Two years ago on this blog, I wrote about the search for a very rare plant which grows close to our home, called 赤箭, a kind of gastrodia. Click here<<< At that time, the botanists were able to find the winter variety, 冬赤箭, but the 春赤箭 spring variety remained so elusive that only two botanists had ever seen the plant.

Apparently it is a very interesting species. It emits a fruity smell that attracts bugs into its flower, which then closes lightly on the bug, dusting it with pollen (seeds?) to carry elsewhere; that is, if I got the explanation straight. Pretty intricate method of transmission, and judging from the rarity of the plant, the efficacy may be limited. There are very few, and they all seem to be right here on the bamboo grove on the slope by our home.

This year more botanists have been scouring the slope, and they have found the spring variety, so now maybe a total of half a dozen botanists have seen this plant. I took some photos, and this time managed to keep Byajing from trampling it.

More photos of 冬赤箭 the winter variety here::

In Seal Beach, we watched a seal surfing.
So I was somewhat disappointed
that I didn't see any huntingtons at Huntington Beach.

If you ever find yourself in the Bay area, be sure to make a trip to see the redwoods. To hell with Ronald Reagan, these ancient giants remind us of the grandeur of nature, changeless but ever changing.

When you think of redwoods, usually you think of going north from San Francisco, but actually there are lots of them on the lower peninsula. About twenty years ago, Steff took me to visit Sam McDonald County Park in the mountains in San Mateo, an unforgettable visit. Chao wanted to see them too, so after visiting Mom in Orange County, when we went to San Jose, we borrowed a car and led by google and a very suspicious GPS, we set forth.

We eventually found ourselves at an entrance to the park, but I didn't remember that there was an entrance fee, so I wasn't sure that this was the entrance we wanted. We ventured further up the road. Not far, we espied a pickup and a sheriff's car parked on a turnout by the road. The sheriff was peering down into the ravine. He said that yes, that was the entrance, and he explained that he was waiting for the driver of the truck to stop hiding. He knows the guy doesn't have a license, and when the driver saw the sheriff he ditched his truck and ran into the ravine to hide. The truck said 美麗的三蕃市 on the door, so I moseyed over to the edge of the ravine and said in a loud voice 警察還沒走 ("The sheriff hasn't left yet"). The sheriff said, "You know, it's strange that they haven't closed Sam McDonald yet, because somebody saw two mountain lions there last night, so I thought they would close the park, but they didn't, so you can go ahead, and have a nice day." Encouraging, you know?

We did have a nice time and we had the whole park to ourselves, which was good and which was not good. If there were other people, maybe the mountain lions would eat the other people instead of us. Actually, we didn't see any mountain lions at all. I'm not sure if I am sorry about that or not.

On Tet, Toan and Quyen took us to Lộc Uyển / 鹿苑 / Deer Park, the temple in Escondido founded by Nhất Hạnh一行禪師. The temple is located in very dry, barren hills studded with boulders, a far cry from the lush vegetation of Viet Nam. The ceremony proved to be vastly different from a Chinese Buddhist Tet ceremony. 在臺灣佛寺，過年就是拜：通常拜千佛懺。在鹿苑禪堂舞龍舞獅，師父還送紅包給在家眾，好不習慣。拜法師，拜兩拜，在臺灣未遇過兩拜。

On the way back, I noticed a sign on a gym: INDOOR ROCK-CLIMBING. That really threw me. For me, rock-climbing is something you do to get somewhere in the mountains, not a goal in itself (which may be why I've never been any good at the sport). In Escondido you've got sunshine at least 300 days a year, I bet, and the hills are covered with tempting boulders. Why on earth would anyone want to go indoors to climb? 參吧！

于嗟乎騶虞
May the tiger bring good luck and fortune for us all.
虎行奇運致弘福
龍乘瑞雲獲寶珠

騶虞，虎屬，祥瑞仁獸。願庚寅虎年為騶虞之吉。

玉山的禮物

現在臺灣過年大不如以前。我剛來華的頭幾年，被過年搞怕了。民國六十幾年，沒幾個大人是在臺北出生的，所以要過年，攜家帶眷回中南部，除夕夜，只有眷村還有人，臺北變空城。除夕、初一、二、三，從信義路三段走到東門，沒有一家商店是開的，沿路只看到鐵門；從臺大沿著新生南路到鐵路，大街小巷每一個鑽進去，沒有一家商店是開的，沿路只看到鐵門，真的是空城。問題是，我們幾個落難外國人，肚子也唱空城。付不起飯店餐廳的價碼，找不到食物的線索，回寓所啃書架後面摸出來的幾片軟軟蘇達餅乾，恭賀新禧。

