car, a police officer interviewing an employee, and water with varying shades of color)

Before boarding the sailboat, Alex pointed different areas of water to me and told me that the flat water near the dock indicated there has no wind; the darker water in the distance indicated stronger winds and larger waves.

As we were paying to rent the sailboat, the sail was pulled up before we boarded. I remember that when sailing at the MIT Sailing Club in Boston, the skipper often had to remove the sail from its cover bag and pull it up by himself; I also recalled one of my first time sailing memorable experiences. While closely watching Alex removed the cover bag and pulled the sail up, I immediately thought of “pulling the wind” and consciously tried to experience the feeling of “pulling the wind” while sitting on the sway boat, I quickly concluded that “pulling the wind” was more gentle and romantic while sailing on the water than riding on a convertible on the road.

As my right hand hadn’t healed from the injury of carrying my suitcase on and off during train transfers from Kyoto to Tokyo’s Narita Airport in late July (<- you should link to this story), I originally planned to sit back and enjoy the boat today.

While Alex was sailing, we chatted and I learned more about sailing. The captain of a small sailboat is often called a skipper. The simplest sailing boat turn is called tacking. The far end of a sailboat's boom should generally not be pulled inside the boat. The ideal sailing state is for the two small cotton threads on the sail swaying in the wind in parallel. A sail isn't pushed by the wind, but by the pressure difference created by the wind blowing both sides of the sail, which is known as Bernoulli's Principle in physics.

(Two small cotton threads on the sail, swaying in the wind)

Alex asked if I knew Bernoulli. I said, “My physics was very bad, I don’t know it.” Alex explained: “I work on heat dissipation and fluids, so I’m very familiar with Bernoulli.” I immediately felt fortunate to have sat face-to-face with him, as my instructor is a world-leading expert in thermal engineering and fluids. Looking at the eBay Storefront hat Alex was wearing, a souvenir from the development of eBay’s StoreFront in 2001, I wished I had worn the Nvidia hat he gave me. Over 20 years ago, I worked for eBay, the most popular software company in the Silicon Valley; now he is working for Nvidia, the most popular hardware company here. I can’t help but feel deeply grateful for the opportunities afforded to us by the vibrant high-tech environment of California’s Silicon Valley.

The weather is beautiful today. The sun is shining, the air is neither too hot nor too cold, and the wind is just right for sailing. Feeling the cool sea breeze on my face, smelling the salty ocean air, and looking at the rippling blue water, I was suddenly itching to go sailing. As the saying goes: “A good coach makes a good athlete.” I was soon able to tack smoothly, a skillful demonstration of sailing for a newbie. Alex even praised one of my tackings: “Perfect!” I sincerely thanked him, “You’re a great instructor.”

When I failed at tacking later, Alex quickly took over the tiller and the sail rope. While operating, he explained that the boat just got in a dead zone and could not make a turn. The dead zone is a 90 degrees area, within 45 degrees to the left and right of the headwind. If there’s no wind indicator on shore, you’re facing the headwind when the wind feels the same on both sides of your face. I tried, but couldn’t figure out the dead zone, so I returned the skipper role to Alex.

For the rest of the trip, I enjoyed the gentle swaying of the boat in the nice weather and mild breeze. I felt very comfortable sailing on the boat and thought my grandson Ben would love to sit on this boat too. I am looking forward to sitting with him on a sailboat.

Thinking back on Alex’s lesson and my today’s experience, I feel that sailing requires timely relay of wind direction and speed information perceived by the eyes, ears, and skin to the limbs, so that the hands and feet can steer the tiller or pull the sail rope just right. This is a sport that requires physical agility and a sharp mind, and it is worth trying.

Today, the wind wasn’t strong on Shoreline Lake, unlike on the Charles River in Boston. For the first time, I experienced the thrill of adapting to the changing directions of wind while sailing, so cool!

About sailing, I had previously learnt from Alex in Boston. The skipper always sits opposite the sail. If the sail is on the right side of the boat, the skipper will sit on the left. The easiest way to turn a sailboat is pushing the tiller all the way forward, andkeep pushing the tiller all the way forward during the turn. Also, remember to lower your head to avoid being hit by the swinging mast. Once the boat has reached the desired angle (make sure the boat has turned past the 90-degree dead zone), return the tiller to the center. If the edge of the sail wiggles near the mast, it’s loose and needs to be tightened. To tighten the sail, pull back a little with one hand, then transfer the grip to the hand holding the tiller. Then, use your free hand to pull back a little more and then transfer the grip to another hand again. This way, you can achieve a smooth turn.

Little Episodes

Sailing Short Video on YouTube.

My story of right arm was injured.

