1) UA 6619, UA 6619, 从丹佛飞往Calgary。原定起飞时间6点43。入港航班到达已经6点20，换上的飞行员得从另外地方飞来，7点15才降落，如果能在8点起飞，运气就很不错了。看着夕阳一点点落下，刚换的8A，估计就浪费啦。
2) 又看到彩虹，而且是一道完整的彩虹。
3) 过了八点才起飞，错过了夕阳飞行的最佳时段。到云海上的时候，太阳已经落山。晚霞只剩下西方的余辉。倒是今天下弦月，随着暮色渐深，月亮越来越接近地平线。残云如海岛，散在西面的天空。
4) UA给的一叠免费喝酒票，总也用不掉。2小时的飞行，第一杯酒免费。那，俺就再来一个，我喝我喝我喝喝喝。RUM COKE，RUM Ginger ale。喝着，不时扭头看窗外，脖子酸疼；
5) 10点到达Calgary。出关一切顺利。Delta酒店就在机场大楼对面，10分钟不到就进了自己的房间。旅行后能飞快躺倒，是件无比幸福的事情。
在科罗拉多住了18年，大部分时候，头顶一片开阔的天。家的海拔近2000米，如果有云飘过，看上去就会大许多，伸手好像就能够着云底。每天傍晚时候在小区里溜达，走到山根，时间算好了，就能看到晚霞。夏天傍晚经常下雨，雨后的彩虹也总在同个方位出现。最近竟然有连着三天看到彩虹。都说跟着彩虹走能找到金子或者寻见自己的梦，也不知道是真是假，反正从来没能走到过彩虹的底下。
上周末去国家公园东南角的Wild Basin溜达。地方偏僻，人却不少，只能停在很远的地方，然后沿着树林里高低起伏的马道走进山去。说白了，在科罗拉多的任何山里溜达，只要不超过雪线，看到的东西都差不多。重复又重复的松，层层叠叠的白杨。也不真为了看景。我喜欢林中的那股松香味道，虽然有些花粉过敏，到了每年春末夏初时候都得落荒而逃，但离开久了，就总想嗅着鼻子找回林间。那天的目标是一个叠瀑，落差能有百来米，水声哗哗的。走到那里时候，天已经有些阴。怕下午下雨，稍许坐了会儿就掉头下山。路上果然下起雨来，树能遮挡些，但山雨扑面的感觉也挺不错。好歹躲在林子里，不怕被雷劈到。下到山脚，离开停车的地方还有些距离。灵机一动，搭别人的车去我停车的地方。那哥们从Minnesota来，车里已经塞了5个人，居然还是很侠义地将我搭上。上车回头去接家人，再出山路上也顺路带上两个徒步的老人，雷锋精神还是需要大力发扬的。
小石头说，树林里走路，似乎永远走不到底。同样的距离，在树林里就显得特别远。我想想，确实有这样的感觉。应该是参照物的问题。走在街上，参照物会是相隔50米左右的房子，走过20户人家，就是一公里。走在树林里，参照物只能是一株株相隔几乎没有距离的树，走过无数株，却没有前进多少。生活的参照物也一样。前些日子听朋友聊天，以世界杯为参照，四年一哥，才说了三届，12年光阴已然闪过，吓死个活人。也许，参照物还是随机些，或者压根没有，最好。随意走过，等到发现路已经走完，时间已经耗尽，就走完耗尽好了。
不知道最近犯了什么事情，周围的人健康都出问题。
丈母娘的身体欠佳，住院快一个月了。靠点滴维持营养，等出差回来，就赶回去看她。
广州朋友的母亲身体也不好，看TA着急，我也着急。
无数的人感冒，感冒，感冒。总觉得和夏天的空调和外面的炎热对比太强烈。进出不妨步伐放慢点，在门道里稍微站一下，有个展缓的过渡。
最严重的是导师。这次回来电话他几次，想去看他，都说太忙稍后再说。然后和师母终于电话，告诉我他又进了医院。这次的问题不是摔跤，而是肝功能出了严重的问题，预后不是很好。导师今年64，性格极好强，断断不肯苟且偷生的那类。我第二天去看了他。他有好些天没有正常进食，只靠喝水抗着。带他一起出去午餐，对面坐着，仔细看他，面色蜡黄，眼珠更是已然深黄，身上摔后的淤血也大片不褪。他饿了，居然将一大碗咖喱牛肉饭都吃下去了，到晚上也没有呕吐，师母非常高兴。但愿这能再给他些勇气，坚强自我。
换保险公司，要检测我的健康状况。我什么都挺好，除了三高一低。小血压自从10年前的西藏回来就总是不停地高高低低，血脂和三磷酸酯偏高，这是到我这年纪很正常的事情。可恶的还有一个维生素D偏低。说是缺晒太阳。我一路走来，都已经黑成熊猫了（毕竟俺不是裸走哇），怎么还缺太阳。回去，一怒之下，光膀子在院子里暴晒。D偏低，会导致钙吸收不良，那可是会变成佝偻老翁的，太悲惨了，我可不干！
