就這樣，吃完飯，兩人坐上了車。我掏出平時讀雜誌時寫滿句子單詞的小本本，開始考起某人來。這些單詞都是新聞裏常常看到的，而又是我需要再次掌握的。我知道某人的詞匯量不在我之下，他一個平時不讀書不看雜誌的人，自稱"秀才不讀書仍知天下事的人"，靠的是一隻手機刷天下。我一個一個單詞拋出來，guagmire, doldrum, bonanza，paradigm等，他一個個迎刃而解。我順勢誇了誇，某人信心大增，要求我接著考。 這時車輛已經駛入界於兩座山巒間、隻有一條道的山路裏。周六的車輛真不少。看著兩邊漸漸泛綠的山巒，和前麵緩緩行駛的車隊，我從本子上順手找來galvanize一詞問他。他指著路邊立著的一個三角形的攔路架子說，"就是像這樣的一種塗層材料"。我以為他錯了，以為這下可以show off一下我的詞匯了，糾正他之後，麵對他的質疑，我又疑惑地掏出手機查正，才知道這詞確有他說的那層意思，而他後來對moot一詞的另種解釋，對最近流行的quid pro quo(this for that)的詞根解釋也擴展了我對這兩個詞的認識和記憶。當然他也有失足的時候，比如eschew和indigent就說錯了。就這樣，路上的時光很快打發了，當熟悉的海麵出現在視野裏，我們很快轉移了話題，在手機的導航下，辨認著街名，尋找著新景點和parking。
對我這個年紀的人來說，什麽情人節已經跟我沒有關係。能在一個平常的周末看一會書，再去這樣的海邊走一走, 享受風和日麗，便是歲月靜好了。就像途中遇到的一個老美老頭，跟我們打招呼時不忘說，another day in the paradise。人越是老去，離去天堂的日子越近，或許就會越覺得人間其實就是天堂，如這海，這景，這風，這雲，這花，天堂有嗎？(某人開玩笑說，天堂啥都有，有美女，有情人，有.......嗬嗬，還有一句睡覺前常說的一句話，"眼睛一閉啥都有"。看來，人最重要的是要有夢，有夢最美:)
情人節後被遺忘在海灘上的玫瑰 (或是有人特意擺放的情人節的玫瑰)
蜂鳥的silhouette
狗狗遊到海裏撿起橡皮螃蟹玩具。狗主人看到我們在給他的狗狗拍照，非常友好地朝我們招招手。
海鳥在專注找吃的。
鑲嵌在岩石裏的石頭。
清澈見底的海水
水中的魚
這沙灘上的白浪像不像衣裙的白色裙擺:)
It is February 15, a Saturday after Valentine’s Day. After breakfast at about 10:40, we set out to the beach. Traffic was heavy once we exited onto one-lane lane, flanked by the hills on both sides. We had to stop here and there for the traffic lights and to follow the slow traffic flow. This however gave us a chance to peer out of the window to relish at the sight of the early spring. The dominant brown color on the hills is receding, the new grass surging on the surface of the slope, soon to prevail all over the valleys . Cactus flowers are budding, while daisies are impatiently blooming in the sun. The trees are spouting their first leaves, tender, yellow and clean like water washed. I rolled down the car window sporadically, to breathe in the fresh air, as the car was snaking out of the hilly road to the destinated beaches.
The destination beaches this time are a bit further south from where we normally frequent. Having lived for decades in a city twenty minutes’ drive from the coast, we do not expect another walk in the beach to be of anything unusual. However, it still delights us. Beaches may look alike at first sight, but the variation of the width, the curves, the rocks in the sea, the blue hue of sea water could render each its unique beauty. Adding to that are the plantation, the lighthouse, sculptures, and a myriad of art galleries along the streets that have human touches to blend seemly or unseemly civilizations into the nature.
Through meandering trails that lead down to the beach, or the steep stone Thousand Steps, we descended to the flat soft beaches. Watching the turquoise water shimmering afar, adjoined by towering cliffs, finding a tidal pool that has a school of fish swimming among the seaweeds all invigorated us. For quite a few times, he squated down, attempting to catch the moments when azure water rising up like a big stretch of emerald before crushing into white waves and lapping to the shore. In the breezy beaches, we whiled away our late Saturday morning and early afternoon. What is left behind after hours’ stroll on beaches are not just our footprints that were soon washed away, but memories and photos that attest continually to “another day in the paradise”.
回複 '7grizzly' 的評論 : Hi, my friend! Appreciate your kindness, and just went back and added 'the'. Found more mistakes myself. As you once said, proof reading once or twice might not be enough. Trying to expand my vocabulary, but you leave me behind甩出幾條街的:) Not to write more using the cell. Many thanks!