女儿听到有朋友约我去海港走路就说：“明天就去吧，别夜长梦多。”

今天，两个洋插队已经30多年的60后女知青在波士顿老城相聚，一起驱车去海港漫步。Janet当向导指引我开车穿过波士顿市区、穿过大桥、穿过修建中的马路，两人配合轻车熟路在海港的路边找到一个计时停车位停好车，我们几步就来到海边，眼前开阔的海面让人心旷神怡。Janet指点着海港迷人之处：岸上高大的建筑、岸边停泊的船只、碧绿的海面、海风拂面……身临其景，我立刻就喜欢上这个地方，因为大海在我心里总是充满诗情画意。

我们在海边拾级而上去观看台时遇到一对坐在阶梯上操着浓厚英国口音的悠闲老两口。女人过了一定岁数就随和健谈了，我们很快和穿浅黄色衣服的老太太聊起来了。她笑眯眯地说：“我们从英国来，很喜欢这里。今天是我们在波士顿的第一天。”我指着身边的Janet也笑眯眯地说：“这也是她很喜欢的一个地方，她常来这里。我第一次来，我也很喜欢这里了。”说完，我举头张望环视四周再次细细地感受喜欢之处：海面开阔、建筑现代、街道干净、环境优美、海风拂面…… 老太太还告诉我们：“我有个女儿去日本国际小学教英语。因为疫情，她已经快四年没有回过英国了。”老太太转头看着老伴又说：“我们觉得快失去这个女儿了，是吗？”老先生笑着点头赞同，一幅妇唱夫和的温馨场面。Janet热心地告诉两位远方游人：“你们若有时间可以去Mount Auburn Cemetery看看，那里环境很优美。”

拾级登上观看台，我们遇见一对老伴：欧裔男士和亚裔女士。男士为我俩拍照时，女士主动替我们拿钱包和外套并打趣道：“我拿着这些东西就准备要跑掉了。”从各个角度给我们拍了好多合影后，男士说：“你们若不满意，明天再来这里补拍。我俩天天来这里看大海。”随后我们站在一起闲聊了几句。人间偶遇，“你从哪来”是常出现的问答题。一问一答才知道男士搬来波士顿之前和Janet住在同一个城市，Andover。亚裔女士看上去很年轻，是越南人已经当祖母了，她父亲是广东人。

从观看台下来，我们沿着海边过了桥一直走到了波士顿海洋馆。我们一起漫步在有海风和海咸味、没有沙滩的木栈道和水泥道上，眼前是国际大都市的风光，高楼大厦、零星路人；嘴里是言情小女人的话匣，碎细牵情、越洋插队。这是我俩第三次见面，第一次一对一聊天。30多年洋插队的经历似乎用几句话就能让彼此明白，作为上世纪80年代的大学生，插队女知青身份所带来的楚楚焦虑尽在不言中尽在心中：我们的认知升华都始于初为人母时，我们的性格冶炼在为家鞠躬尽瘁付出的岁月里，两个小女人彼此为真诚付出大唱赞歌，很爽快很舒畅。我们，作为妈妈已在天国的女儿，还相互鼓励活出生命的质量就是对天国妈妈最好的追忆。

从海洋馆返程时，Janet问：“我们可以从城里走，也可以沿着原路从海边走，你想走哪条路？”我说：“我更喜欢海边的路。”因为大海在我心里总是充满诗情画意，还因为花粉肆意流行的季节里海边空气更不烦恼花粉过敏的人。

“有缘千里来相会”，感恩相遇相识相知。

小插曲

1. 海港景色：

2. 与我们闲聊的两对伴侣：

3. Janet推荐的Mount Auburn Cemetery：

2022年4月5日是清明节，这将是我同时祭奠爸爸妈妈的第一个清明节。看着老家自贡人清明前上坟扫墓的踪迹，我以我的仪式进行清明祭奠，今天早上我陪着天国的爸爸妈妈一起去感受波士顿公园早春的气息，因为爸爸妈妈喜欢花园又没有来过波士顿，而波士顿公园是美国最老的公共花园。

早上八点半，我从Charles路走进波士顿公园，因为公园里绝大多数的树还是光秃秃的，行人稀少，我一眼就望到长方形公园的其它三条边紧邻的建筑物。早春的公园里最醒目是高大垂柳被新叶染得满树嫩黄。我陪着爸爸妈妈绕着花园慢慢走一圈。当我第一次惊喜地看到嫩黄的垂柳和麻州议会大厦的金色拱顶遥相呼应的画面时，我告诉爸爸妈妈：“嫩黄的垂柳前面的长椅上坐着一对人，垂柳下面有一个已经干涸的水塘，垂柳后面是麻州议会大厦的金色拱顶，这个画面很早春，很波士顿，很浪漫人间！”

四月初是赏樱花的季节，我已经在照片上欣赏过今年的西雅图樱花、华盛顿特区樱花，刚刚又看到东京樱花，我所看到的照片都是“沾衣不湿樱花雨”的场景，完全不同于眼前寒冷的波士顿几分萧条的早春景色。我告诉爸爸妈妈：“今天波士顿公园里只有一株樱花紧邻着一株星玉兰竞相开放。远远看过去，白色的玉兰花衬托着红色的樱花别有情趣。”