换驾照，需要测视力。左眼居然完全看不见仪器中的显示。折腾了半天，才明白我是个一目了然的人，所谓MONOVISION。从小就两眼视力不对称，到大了愈发严重。前些年为了摄影，将右眼激光了，之后白天不在需要戴近视眼镜。但这类手术对夜视总有很大影响。好在有先见之明，留下左眼晚上戴眼镜就可以开车。白天右眼看远左眼看近，到晚上左眼戴眼镜看远右眼基本就是废物。大屏幕的显示器还能对付，要是小机器，不远不近的只有前后5公分的最佳观测距离。那些瓶瓶罐罐上的小字就再也看不清楚。驾照顺利通过，收到新来的卡片，发现有效期从正常的10年变成了五年。显然，当我是残废了。那个遗体捐献的小红心倒是很刺眼。
妈妈爱水。我却总是颠来跑去，没时间带她去她想去的海边。最近去了科罗拉多河发源地，一个叫grant lake的地方。在落基山中，离开家1小时的车。这条路开过很多次，这次才发现路边居然有个山体是典型的火山喷发后残留的形状。湖水很清凉。我们租了条24尺的客艇，还花了十多块钱买了一天的钓鱼执照，蚯蚓和渔具。四小时，飞快过去，大家都很放松。鱼自然一条鱼也没钓到，尽管探鱼器上显示船地下很多鱼在游来游去。
最近几次听到朋友说到子欲养而亲不待这句话。多少有些凄凉。不愿意多想，能守着老人家是一种幸福，哪怕整天不说话。出门旅行，知道他们在家等我回来；在工作室里码字，知道他们在自己屋子里关着门看无聊连续剧，心里都会很满足。带他们出去购物，想去多少店去多少店，将丹佛转个遍。回来继续码字，写给蓝蓝的拍摄牛仔经历，又冲了五个胶卷挂了起来。
不停地有自然灾难的消息。长江洪灾，东北洪灾，印象里干旱到令人发指的甘肃冲下了泥石流，损失比汶川还惨重。朋友们又在张罗着救灾了。看网络上他们拿着的个人野营用净水器，忽然觉得特别特别的无助。其实某天，也许我住着的山沟也发起洪水，瞬间一切荡然无存。人与自然的较量，气定神闲地指点江山和痛失家园的灾民，这一切都掌控在大自然的无形之手中。
边界效应是一个挺广泛的概念，适用于从物理到化学到企业运作到人与人的交流。如果我没理解错，就是一交界/交往中随着地域尺度的增长，时间的流逝，相互的熟悉，界限反差渐渐淡去的一个过程。
爱看书，也爱看维基，总有看不完的内容。更有意思的是自己的短期记忆极差，不如7秒钟的鱼。明明知道这部分内容曾经看过，再次阅读，或者听人说起，依然会高兴的手舞足蹈不能自我。生命中在 重复中渐行渐老。
胶片摄影是封存时间宝盒。冲出来的底片里，有三个是西班牙的内容。很久很久，久得似乎细节已经不存于脑海，只刻在一张张黑白胶片中。
One Man’s Mississippi
RedRocks
当贝尔206直升机终于飞到密西西比河出海口的时候，我忽然不再听见头顶发动机的轰鸣，周围的一切都渐渐寂静。透过机身下的透明观察窗，涛涛大河在这里分成了三条支流。支流继续分叉，散开，如一株横卧巨树的无数枝桠。河岸不再连续，断成了一串串小岛和绿洲。不知觉间，我顺流而下数千里的大河竟悄然化入无形，消失在一望无际的海洋。飞旋的螺旋桨搅动着空气，海天一色。顺着大河流来的方向，路上的日日夜夜，那些城市，那些乡村，一个个地名，一张张笑脸，三年光阴，快镜头般在脑海里闪过，定格在4千公里的北方。那里有森林环绕中的一汪湖水，和从湖中流淌出的一道小溪。大河的故事，就是从这条深不过膝的小溪开始。
It all began with a tiny trickle of stream in Northern Minnesota in a lake called Itasca. I flew in a small Cessna over the forest-covered area. The pilot’s mission was to watch for any signs of forest fire. Mine was to see the headwaters of theMississippi. The land below the wings was dotted with countless glacier lakes and meandering rivers. Lake Itasca is one of those lakes – unnoticed for most of its life- only to be discovered by a man called Henry Schoolcraft in 1832. The name ofItasca came from a combination of two Latin words, meaning “true head”.