7grizzly 發表評論於
Went back to read the Chinese version and truly admire that you guys share the love for learning English.
Great pics as always and they reminded me that we haven't been to the beach for a long time.
I enjoyed the details of what you observed although you've visited the beach many times.
Maybe add the article "the" in front of 'steep stone Thousand Steps'?
就這樣，吃完飯，兩人坐上了車。我掏出平時讀雜誌時寫滿句子單詞的小本本，開始考起某人來。這些單詞都是新聞裏常常看到的，而又是我需要再次掌握的。我知道某人的詞匯量不在我之下，他一個平時不讀書不看雜誌的人，自稱"秀才不讀書仍知天下事的人"，靠的是一隻手機刷天下。我一個一個單詞拋出來，guagmire, doldrum, bonanza，paradigm等，他一個個迎刃而解。我順勢誇了誇，某人信心大增，要求我接著考。 這時車輛已經駛入界於兩座山巒間、隻有一條道的山路裏。周六的車輛真不少。看著兩邊漸漸泛綠的山巒，和前麵緩緩行駛的車隊，我從本子上順手找來galvanize一詞問他。他指著路邊立著的一個三角形的攔路架子說，"就是像這樣的一種塗層材料"。我以為他錯了，以為這下可以show off一下我的詞匯了，糾正他之後，麵對他的質疑，我又疑惑地掏出手機查正，才知道這詞確有他說的那層意思，而他後來對moot一詞的另種解釋，對最近流行的quid pro quo(this for that)的詞根解釋也擴展了我對這兩個詞的認識和記憶。當然他也有失足的時候，比如eschew和indigent就說錯了。就這樣，路上的時光很快打發了，當熟悉的海麵出現在視野裏，我們很快轉移了話題，在手機的導航下，辨認著街名，尋找著新景點和parking。
對我這個年紀的人來說，什麽情人節已經跟我沒有關係。能在一個平常的周末看一會書，再去這樣的海邊走一走, 享受風和日麗，便是歲月靜好了。就像途中遇到的一個老美老頭，跟我們打招呼時不忘說，another day in the paradise。人越是老去，離去天堂的日子越近，或許就會越覺得人間其實就是天堂，如這海，這景，這風，這雲，這花，天堂有嗎？(某人開玩笑說，天堂啥都有，有美女，有情人，有.......嗬嗬，還有一句睡覺前常說的一句話，"眼睛一閉啥都有"。看來，人最重要的是要有夢，有夢最美:)
情人節後被遺忘在海灘上的玫瑰 (或是有人特意擺放的情人節的玫瑰)
蜂鳥的silhouette
狗狗遊到海裏撿起橡皮螃蟹玩具。狗主人看到我們在給他的狗狗拍照，非常友好地朝我們招招手。
海鳥在專注找吃的。
鑲嵌在岩石裏的石頭。
清澈見底的海水
水中的魚
這沙灘上的白浪像不像衣裙的白色裙擺:)
It is February 15, a Saturday after Valentine’s Day. After breakfast at about 10:40, we set out to the beach. Traffic was heavy once we exited onto one-lane lane, flanked by the hills on both sides. We had to stop here and there for the traffic lights and to follow the slow traffic flow. This however gave us a chance to peer out of the window to relish at the sight of the early spring. The dominant brown color on the hills is receding, the new grass surging on the surface of the slope, soon to prevail all over the valleys . Cactus flowers are budding, while daisies are impatiently blooming in the sun. The trees are spouting their first leaves, tender, yellow and clean like water washed. I rolled down the car window sporadically, to breathe in the fresh air, as the car was snaking out of the hilly road to the destinated beaches.
The destination beaches this time are a bit further south from where we normally frequent. Having lived for decades in a city twenty minutes’ drive from the coast, we do not expect another walk in the beach to be of anything unusual. However, it still delights us. Beaches may look alike at first sight, but the variation of the width, the curves, the rocks in the sea, the blue hue of sea water could render each its unique beauty. Adding to that are the plantation, the lighthouse, sculptures, and a myriad of art galleries along the streets that have human touches to blend seemly or unseemly civilizations into the nature.
Through meandering trails that lead down to the beach, or the steep stone Thousand Steps, we descended to the flat soft beaches. Watching the turquoise water shimmering afar, adjoined by towering cliffs, finding a tidal pool that has a school of fish swimming among the seaweeds all invigorated us. For quite a few times, he squated down, attempting to catch the moments when azure water rising up like a big stretch of emerald before crushing into white waves and lapping to the shore. In the breezy beaches, we whiled away our late Saturday morning and early afternoon. What is left behind after hours’ stroll on beaches are not just our footprints that were soon washed away, but memories and photos that attest continually to “another day in the paradise”.