我陪着爸爸妈妈去看我喜欢的那棵巨大的日本槐树，还看那伤痕累累载满爱之誓言的星玉兰大树。因为妈妈很喜欢玉兰，我们去欣赏了开得正好的紫玉兰，然后观赏美东随处可见的银翘花（Forsythia）。在我错把银翘花当迎春花多年之后，去年Martha纠正了我的错误，所以银翘花总让我想起Martha。我告诉爸爸妈妈：“Martha是一位80多岁的退休教授，她热爱生活充满活力和智慧。我很喜欢听她讲故事。最近她和她先生，在疫情宅家两年多之后，终于出国去耶路撒冷游学了。她也是我人生的偶像之一。”

当我看到一个四口之家在公园漫步时，我告诉爸爸妈妈：“昨晚，哥哥打来电话，我们聊了好久聊了好多，彼此听不厌也说不完，互相为未来为自己做更周密的考虑。您离开后，我们交流更频繁，您放心我们！”

我在公园里走了两圈，以我的仪式，没有掩饰也无需装饰，默默地祭奠爸爸妈妈在天国的第一个清明节。

爸爸妈妈安息！

小插曲

1. 嫩黄的垂柳和麻州议会大厦的金色拱顶遥相呼应，很早春，很波士顿，很浪漫人间：

2. 大槐树和星玉兰大树大树干：

3. 紫玉兰、银翘花和四口之家：

4. 公园地图和公园景色：
Charles路，Beacon路、Arlington路、和Boylston路围绕着的波士顿公园：

2022-04-03，公园里外的景色

故事小花絮

波士顿公园变迁的景色：
十二月的波士顿公园。
八月的波士顿公园（一）。
八月的波士顿公园（二）
六月的波士顿公园。
三月的波士顿公园。

Martha告诉我那早春的黄花叫Forsythia（银翘花）的故事。

In 2021, I received a surprise Christmas gift: VIP tickets to the “Ring in 2022 with DJ dancing and Roaring 20s themed Party Cruise”.

The “Roaring 20s ”，was the decade of the 1920s， which was named the ‘Jazz Age’ in American history. It featured economic prosperity and a good life for many. It was also the era of the Prohibition: forbidding the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages，but many people ignored the ban. In 1933 it was abolished, and it was the only Constitutional amendment to be repealed. It was demonstration of the power of alcohol.

DJ (disc jockey), is a kind of emcee who plays recorded music and participates in singing at a music dance party. The DJ, who sings and controls the mixing of music, was responsible for rendering a happy atmosphere for the party-goers to relax and enjoy.

2021 has been gone for more than 2 weeks, but the experience on 2022 New Year Eve party is still memorable, because this was the first time I experienced a DJ party.

The dress code for the party was as follows: “Dress to Impress. Flapper, Roaring 20s, Zoot Suits encouraged. Otherwise, semi-formal and/or cocktail attire required.” As we didn’t have Roaring 20s clothing and as we still wanted to be good participants, my friend dressed in a formal business suit and I dressed in traditional Chinese style silk satin clothes. Watching us stepping out of the house in a serious mood, Alex joked: “You will be the center of tonight’s New Year Eve party.”

We boarded the cruise ship at 8:30 p.m in the dark and sat down next to the DJ in the dance hall on the second floor of the ship. After the cruise ship left the harbor, I noticed that we were the only Asians, and the rest were Caucasian, Hispanic, or African, none of them wore formal suits, let alone Chinese style silk satin clothes. Sitting next to the DJ, I felt we were really eye-catching. I thought to myself: Alex was right, because the dance floor filled with people mostly in their early 20s who were dressed in Jazz Age clothes or evening gowns, very fashionable and charming.

As this was my first time closely watching the gorgeous costumes of the Jazz Age, feeling the versatile style of DJ, and enjoying the infectious and lively rhythm of the DJ music, I was concentrated on observing everything. The cash-only bar next to the dance hall was always very crowded. When the person in front of me handed out $50 to buy $20 worth of drinks, he told the bartender: “Keep the change”. I watched the bartender put the change into a large glass jar in front of him. As dance progressed, DJ and several dance partners nearby him helped to push the party to the climax of Carnival from time to time. People sang, danced, clapped and stamped together. Some people on the dance floor were getting tipsy. I saw the people who bought a few glasses of cocktails for their friends from the bar coming and the glasses in their hands spit cocktails all the way. A man took my friend’s glass of Hennessy on the small table and drank it; watching his unstable dance steps, I was really worried that he would make a fool of himself; fortunately, his partner, a tall slim lady in a sparkling Roaring 20s dress, was very sober. Although Alex thought we would drink more than 10 glasses of wine at the party, I didn’t touch any wine because an unexpectedly warm New Year card already made me feel tipsy. The crowded bars and more people who were in the Jazz Age style getting tipsy reminded me of the Prohibition in the Jazz Age. I seemed to understand one of the reasons why the prohibition was abolished: alcohol is attractive.