诞生不足100米的密西西比河
The river starts at a man-made stone footbridge at the mouth of the lake. Here, it is only several meters in width. A 6-year old girl can wade across the Mississippi in only ankle-deep water. In less than a hundred mile, the river becomes navigable with canoes and small boats, great for paddlers seeking quietness away from busy city life. A new bridge is being constructed at the city of St. Cross to accommodate ever-increasing traffic. In a nearby park, a long bench waits for picnickers to show up when the summer evening finally cools down.
密西西比河的上游河道畔长满了印第安人视为宝贝的野生水稻。
The twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul lie across the river bank. A cascade of waterfalls and torrents that completely blocked river traffic a hundred years ago has become a well-controlled flow of water and a lock. Old stone and modern steel brides connect the cities into one large metropolitan scene. Skyscrapers now fill the entire skyline along the riverbank, where Native American tribes used to settle. On the river, people of different ethnic backgrounds gather to celebrate life along the river. A young couple exchanges their vows at the grand St. Paul Cathedral.
曾经的一段66号公路
Small towns dot the riverbank. At Wabash National Eagle center, an injured eagle has been kept in captivity for treatment and rehabilitation, and serves as an example to educate people about the great Mississippi flyway where millions of birds of various species migrate annually. Roller dams were built not to control flooding but to make a series of “lakes” that are deep enough for commercial navigation of barges and tug boats. Recreational usage of these lakes is extensive, and the river is much smoother here than what it is to become.
越过密西西比的新桥
La Crosse, on the Illinois side of the river bank, claims to have the world’s largest 6-pack. The huge containers painted as beer cans hold a grand total of 688,200 gallons of La Crosse Larger, enough for a beer lover to have one six-pack a day for 3351 years. Not too far from the 6-pack are the old battle fields where a tribe of Sac Indians was slaughtered 160 years ago. On a stone memorial erected in 1930: “of the 1000 Sacs crossed river from Iowa in Apr 1832, no more than 150 survived to tell the tragic story of Black Hawk War”. Without the dam, the river was not as wide then, but even then many were driven into the river to drown.
连接明尼那波里和圣保罗双城的大桥
Across the river into Iowa, endless farmland stretches over the rolling hills. Old cemeteries with fading tombstones silently tell the story of the old settlers of the region. The decisive victory of the United States against Black Hawk secured this part of the country for future settlement. On a bluff over looking the river, I watched, from the balcony of the Four Mounds hotel, the river flowing quietly into the evening. Life has become very peaceful along the river, where children can experience river culture and nature in close proximity. A cruise boat sails into the setting sun with a third-generation river pilot at the wheel.
中游的船闸
Quad-city is a general name for several regions which congregate along the Mid-Mississippi Valley of Illinois and Iowa. In one of the towns, Molin, the John Deere factory has been producing farm machines painted bright green for over one hundred years. Even with global commerce and many of its production lines residing overseas, including in China, the factory here still is the most important driving force of the local economy. In nearby Davenport, a small French ice cream parlor started by the grandfather of the current owner is still in operation and called by locals the best ice cream place in the world.
John Deer农用机械厂曾是世界最大的农机厂。现在在中国也有了分厂。
小镇一角。
I crossed the river again on an old ferry boat near Canton, Missouri. The town of Canton has nothing to do with the southern province in China. The word Canton might be traced
to its French-Canadian origin meaning “township”, but the place sure has a strong Scandinavian heritage. An 80-year old lady told me that her grandparents emigrated here from Switzerland by traveling up the Mississippi in a steamboat a hundred years ago. A few hours south, I came upon the town immortalized by the great American writer Mark Twain. The town of Hannibal, Missouri retains the culture and flavor of the steamboat era. Statues of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stand at the end of the main street. The Mark Twain house had its fence freshly painted, but probably not by Tom’s buddies from yesteryear.
Steamboats are long gone. Today the river traffic is mostly replaced by a grid of interstate freeways that has turned the main commerce flow of the country from south-north to east-west. River traffic is still important for transporting grains and ores, but barges pushed by diesel powered tug boats cannot compete with railroads along both banks of the river where speed is concerned.