這樣過了幾個饑荒年，實在受夠了，我想，在臺北挨餓，不如在山上挨餓，所以我大三決定在玉山過年。雖然猶豫，因為第一次爬玉山，沒趕上林務局的火車，從阿里山走到東埔。那是鐵路，不是供人走的，從阿里山到東埔，六十四座鐵路橋，一個比一個恐怖：常下雨，所以每一個枕木長一層又翠綠又滑的苔，而且很多枕木的釘子鬆掉，踩上去就勢必學貓王的舞姿，搖呀滾呀，橋高谷深，不是一件很愉悅的經驗。隧道更不要提。

可是，在高山中的鐵路橋與引力扭打，總勝在空城聽腸雷，所以我申請了入山證準備去。

我現在爬山都赤腳，部分原因是買不到合腳的登山鞋；現在難買，當年就是買不到。有人建議我到萬華的小偷市場買美軍鞋，我想這個idea不錯，就去了，找到一雙Made in Taiwan的美麗軍鞋；與美國軍隊的鞋子，貌合神離。可是還算合腳，買了。

大三，我們上學期修大學，下學期中庸。四書往背包放，南下一路上腦中都是明明德、定定、靜靜、安安、慮慮。

從阿里山走到東埔，很欣慰地發現恐怖的橋下深壑都填平了，很好走，不久就走到東埔了。上次走了一個下午，這次輕鬆愉快地走了一個小時就到了，馬不停蹄繼續往上走，不久就發現鞋跟不太對。繼續走，鞋跟鬆動。繼續走，兩個鞋跟開始脫落，走路就啪啪響，很有節奏，可是釘子刺到腳跟。只好在步道旁尋兩個平扁小石子，往裏塞，好讓釘子不刺腳。定定、靜靜、安安、慮慮，往上走。越高，雪越多，鞋子裏開始積雪。可是實在不懂，「欲正其心者，先誠其意；欲誠其意者，先致其知，」為甚麼要致其知才得誠其意？好怪。不懂。

到了臺灣最高、最頂尖的建築物，救國團經營的排雲山莊。只有管理員在，正合我意；我很怕吵鬧，尤其在山中。管理員是河南人，說他家鄉幾百里平夷如機場，不要說山，連個土丘也無。所以他能到臺灣最高峰，覺得很幸運，只是過年除夕夜一個人，乖寂寞的，看到我定定、靜靜、安安、慮慮地上山，很開心。

他支身在臺，家人、親友，已幾十年毫無音訊；當時只曉得大陸上文化大革命正熾烈，我們無法猜測慘劇的程度。也好吧。東埔以上，只有我們兩個人，除夕夜閒聊幾句，可是兩個人話不多。我吃我的乾糧，他吃個很簡單的年夜飯。他問我第二天的計畫。我說，爬上山頂之後，大概回阿里山。他跟我說，有小步道可以往下東埔走，不需要經過阿里山。我有興趣，他幫我畫了一張簡易地圖。排雲山莊裏面的溫度，零下五度；管理員給我煮了一碗薑糖水，也夠驅寒！他很早休息，我也鑽進睡袋，腦中一直想著：「所謂誠其意者，毋自欺也」，這到底是甚麼道理？

大年初一早上，門外溫度計，零下十五度，很過癮。我跟管理員談了一下，確定我沒記錯路線，就出發，往山頂走。風很大，也下霰，不打緊，比較麻煩的是雪很深，每一步陷到膝蓋以上，而我小偷市場的非軍鞋跟裏積雪。墊跟的小石子早不見了，雪裏難覓小平石。爬了一段時間，我突然想通了，所謂誠其意者，毋自欺也，我一直將「誠」當作對它人的誠意，這只是誠的表相；所謂誠其意者，對內、對自己坦然，無所迴避，起心動念了了分明；坦蕩蕩，不留情，直直看自己在幹甚麼、為甚麼要幹甚麼，這就是大學所講的「誠」；難怪禮記第一句，開明宗意就是：毋不敬。

原來如此。把這個搞清楚了，舒服多了，雖然感覺空氣稀薄。越往上走，風越大、雪越深、霰越厲，有點難走。離山頂不遠的地方，我發現地上橫放一條紅色鐵管，我很納悶，幹嘛要放鐵管給人絆腳？想了很久，想第一次來的情形，想到，這個鐵管原來是架在頭上的標誌，我腳下的雪堆的兩公尺多。

此處離峰十幾公尺吧，可是再往上走很陡，風真的蠻大，雪上凝了一層冰。不時下霰，加上我鞋裏積雪，有點冷，我決定不必上去。到這個地方就很好。我逗留了一回，看山聽風，便往回走。