Alcohol attracts people, as do people after drinking. Under the friendly encouragement of tipsy pretty girls and handsome boys, I also joined them in dancing on the dance floor. While intoxicated with joy , I seemed to hear the young people around me cheering for me. It is an unforgettable memory of experiencing the openness and friendship of foreign people while experiencing foreign culture.

Enjoying the gesture of openness and friendship brings a very good feeling. I hope that I will learn to show the gesture of openness and friendship to create good feelings for others.

Later, my daughter explained: “It’s unforgettable for us to celebrate 2021 New Year Eve in Niagara Falls. This year, I wanted to find you a local activity to celebrate 2022 New Year Eve. I hope it’s also unforgettable!” This reminds me of the unforgettable Niagara trip in 2020 and one of my new year resolutions in 2021: “to practice and improve my ability to communicate accurately, share immediately, and response pertinently.”

Little Episodes

Sam, a handsome boy, invited me to dance.

Open and friendly pretty girls.

The DJ dance party：people dressed in Jazz Age clothes or evening gowns.

The DJ dance party：people dressed in Jazz Age clothes or evening gowns and the DJ with dance partners nearby him.

Dance floor、view of Boston in the night on the cruise ship, and the DJ.

Dance floor.

“Roaring 20s”指19世纪30年代的美国，也被称为美国的爵士乐时代，一段经济繁荣生活多彩的时代。这也是美国的禁酒令时代：禁止制造、销售或运输酒精饮料。然而，这个禁酒令在1933年被废除了，这是美国唯一被废除的宪法修正案。一瞥酒的力量。

DJ（disc jockey）是司仪，一种音乐舞会上播放音乐又参与演唱的司仪。DJ，在舞会上又说又唱又调控音响混合音乐，负责渲染舞会气氛引导参与者顺利地进入晚会狂欢高潮。

已经过去两周的DJ迎新舞会想起来还是回味无穷，因为这是我第一次身临其境感受DJ舞会。

这个迎新舞会要求正装或爵士乐时代服饰。因为我们没有爵士乐时代服饰又很遵守规矩，朋友是西装革履，我是中式缎服。看着我们临出门前中规中矩的打扮，Alex开玩笑：“你们将成为晚会的中心。”

我们在晚上8:30登上游轮，在二层舞厅选了紧邻DJ的地方坐下。游轮离开码头后，我发现我们是唯二的亚裔，其余都是西裔或非裔；几乎没有穿西服正装的，更没有穿中式缎服的。我们紧邻DJ正襟危坐，真的有点扎眼。我心里暗想：真被Alex说中了。舞厅里多数是20出头的年轻人，衣着爵士乐时代服饰或晚礼服，很潮很迷人。

这是我第一次近距离观赏爵士乐时代华丽的服饰，感受DJ能说会唱多才多艺的风采，和享受DJ舞会富有感染力的明快节奏。我拘谨又专注地观摩留意DJ迎新舞会，舞厅旁边只收现金的酒吧一直很拥挤，我前面的人递出50美元买20多美元的饮料时告诉调酒师：“不用找钱”。调酒师把该找的钱放进一个大玻璃罐。随着舞会的进行，DJ和他身边的几位舞伴把舞会不时地推向狂欢高潮，大家一起又唱又跳又拍手又跺脚。舞厅里有人渐有醉意了，我看到从酒吧为同行伙伴买几杯酒的人一路走来手上的酒杯一路撒酒；一位男士把同行人放在小桌上的酒拿去一饮而下，我看着他不太稳的舞步，真担心他失态出洋相，好在他的舞伴很清醒。虽然Alex以为我们会喝10多杯酒，但是我在迎新舞会上滴酒未沾，因为一张意外温馨的新年贺卡让我无酒自醉。一直拥挤的酒吧和以爵士乐时代衣着为主的渐醉和更嗨的人们，让我想到爵士乐时代的禁酒令，我似乎明白了禁酒令被废除的原因之一：酒招人喜欢。

酒招人喜欢，酒后的人也招人喜欢。在微醉倩美女和小帅哥招人喜欢友好地鼓动下，我也跟着他们踩起了舞步，沉醉于欢快中的我仿佛听到身边年轻人在为我喝彩。在体验异族文化时体验到异族人的开放和友好，一个难忘的经历。

享受开放和友好的感觉很好，愿我学会给予开放和友好的感觉。

事后女儿解释说：“2020年我们去Niagara大瀑布迎接2021年很难忘，今年我给你们找到一个本地迎接2022年的活动，希望也很难忘！” 这让我想起2020年难忘的Niagara之行和我的2021年新年目标：“愿我在驾驭语言的高速路上不超车不翻车，有意识地训练培养自己准确交流、即时分享、中肯反馈的能力。”

小插曲

邀请我跳舞的Sam小帅哥

开放友好的小美女：

DJ迎新舞会场面：衣着爵士乐时代服饰或晚礼服的人们。

DJ迎新舞会场面：衣着爵士乐时代服饰或晚礼服的人们，还有DJ和他身边的舞伴。

跳舞、游轮上看夜色中的波士顿、DJ。

跳舞。

周六，儿子和女友从加州过来玩一周。

周一早上，我陪他俩去我很喜欢的波士顿公共花园（Boston Public Garden），计划陪年轻人在花园里走一走，享受一种“小城故事多”，然后送他们去走波士顿“自由之路”（Boston “Freedom Trail”）。

