In April, go out in search of spring

In Seattle in mid-April, it was warm and cold. One sunny day, my wife and I drove to the University of Washington to see the cherry blossoms. For the first time since last February, I've actually stepped out of the house. For more than a year, I avoided the epidemic and lived in seclusion, and I only walked around the yard slightly every day, which was a little comfort to myself. At first I also drove out shopping. Later, the son's family "fled" back to Seattle from New York, where the epidemic was serious and social security deteriorated, and this freedom was naturally "deprived" by the son and daughter-in-law, becoming a veritable "family man". Therefore, when the car is driving in the middle of the traffic in the clear light and shadow, there is a sense of separation, and it seems to be a dream of Nanke.

The picture shows the view of the small seaside town of Edmond Taken by the author

There are a lot of cars on the road, and people are scrambling to get out of their homes to enjoy the long-lost sunshine and fresh sea breeze. The University of Washington's cherry blossom garden is crowded with tourists wearing masks, including infants sitting in strollers. The crowded human head, the colorful mask, the white crystal cherry blossoms, I don't know which is fresher, which is more colorful, which is more beautiful, giving people a feeling of being a little weird, but also a little touched. The epidemic is still tight, and masks are still needed to be worn even when going out after vaccinations. This is not only responsible for oneself, but also respect for others and cherishing life. Dozens of tall cherry blossom trees have bloomed brilliantly after being left out in the cold for a long time. It is said that the cherry blossom trees here are more than a hundred years old and come from the Japanese archipelago. The last time I came here to see the cherry blossoms was at least twenty-five years ago. For so many years, I was so busy with my work and career that I didn't have time to take care of the beauty around me. The raging epidemic has imprisoned people's footsteps, but it has greatly stimulated people's deep expectations and yearning for beauty. Therefore, when my wife proposed to go to see the cherry blossoms, it was in the middle of the "old" pregnancy, and I immediately agreed without thinking.

From the University of Washington, we went to the west bank of Lake Washington to continue our search for news of spring.

Lake Washington and the Snowy Mountains of Rainier are symbols of the Seattle area. Standing at the edge of the lake, looking up from the blue waves to the southeast, the Rainier Snow Mountain suddenly rises, standing under the blue sky, silver flashing, the weather is varied, like a dragon soaring and a tiger. The Northwest territories of the United States are home to many giant lakes and great rivers that are the remnants and products of the glacial movement that began two million years ago. Back then, when countless glaciers of unparalleled scale made earth-shaking sounds and slowly moved all the way to the North Pole, under unimaginable pressure and rolling, deep ravines and huge craters were left on the earth. Over time, it evolves into a long river and a large lake. The famous Columbia River and Lake Washington are masterpieces of glacial movement, representing many rivers and lakes in the Northwest.

Lake Washington is vast and deep, with low water temperatures, inheriting the nature of the mother of glaciers. It is said that the deepest part of the lake is nearly two hundred meters, and from south to north, the ferry takes an hour or two. Such a unique geographical advantage has created a unique scenery around the lake. Countless parks, green spaces, trails, villas, restaurants, shops, one after another, stretching for dozens of kilometers, but quiet and quiet, no noise, no more fireworks.

We parked our car in Madison Park. The park is not big and there are not many tourists. People lined up at the lake to bask in the sun, keeping enough distance from each other, and all wearing masks. Opposite the park, most of the shops on the side of the road are not open. Only two restaurants have their doors open. There is a girl who sits in the lobby of one of the houses, but most guests choose to enjoy a simple lunch under a cloth canopy built on the street. We ordered a pizza, a cup of coffee and a cup of hot water, sat in the cloth tent, enjoyed the sunlight coming through the windows, looked out over the blue snow waves on the lake, and experienced the feeling of the first "restaurant" in more than a year. There were two other groups of guests in the tent, five people in all, scattered in the corner, in between waiting for meals, refusing to take off their masks, and immediately put on masks after eating. The restaurants here are usually not noisy, not noisy, and the AA system is justified, and one person and one dish are just right. Except for special occasions, people, including our old couple, are dressed in a simple, comfortable and decent way. After eating, even if they don't know each other, people tend to smile at each other and leave quietly.

After the meal, we took a walk by the lake. There are almost no people on the street. There were fewer people here, but now it is getting quieter. However, I believe that it is April after all, and soon more people will come out of the house and embrace spring.