回排雲山莊，管理員一看到我就笑。我不解，他拉我過去照鏡子，我才發現我後腦留在帽外的頭髮全已結冰了。我也笑，但知道不能到山莊裏，因為冰溶的話，冷水就流進衣領裏，會很冷。我拍一拍，把冰打掉一些，便取道下山，往下東埔走。

In December, 1971, I went with Adolph, a German friend, to Yushan, the highest mountain in Taiwan, at nearly 4000m. To get to the trailhead, we had to pass over 64 railroad bridges with mossy, wobbly ties and deep valleys below. No fun.
For scale, look at Adolph standing in the middle of the bridge in the upper photo.

Happy Year of the Tiger to one and all.

Happy new year

from

all of us

to

all of you

S: Yugan, Tlahuy怎麼了？走路怪怪的。
我：年紀大了，小時候亂跳，現在腳不方便。
S: 給牠買單車吧！

S: Yugan, what’s wrong with Tlahuy? He's walking funny.
Me: He's getting old, he jumped so much when he was younger that he hurt his legs.
S: So get him a bicycle!

陸世儀‧思辨錄輯要 曰， 「詩不當從沈約韻。約韻皆吳音。人知之而卒從之者。人好學唐詩，則韻亦從唐韻矣。洪武中，既有正韻，禮部頒行，經數大儒訂正，校讎甚精，奈何不從耶。」

現代詩無格，亦少詩意。詩格之極致，莫過于唐絕律。若唐詩拘于唐韻，吾人苦，只有操粵語者、越南語者易曉。不如循唐格，依今韻，是為勝矣。

現代人，尤其是都市人，一則與自己情感疏離，一則與大地疏離，所以很多文學無法產生直接感觸、深刻影響。古人每讀出師表，淚流滿面；現代人讀…有讀就不錯！

床前明月光，現代朝野促進光害不遺餘力，請問看倌，看過月光滿室的情景嗎？月出驚山鳥，遇過嗎？還必須追問，看倌寢室窗外看過野鳥嗎？

疑是地上霜，臺灣很少看到霜，寢室裏更不可能有。

舉頭找明月，招牌、路燈遮掩，不是中秋節烤肉加速全球暖化時抬頭喝酒看到月亮的話，快已忘記長得甚麼模樣了。

思故鄉，現代臺灣了解鄉愁的，只有老兵、早期留學生、外地打工的原住民。還有外勞。三十年前在松山國際機場經常看到出國人左手一把鼻涕眼淚、右手護照證件，因為那時一出國，沒五六年不太可能回來。家裏縱使有電話(也不一定有)，打國際電話又麻煩又貴，只好守信箱，跟郵差聯絡感情。現在出國是家常飯：坐飛機比吃媽媽煮的菜更為頻繁，孩子吃的是外面帶回來的便當，與飛機餐差不多，莫怪他與雙親感情淡薄。反正，到了目的地，還沒辦手機之前，就打Skype，哪有甚麼鄉愁？一樣都是麥當勞、7/11、The Gap，那幾家，怎會思故鄉？

小朋友背這首詩，朗朗上口，怕的是，留下來的是空殼子。

或許該修改。
床前電腦螢幕光，
疑是忘了關。
舉頭望窗外巨型廣告牌，
低頭思卡債。

這樣寫也許可以賺看倌幾滴淚珠。

我也盡可能不綁牠們。小時若走馬路邊就綁，以免發生危險，懂事之後不再綁﹝牠們很少踏上柏油，幾乎沒乘過車﹞。可是有時候呢，實在沒有辦法…

昨天遇到Yata，她很不情願地說，Yugan，可不可以把Yumin綁一綁，我們的菜園…原來他們這陣子辛苦種菜，有一位大耳朵開心挖菜。沒辦法。綁。有期徒刑，菜長了就放。

They may wrap me in chains of iron,
They may bind me in chains of steel,
But never can they break my will!

Very unwillingly I have tied up Yumin. Dogs should be free to roam and to rove, but dear beagle Yumin has been digging up Yata's vegetable patch, so he has to be tied up until the seedlings get a bit larger.

When will he ever learn,
Oh when will he ever learn!?

A marvelous bit of writing in Churchill’s History of the English Speaking Peoples, about the Scottish invasion of England in 1640:
One morning a Scottish horseman, watering his horse in the river, came too near the English outposts. Some one pulled a trigger; the shot went home; the imprudent rider was wounded; all the Scots cannon fired and all the English army fled. A contemporary writer wrote, "Never so many ran from so few with less ado."