因为周一沿街的计时停车位都满了，我绕了几圈才停好车。可是两个年轻人已经穿过公共花园踏上了“自由之路”。我只好一个人在熟悉的花园里漫步，看着冬季花园里光秃秃的大树，回忆着它们在初春和盛夏的风采和曾经打动过我的东西，独自享受“故事多”的花园。

我特意去看了那棵星玉兰大树，去看它树干上众多热恋之人的宣誓所绘出的一幅散发着爱的甜蜜的人文微型景观。

看到那棵巨大的日本槐树光秃秃的枝干体现的刚劲躯干和骨感形象，我想起了它披挂着茂盛树叶时的庞大浓密树荫曾为坐在树下那张朝东椅子上的我撑开的那完美的遮阳伞。看着大槐树，我告诉天国的妈妈：“这棵日本大槐树和这张朝东的椅子记载着今年8月送行和12月欢聚的点滴。您一定看到了生命的延续。”

看着眼前金黄的垂柳和枯黄的草坪，宓姐赞叹过的“垂柳好，绿茵也好”的满目绿的景色还历历在目。触景生情，我在心里回放了川师女生楼501仨姐妹欢聚的好时光，甜甜的。

波士顿公共公园的冬季很冷清，我觉得王阳明的花论中的花可以用树来替代。”你未看此花时，此花与汝心同归于寂:你来看此花时，则此花颜色一时明白起来:便知此花不在你心外（你没有看这花时，这花和你皆不知彼此的存在。当你来看到它时，花姿花质一下让你眼亮，这时你就知道这花会长存于心）。”

小插曲

1. 2021-12-13 公共花园
寒冷的天空下，温暖的童车洋溢着生的快乐（献给妈妈）。

宁静的公共花园一瞥

2. 冬天的星玉兰树（21-12-13）：

星玉兰树干上的人文微型景观（21-03-29）：

3. 冬天的日本槐树和那朝东的椅子（21-12-13）：

夏天的日本槐树和那朝东的椅子（21-08-02）：

4. 冬天，那“垂柳好，绿茵也好”的地方（21-12-13）

夏天，我们仨欢聚在“垂柳好，绿茵也好”的地方（21-08-24）

因为明天周三是感恩节前购物的最后一天，商店通常格外的繁忙，我们决定把我们常规的周四购物挪到周二早上。开车去超市的路上聊到我今晚要去听波士顿交响乐队演奏Brahms作品。熟悉古典音乐的Shirah就给我简单地讲解了一点作曲家勃拉姆斯的轶事：勃拉姆斯是德国古典主义最伟大的代表之一，他很崇拜贝多芬，一生未婚。她说勃拉姆斯的交响乐优美流畅，令人愉悦。她还告诉我：“去听音乐会时，放松，让音乐和你对话。” Shirah的这一席话让我觉得我已经为即将首次经历的波士顿交响乐队的演奏做了预习功课。

我们的座位前面就是舞台，贝斯琴手就坐在我们的上方。入座后，我看着台上的乐队队员们都在忙着测试手上的乐器，我用手机随意地扑捉台上的人和动作。一位一头银发的贝斯琴手看到我在拍照，就和我玩藏猫的游戏。他一会儿把头藏在他大大的贝斯琴后面，一会儿把头露出来。我很开心地扑捉到他刚从贝斯琴探出头冲着我笑的瞬间。这也许将成为我首次听波士顿交响乐队演奏的一份难忘的记忆。

因为这是我第一次听波士顿交响乐队演奏，那指挥又离我仅几米之间，我一边听演奏一边看指挥的表情。当我看到指挥在微笑时，我觉得我刚听到一段优美的乐曲。第二提琴、大提琴、和贝斯的琴手离我咫尺，我觉得我欣赏出他们细长有力度手指抚琴时优美的动作和他们全神贯注激情含蓄的面容。在认真欣赏的过程中，我发现指挥有一双像小孩子一样的胖胖的手指，而演奏员的手指都很骨感有力度。也许指挥不需要手指施力。

在音乐会的第一部，那指挥的面部表情和琴手们高度协调一致的手指抚琴动作是帮助我感受实况交响乐优美的视觉辅助。

当音乐会进入第二部时，我开始闭上眼睛听交响乐，我马上就感受到正在演奏交响乐像暴雨从天而降只灌大脑，我无处躲藏也无法回避，我仿佛一下明白了“交响乐”的含义：气势磅礴。我觉得演奏中的交响乐无形却实实在在地呈现着人的神奇创造力，在我很陌生的乐曲领域。

MK，波士顿交响乐队音乐会的一个常客，在音乐会的中场休息时带我在音乐厅里走了一圈。他说因为好多人还是害怕参加公众活动，音乐厅的礼品店和其它的一些地方今年都没开。很有趣的是，我看到舞台上好多年轻的演奏员都戴着口罩。但是指挥和银发的演奏员都不戴口罩，希望这是走向正常生活的智慧之一。