With this experience, after a few days, we went to the seaside town of Edmond to explore the news of spring again.

The small town is about fifteen miles from Seattle and takes twenty minutes by car. It is like a middle-aged woman with a graceful posture and a steady knowledge, standing quietly on the east shore of Puje Bay, facing the sea. The streets in the small town are clean and the houses are like a house. Most of the shops in the city center are open for business and there are not many customers. The restaurant is open and not lacking in people. Both customers and restaurant employees wear masks. The most eye-catching thing is that each restaurant has built a temporary house on the side of the road facing the street in front of the door for customers to eat. The houses are planked and the windows are plastic with lighting and heating. Some houses are also decorated with flowers and pine leaves, which are more gentle and pleasant. For the sake of business, people dare not be sloppy.

In Seattle in April, especially by the sea, even on sunny days, the wind blowing from the depths of the bay is still cool. People sat in the wooden houses, turned on the heating, listened to the sea breeze whispering under the eaves and on the window lintels, looking at the shadows of the sails on the turquoise water, the flocks of gulls soaring, and the large ferry of more than 3,000 tons came and went like giants. The shadows of the islands and the snow-capped peaks in the distance evoke the reverie. We ordered an oversized turkey sandwich and two servings of tomato and mushroom soup for twenty-four dollars. Sandwiches are eaten separately, while the soup is warm and delicious, and seems to have been made deliberately to ward off the sea breeze.

After dinner, we strolled along the waterfront as usual. Two of us, an Asian and a descendant of a Norwegian, walked hand in hand in the April sun, bathed in the rather cool sea breeze. The wind is singing. The clouds are walking. This is not a fairy tale, nor a dream, but a scene of life inadvertently displayed by creation in April, when the fight against the epidemic has lasted for a long time and life has finally been gradually restored, in Edmond, a small seaside town in the Seattle area at the end of the world.

Last February, when the epidemic began to panic, I also went to the store with the crowd of six gods and no owners to rush to buy daily necessities. Because I was a few years old and the store was old, I couldn't find my favorite eggs and tomato sauce for a while, and I was in a hurry. An old woman my age twice came to my aid, led me to the pantry and pointed me to the location of the eggs and tomato sauce, and reassured me, "It's not your fault, it's the store that moved the place of the goods." "I was wearing a mask and glasses and she wasn't wearing anything. At that time, the incident occurred suddenly, and the masks were out of stock for a while. A lot of people don't have masks. I thanked her again and again and remembered her name: Mel rouge.

When I got home, I inadvertently saw a video online of Americans lining up in large groups to buy necessities. One of the makers of the video, an intellectual-looking man who has passed the age of flower armor, explained in a schadenfreude tone: "Americans are snapping up the necessities of life!" On the store's containers, a lot of essentials are out of stock! People don't know what's going to happen next. Not sure what to do. Okay, that's it for today. "This mentality of watching the fire from the other side is disturbing. It is necessary to know that all things in the world depend on each other, and yin and yang are rooted in each other. There is yang in the yin, and there is a pregnant yin in the yang. This shore is the other shore, and the other shore is also this shore. Although the faces of politicians are disgraceful, and there are many unsatisfactory things in life, the epidemic is the common enemy of mankind, and ordinary people in every part of the world are trying to live their own lives, appreciate the beauty of nature, and rejoice for every bright spring that has arrived.

Fortunately, spring is coming after all. The warm sunshine is warm, and the fresh and cold sea breeze is uplifting and sober-minded. After April, Seattle will usher in the May flower season, when it will be a sea of flowers. Beautiful, welcoming, colorful nature will open up and show its beauty without reservation.

I have a small song, a single mood and emotion at this time:

Butterfly Love Flower / April Exploration

In April, the sky is clear and blue, and you like to see tourists, and thousands of households are watching cherry blossoms.

Five colors and seven faces are fascinated by old eyes, and everyone loves and loves many hearts.

The mighty east wind blows the sea corner, greeting the spring city, when the flower season is present.

White hair may wish to take a vegetarian hand, watch the waves and listen to the sea and mountains.

Note: "Five colors and seven colors" refers to the various colors of masks worn by people.

Source: Beijing Evening News Author: Zhang Jie

Process Editor: L006

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