密西西比博物馆门口的马克吐温像。
The Arch of St. Louis is a tribute to the westward expansion of the United States of America. With the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleonic France, the United States almost doubled the area of its territory. The great explorers Lewis and Clerk started their trek from this city. It is only from the top of the Arch that one can truly appreciate the greatness of this city, once on the American frontier. Eads Bridge was completed in 1874, and at the time it was the longest arch bridge in the world. Amazingly, the bridge is still in use after 130 years and numerous modifications and has become a favorite crossing point of the river for motorists and pedestrians.
密西西比河上最老的渡口依然在使用中。
夕阳里的游轮。
The city’s nickname of the “Mound City” arose from the mounds built during the pre-European Mississippian civilization. These mounds were built so that the native peoples could escape seasonal flooding of the river. Even with modern engineering techniques, the river is not to be tamed and can flood mercilessly. The worst flood of recent history took place in 1993. Nearly a mile away from the river, a man stands near a pole that marks the water levels of various floods. During the flood of 1993, the top of this pole was below the surface of the water. On the Illinois side, a great mound over 100 feet in height gave ancient Mississippians shelter from floods like this, and at the same time, become a monumental statement of the chiefdom. St. Paul is home to many great works of architecture, including the first skyscraper designed by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The St. Paul cathedral has the most elaborate mosaic decoration in the world.
内战时开始的士兵公墓里，已经有野鹿在黄昏时悠然走过。
河畔的退休工人，他的家在大水中被淹三尺。
Europeans came to the Mississippi valley with hopes of prosperity and religious freedom. In Alternburg Missouri, I was surprised to discover that this little town was the origin of all North American Lutheran development. Since their ancestors landed at the nearby Grand Rock of the Mississippi River in 1839, more than 6 generations have past, but the original Saxon heritage remains strong.
Earl铁桥曾是世界桥梁史上的里程碑。百年老桥在多次修复后依然承担着两岸的交通。
The flooding of the Mississippi has destroyed numerous towns and villages along the river. At the confluence of theMississippi and Ohio rivers is Cairo, a city built to rival Chicago. The master plan failed completely due to both economical and geological reasons. Today, the town stands lonely, in miserable conditions, a bold statement that misfortune does happen in America. Nearby, Cape Girardeau beat her odds against the river with a colorfully painted flood-wall and levee system, and has grown into a local economical and cultural center.
曼菲斯城畔的密西西比河暮色。河畔停泊的是疏通航道的挖泥船。
Memphis is a colorful city in both appearance and heritage. Martin Luther King Jr. and Elvis Presley are the two kings dominating the image of the city, yet it has far more content to offer. The rebuilding of Beale Street after the assassination of King and its aftermath has proved to be a complete success. Music and laughter fill every corner of this historical district every night. Tourists come in from all corners of the world, filling every bar and restaurant. Downtown Memphis has returned to its former glory with the revival of the glamorous Peabody hotel where ducks fluff their wings in the marble fountain of the lobby, and there are an array of museums associated with the rich cultural and musical heritage of the city.
曼菲斯是音乐之都，每一个酒吧，入夜总是民谣和蓝调的世界。
曼菲斯街头街舞的孩子，他的梦想是一日代表美国去参加奥运。
Deep within the city, there are still deep-rooted issues to be addressed. Surrounding Stax Studio, south-side Memphisused to be a rich part of the town. With the revival of the downtown area and the economical decline in the area, many financially well-off citizens chose to leave, resulting in an ever-worsening situation. With few employment opportunities and a climbing crime rate, a sense of desperation can be sensed on the streets. Across the river, the situation is somewhat similar.West Memphis is surrounded by flood plain farmland. Without many opportunities for local residents, it is more or less a truck stop.
昔日的黑奴现在也有自己的一片土地经营。
不知道这些国人是如何来到这里，又是因为什么把苍老或年轻的生命长眠在远离家乡的土地。
The Mississippi Delta is a piece of myths. For some strange reason, there are two versions of the Delta. One says that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg; yet the true river delta is hundreds of miles south where the river flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The better-known version of the delta is a great flat plain – “as flat as the table in front of you” , as a local gentleman told me. The area used to be a vast production ground of cotton in its old plantation days. Now, with the shift of the economy and demand for alternative fuels, many farmers grow corn.
巴顿鲁斯的密西西比河大弯。
从小飞机上俯瞰密西西比河曼菲斯城南的Delta地区.