在我闭眼听交响乐的时候，我突然想起我曾经在瓦尔登湖想象过的大自然交响乐，在那里我必须认真地倾听和扑捉那柔弱来自远方的树叶声、水浪声和脚步声。而在这里，正在演奏交响乐像暴雨从天而降只灌大脑，我无处躲藏也无法回避。

小插曲

1. 波士顿交响乐队的演奏会

BSO网站上的节目简介：
安德里斯·内尔森（Andris Nelsons）指挥勃拉姆斯的早期和中期的管弦作品。勃拉姆斯，仰望贝多芬的天才，花了二十年的时间创作，在1876年推出他的第一首交响曲。参照贝多芬，勃拉姆斯传承着伟大的德国交响乐传统。这首温暖而田园诗般的小夜曲第二首（ Serenade No. 2）写于1859年是一部五乐章的作品，省略了小提琴，在弦乐和木管乐器之间形成了强烈的对比。这小夜曲是献给他一生的朋友克拉拉·舒曼。

演奏会场面：

2. BSO的首席贝斯琴手Edwin Baker. 很严肃。

3. BSO的第二贝斯琴手 Lawrence Wolfe, 很活泼。在他的贝斯琴边玩捉迷藏。

MK invited me to listen to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO）all-Brahms program on Tuesday and said the BSO is very famous. I was wondering how to enjoy the performance because without lyrics music tunes don’t make sense to me.

Because Wednesday will be the last shopping day before Thanksgiving this year, we decided to move our weekly Thursday shopping to Tuesday. While driving to the supermarket, we chatted about my going to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (all-Brahms program) in the evening. Shirah, who is very knowledgeable about classical music, told me a bit about the composer Brahms, a German composer who was a fan of Beethoven and who never married. She said that Brahms’s symphonies are beautifully smooth and joyful. Shirah also told me: “Just relax and let the music talk with you.” I felt I was well-educated for my first Boston Symphony Orchestra concert.

Our seats were on the first row before the stage and right below the bass players. After we were seated, while watching the players on stage warming their hands and their instruments up, I started to take random photos of them. A silver-haired bass player spotted me photographing and started to play peek-a-boo with me by hiding his face behind his big bass, which made me laugh because I caught his smile right after he turned his head out from hiding behind the bass. Maybe this would be one of my memorable stories of my first Boston Symphony concert.

As this was my first time listening to the Boston Symphony performance and as I was a few feet away from the conductor, I started to watch the conductor’s expression while listening to the music. When I saw the conductor smiling, I felt I just heard a nice melody. The strings players, including the second violin players, the cello players, and the bass players, were in front of my eyes, I also enjoyed the beautiful motions of their bony elegant fingers and their concentration and passion. I noticed that the conductor’s fingers are puffy like children’s fingers, but the strings players’ fingers were all bony with strength.

The conductor’s expression and the strings players’ unified motions of their fingers were good visual aids to help me understand the music better during the first part of the concert.

During the second part of the concert, I started to close my eyes while listening, then I felt the music like a forceful rain pouring on top of me , I had nowhere to hide and no way to refuse it. The music was invisible and was really exhibiting the power of human magic, in a very foreign domain.

MK, a long-time Boston Symphony goer, gave me a tour inside Symphony Hall during intermission. He commented the gift shop and some other things were not available this year, because many people were still afraid of attending public events. It was interesting, I noticed many young players were wearing masks on the stage. But the conductor and silver-haired players were not wearing masks at all. Hope this can be wisdom for an ordinary life.

While continuing to close my eyes, I suddenly remembered my imagining of a natural concert at Walden Pond, where I had to carefully listen and catch the much softer and more distanced natural sounds of the trees, water, and footsteps.

Little Episodes

1. About tonight’s concert.
Brief introduction of the BSO concert

“Andris Nelsons leads an all-Brahms program pairing early and mid-career orchestral works. Concerned with living up to Beethoven’s precedent in the genre, Brahms labored on his First Symphony for twenty years before finally allowing it to see the light of day in 1876. With references to Beethoven, Brahms clearly places himself in the great German symphonic tradition. The warm and idyllic Serenade No. 2, written in 1859, is a five-movement work that omits violins, creating strong contrasts between strings and woodwinds. This lovely piece was dedicated to Brahms’s lifelong friend Clara Schumann.”

Photos of the BSO concert.

