爸媽的彩色鉛筆畫： I Didn't Know My Dad Was an Artist, Too!

#2912-0731

上個禮拜六回國姓老家，跟父母喝茶聊天，仍然是天南地北，從「古早／從前」談到「最近／現在」，一不小心五、六個鐘頭就在我們的說笑聲中「悄悄地」溜走了----唉！光陰似箭，誠然是「匆匆而過、稍縱即逝」啊！

原來這五、六個鐘頭當中，母親還親自炒了幾道青菜，自家種的，配上先前煮好的一鍋雞酒，以及用父親到「老家的老家----水長流」採回來的竹筍所做成的竹筍炒肉，我們三人享受了一頓最美好的晚餐。用餐時間，依然說說笑笑，「話匣子」一打開就合不起來似的。

我們談天說地起碼五、六個鐘頭，這絕對是個事實。不僅僅聊到我小的時候，也聊到父親及母親他們兩人的童年及青少年時期；那時，他們一個住「水長流」、一個住「土城」（靠近草屯），彼此根本不相識，怎知道 . . . . .

啊！目前八十多歲的他們，已經兒孫成群了。最近幾年，他們參加當地辦得很不錯的一個「老人會」，學到不少新知識、新技能。他們一生務農，平素鮮少（幾乎從未）拿筆的，竟然都能親筆作畫了。你瞧！這是我父母親的作品：

前兩張（拍攝成四幅）是父親的《狀元地》，房子坐落在群山懷抱中，左右各有三至五層的峰巒相疊，前方遠處有三個尖尖的山頭，是天然形成的「筆架山」，象徵住在這屋子裡的年輕人，懂得認真求學，長大後必能出人頭地，成為社會上有用的人。父親說，有關「狀元地」的地理構造，是他小的時候，從某位「風水師」隨身攜帶的一本圖冊中「偷看到」的，他記憶猶新。「可是這兩張畫得不好，」他說：「我另外畫了一張，已經交出去［給老人會］了。我打算再畫一張，比較完整的，已經打好稿，但還沒有彩色！」他真的拿出來，讓我看了。

這還是我頭一次看見老爸的畫作。至於媽媽的水彩畫、鉛筆畫，我去年（或前年）就曾經見過，她喜歡畫鳥、畫花、畫動物（例如馬、牛、山豬、鹿、貓和狗之類的），也喜歡畫農家用具、人物、田野風光等等，題材較廣，圖畫中充滿「童趣」，令我佩服！

The 2 drawings below (copied into 4 photos)  are 

by my father, Mr. Shuang-Rong Liang

And all the other pictures (see below) are 

by my mother, Ms. Miao-Xiang Jiang

From Qingshuiyan (清水岩) to Daye University (大葉大學)

#2012-0730

Zhu zai Zhongbu de Luotuo jiazu (駱駝家族) meige yue juhui yici. Zhe yi tian, women xian dao Zhanghuaxian Shetouxiang Qingshuicun de "Qingshuiyan" (清水岩) jianxing, ranhou qianwang wei yu Bagua-Shanlu de Daye Daxue (大葉大學) canfang.

Zhisuoyi hui dao Daye Daxue shi yinwei women you yiwei Luotuo xiongdi -- bianhao 20 de Huang Dexiang -- muqian jiu zai Daye Daxue danren duoxiang yaozhi. Ta xianqian zai Guoli Zhanghua Shifan Daxue renjiao, bing ceng danren gaixiao Xuesheng-shiwu Zhang, Jiaoyu-yanjiusuo Suozhang deng zhi. Zai zhengge jiaoyujie po you mingqi. Ta shi women Luotuo Ban tongxue dangzhong zui you chengjiu de yiwei ba!

Yinci, jintian hou-banduan de xingcheng tebie butong. Nai you Huang Dexiang jiaoshou qinzi dailing: Ta zhaodai women yongcan, wei women jieshao Daye Daxue de gaikuang, bingqie rang dajia canguan tade bangongshi. Zongeryanzhi, hen ganxie ta jintian de reqing-xiangdai. (Oh! We thank you so much, Prof. Huang. You are our best Camel brother, indeed.)

A Small and Smart Boy Playing Keyboards

#2012-0726

As my grandson Little Bee grows bigger and bigger, his "territory" (which I've also called "sphere of influence") is rapidly expanding. In the recent weeks, this curious boy has even wanted to enter my bedroom, where I put a small electronic organ between the French window and my bed. "Ye-ye! Ye-ye!" (meaning grandpa in Mandarin) he would call me excitedly and point at the door with his small hand(s) if the door is close, and I would fully understand what he means there and then. So, of course, I would happily welcome this cute and lovable "intruder" into my bedroom.

Just as you can see in the photos below, my one-year-and-nine-month-old grandson has been a small and smart musician. (In addition to the following photos, you may click and see the movie: Little Bee Playing the Organ.)

The Rev. William Vun, etc. Visit St. James' (溫牧師等 8 人來訪)

#2012-0723

When Rev. Charles told me that Rev. Vun (commonly said as Wen mushi in Mandarin) was coming from Sabah, Malaysia, I was sort of excited because this special guest might be the one that I had met at St. James' many years before.

"Is he a Hakka person?" I asked in curiosity. Rev. Charles said yes and he added, "Wen mushi worked here about 20 years ago as  . . . and he will come soon with a group of members of his church." It would be very interesting to meet him again, I thought. Two decades is a long period of time that would make a man look very different. (In fact, I don't really remember what Wen mushi had looked like in those past days. I just remember that he could speak Hakka, being a Hakka man.)

Then comes this day when Rev. Vun and his wife and six other teammates have arrived. As Rev. Charles previously suggested, some of us as representatives of St. James' (including our senior warden Samuel Chen and former senior warden Joseph Hu) have been waiting to greet them at the church -- The photos below were taken in the church building Xuan Jiao Lou (translated as "Evangelistic Building"). Look! The one in a red polo shirt is the Rev. William Vun, who is not the Wen mushi I had expected. The Wen mushi that I had previously thought of is this Rev. Vun's cousin, who has already become a bishop and should be called Wen zhujiao in Mandarin now.