2. The first bass player Edwin Baker.

3. The second bass player Lawrence Wolfe, who was happily playing peek-a-boo while warming his hands and his bass up.

上周二是农历9月15日，满月。Alex请我们晚上8点去Charles河上坐帆船看满月，他说这是MIT帆船馆“月光航行（Moon Light Sailing）”在疫情之后首次启动，今晚的猞猁猫船可以坐6、7个人，还可以请朋友一起月光航行。夏天时Alex曾说过：“帆船馆平常在天黑前就会收船，帆船馆有时会在满月的晚上举办‘月光航行’，2020年疫情开始后这个活动就停止了，很遗憾我不能请你们去体验月光航行的感觉。” 我第一次尝试到坐帆船和掌舵拉帆的精彩之后就对这活动很感兴趣，月光航行听起来更有趣。我想象过月光航行，但没有希翼过。所以Alex的邀请让我很开心。

我们赶到帆船馆，在路边停好车，步行去帆船馆时就感觉到夜幕降临了。因为满月躲在云里，河边没有月光洒满河面的场景，我担心今晚看不到满月，有种失落。来到帆船馆码头，我看到今晚码头上的人比平常多，有人支着三脚架在慢拍夜景，有人在吃烧烤；码头边人们的情绪都很高，似乎满月躲藏着的夜色航行依然让人兴奋。

Alex拿到一只刚靠岸的猫船，我们鱼贯而上在船上坐好后，他就掌舵拉帆驶向黑夜，我们几位女士就各自体验夜色航行的感觉。我掌过舵拉过帆知道判断风向很重要，帆船馆的风标和岸边的树是我学到的判断风向的参照，可是这些参照在黑夜里都看不到了，我觉得能在黑夜里航行的都是帆船资深发烧友。帆船驶向河心，远方的Longfellow桥和更远的Zakim Bunker大桥重叠着，在夜色下格外耀眼别致。为了让我们看到更美的双桥重叠，Alex熟练地操纵着帆船驶向Longfellow桥，当他在Longfellow桥边转弯调头时感叹道：“这是我最靠近大桥的一次航行。” 后来Alex解释道：“靠桥太近，如果不能很好地转向，可能出事故。因为帆船太高，过不了桥孔。”

我们出航不久，天上的云就散了。船处在某些方位时，眼前是夜空明月一轮和水面月光万千，我有一种与粼粼波光嬉戏着的臆想，很丰满。明月平添诗情，“把酒问青天”在心头悠悠一晃，也算醉了。坐在帆船上赏满月，我忽然觉得人间有明天真好，牵情人的幸福观；我还觉得明月在哪都明亮，迁移人的世俗观。

小师妹Julie说她今年夏天买了皮划艇（Kayak）的年票，她和家人及朋友经常在波士顿附近的几个地方玩皮划艇；商业性质的皮划艇只能白天出行，所以月光航行在Charles河上就是难得的经历。限时一个小时的Charles河上月光航行很惬意！在驶向帆船馆归还帆船的航行中，我要用心才能看到河面上其它猞猁猫船黑色风帆的模糊的影子，我又体验到一种月光下河面上的神秘。

小插曲

1. 2021-10-19，周二，满月。月光下的Charles河上
朝某些方位航行时，眼前是夜空明月一轮和水面月光万千，我有一种与粼粼波光嬉戏着的臆想。

远方的Longfellow桥和更远的Zakim Bunker大桥重叠着

2. 月光航行余音绕梁

【月光下】帆船荡漾在月光下的Charles河上，浪漫抒情。据说有人为月光下的荡漾备了酒。我回家后就补上一杯小酒，马后炮的锦上添花。

3. MIT 月光航行简介

关于月光航行
每个月在满月前后，帆船馆会开放到午夜。资格会员可以与最多五位人一起乘坐猞猁猫船去月光下享受独特体验。帆船馆为猫船配备了天黑后所需的灯（确保船上的灯亮着！如果灯不亮，请寻求帮助）。然后你就可以独自航行到月光下了。此外，从日落时分开始，烧烤架将开启（自带食物和饮料），供会员及其客人在码头上用餐。

4. 2021年观帆扬帆的故事：
2021年4月观帆
2021年8月雨中掌舵航行
2021年9月夕阳下，掌舵扬帆航行

The marathon is a running race with a distance of 26.2188 miles. The Boston Marathon is one of the most famous marathons in the world.

After dropping TL at Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge, while driving to Heartbreak Hill, I saw that the roads near the end of marathon were closed with a police officer standing at the intersection of some street. Because of the road closure, the GPS lost its navigation function, so I aimlessly circled around before I could find a parking spot on a side street of Blandford Street on the campus of Boston University. After getting out of the car and getting directions from a police officer standing on the roadside, I quickly walked to the marathon “1 Mile To Go” viewing points. Before entering the viewing points, a police officer checked my purse and tied a yellow ribbon on my purse to indicate it passed security inspection, then I went to viewing point 3 where the iron fences separating the runners and the audience were already crowded with people. While approaching the crowd, I looked back and saw two government big trucks parked horizontally behind me. No car could run over the two trucks to crash the audience standing by the iron fence, which made me feel very safe.

At about 12:30 noon, I squeezed into the crowd along the iron fence. On my left was a pretty petite girl with long hair and she shouted and cheered for all runners on the road: “You got it!”. On my right was a middle-aged woman who was holding her mobile phone recording the runners; on her right was a tall young mother with her daughter who was sitting in a children’s scroller. These were my left and right neighbors within a meter at “1 Mile To Go” of Boston Marathon. My left neighbor was very loud and my right neighbors were quiet.

While standing behind the iron fence and cluelessly watching endless runners passing in front of me, I turned my head to left and asked the pretty girl:”Where did the marathon start?” She immediately took out her cell phone and found a map to show me: “The marathon started from Hopkinton Center and it takes about an hour to drive from there to here.” As she sounded like very interested in marathon, I asked, “Do you want to run marathon someday?” She laughed: “I’m planning to start running, but not for the marathon.” Then I joined with her in cheering for all runners on the road. Because I did not know any runner, the things that caught my eyes were the blind runners holding hands with their guides, the disabled runners in their wheelchairs, and the runners coming to greet audience on the other side of the fences. Watching the unmasked crowded audience so close to each other shouting and waving their hands along the side of the street, I thought if Boston’s hospital didn’t become over occupied within a few days, this marathon would be one of the most effective ways to prove COVID-19 has been under control!

Suddenly, I heard the tall young mother on the right shouting: “Brian.” I turned my head to the right and saw a young man in a red shirt running toward us happily and shouting, “Amy.” After making a high five with Amy by clapping their hands together, Brian ran away. Then I heard the middle-aged woman on my right talking to Amy: “My daughter’s name is Amy too. She’s running today. I’m waiting here to take photos of her when she passes by.” I overheard her name is Shire.

After a while, Shire said excitedly: “Amy is here!” Then I heard she said: “Damned, I didn’t get Amy on my phone, a man just ran into the camera and completely blocked Amy.” As I was taking photos too, I looked at my phone and saw a recent photo of a girl in black shirt and short-pants, I showed this photo on my phone to Shire: “Is this your Amy?” Shire said happily as soon as she saw it: “Yes, can I take a picture of this photo?” While Shire was photoing the picture of Amy on my phone using her phone, I asked, “How old is your daughter? Where did you come from?” Shire said, “Amy is 31 years old and we come from Canada.” I asked again: “Could I write a story with Amy’s picture I just showed you?” Shire said: “Sure, do you have any questions for me? I’m leaving now.” I asked: “What does Amy do?” “Amy is a musician.” “What instrument does she play?” “She plays the violin.” After Shire left, I asked the tall Amy: “Is Brian your husband?” Amy smiled: “No, he’s a colleague.”

As I saw a lot of sweet scenes of hugging and kissing between the on-site runners and off-site audience over the iron fences, I wondered why these runners didn’t care about their marathon records and wanted to stop and interact with people off-site. After pondering over it for a while, my guess was that for marathon amateurs, their participation is a proud and valuable opportunity that they want to share with family and friends. With this fresh thought, I immediately text messaged my daughter who was in Baltimore about the mother and daughter of Shire and Amy and added at the end: “If you have a new passion at the age of 31, I will support you, Shire is my role model! ”

After Shire left, a girl came to stand beside me and I asked: “Do you know any runner?” She said, “Yes, my mommy’s friend is running today and she came from Maryland. I was responsible for taking photos of her for my mommy.” I asked: “Did you come from Maryland to take photo for her?” She said: “No, I am a student in Boston University.” “What is your major?” “I study special education.” I asked curiously: “How do you know when your mother’s friend will pass by here?” She said: “My mommy told me her friend’s marathon number. I am using an app tracking her marathon number. She will come here in a few minutes. She is 61 years old.”

During the 26.2-mile marathon, at the viewing point of “1 Mile To Go”, while chatting with my left and right neighbors within 1 meter and watching the interaction between runners on the road and the audience outside the iron fences, I felt a connection with the marathon, as I was deeply touched by the bonding with family and friends at the scene of the Boston Marathon.

Little Episodes

1. At 12:46 PM 10-11-2021， Amy, Brian’s colleague, was shouting：“Brian。” （The little girl in white cloth is Amy’ daughter, next to the little girl is Shire’s hand holding her cell phone recording.）

The street side crowded with unmasked audience and the road has all kinds of runners. Brian who in red shirt was running happily and a runner on the wheelchair.

2. At 12:53 PM 10-11-2021， Amy from Canada was running happily。

Shire， Amy’s mother was taking photos. The yellow ribbon on her shoulder bag indicates her bag passed security inspection.

3. At 1:57 PM, 10-11-2021，a blind runner holding hands with his guide.

At 3:05 PM, 11-11-2021，a pair of lovers hugging each other over the iron fences.

After hugging her lover on one side of the street, the female runner ran to hug a middle-aged woman on another side of the street. In addition, a runner was lying on the ground due to her cramping leg.

4. A group of officers facing the “1 Mile To Go” sign.

5. While chatting about my experience of watching Marathon the first time in Boston, the friend told me：“The incline of Heartbreak Hill is very challenge, it is very hard to break the world record for the Boston Marathon. Some professional runners don’t attend the Boston Marathon now.” I asked：“Where is the place to break world record easily？” “Berlin in Germany。”