Where the Delta district ends is one of the most important battle fields in American history. In Vicksburg National Military Park, at the site of the decisive battle between the Union and Confederate armies in 1863, 1,325 historic monuments and markers now stand to commemorate the historic event and nearly 20 thousand Union souls resting in the national cemetery. Restored cannons now sit quietly, facing the rolling hills from which enemies used to emerge. The dead soldiers on the Confederate side were buried in the old city cemeteries. Due to their political stance, they were not considered American citizens at the time. Now, the old Confederate flag flies over their graveyard – not as a political or military statement - but more to remember what had happened here and what should never happen again.
内战时代留下的战炮。国家公墓里埋葬着联邦的阵亡士兵。南军的阵亡将士安葬在离开这里不远的城市公墓。
Deep into former Southern plantation lands, great plantation houses still exist, if not destroyed during the Civil War or by the forces of nature. In Nottoway, a plantation near Baton Rouge, the famous white palace built in 1859, the once-grand view of the river is now blocked by the levee built after the 1929 flood. Yet the glamour of the house and elaborate Southern lifestyle has been fully restored for modern tourists.
南方的傍晚
南方小镇的傍晚。
I stood on the bluff overlooking the great bend of Mississippi river wrapping around the nearby Southern University. This was the first educational institute built exclusively for blacks, and now, just like any other university in this country, it opens its doors to students of any ethnic background. Creole is a big word in the area – not only to describe people with mixed ethnic origins – but also cuisine. Baton Rouge has great good and more restaurants per capita than any other city in the world, including New York and Paris. I had a chance to chat with the Executive Chief at the newly restored historical Hilton hotel in downtown Baton Rouge, and taste the excellent cuisine made exclusively from integrates from the area. A famous Southern politician named Huey P. Long used this building as his state capital building. In the room Mr. Long used to stay, one can see his political slogan and song he wrote, “Every man a king”.
农夫在田头用彩色水杯拼成的国旗。
When the French first founded the city of New Orleans in 1718, they made a wise decision by placing their new city on high ground. This has been proved to be a smart choice again and again over time, most recently during the disastrous events of Hurricane Katrina. Great portions of the cities were devastated, especially in the lower areas when levees broke, washing away houses from their foundations. The French Quarter, the oldest settled area of the city, remained in reasonably good shape. Although there were cries that New Orleans would never be the same, the old city was restored within a few years after the hurricane. Walking there, without looking too hard, one can hardly notice the difference.
新奥尔良是密西西比河上最后一座大城。
My favorite spot of the city is an old jazz club called Preservation Hall. For a while after the hurricane, I grieved that the club would be gone. To my joy, the club opened its doors soon afterwards, with the same old fans spinning over an audience sitting on the wooden floor to listen to the old-timers blasting notes from their shiny instruments.
街头的行为艺术家。
存留堂里的老乐手。
The hurricane is not to be forgotten. A new tourism program is actually designed to let people tour the most damaged area in the lower ninth district and show how recovery is under way. A new 12-foot concrete levee is now in place where the old one broke. The damage is still clear. Foundations without structure lie in the earth, showing signs of yesterday’s room layout and plumbing work. I met a group of students from Texas. Led by their teacher, they were there to lend their helping hands to the recovery program.
法区里的餐厅。
Cafe Du Monte 不仅有一流的咖啡，还有非常美味的糖粉面包圈。
法区老房建筑典型的法国铸铁构件。
Most people think falsely that the Mississippi River dumps into the Gulf in New Orleans. The great river flows another 100 kilometers or more to the south. The river deposits sediment originating along its entire length, forming a narrow band of land deep into the Gulf. The two banks are very solid land for most of this length. Levees stand on both the river and sea banks The land in between is quite low, meaning that any water that flows into the area will stay there. This is a huge problem for local residents and fleeing is pretty much their only choice during the hurricane season.
飓风过后的居民区惨败。
河畔的流浪乐手。他说他是最后一个收拾“行李”离开的人，也是第一个回来唱歌的歌手。
I drove to the end of the road. A sign reads, “The southernmost end of Louisiana and gateway to the Gulf”. A small fishing boat docks next to the sign. Beyond it, there is only waterway. This is the very end of the great river road I have followed for thousands of miles.
这里已经是渔港，捕捞回的大虾晾在码头上晒干。
To my great surprise, the end of the road does not mean the end of the action. Out into the Gulf, there are numerous oil platforms. To supply these oil platforms, helicopter pads now dot the old fishing ports. I boarded a Bell chopper, and in the whirling thunder of the rotor, we flew out towards the mouth of the river. From the air, I could see the mighty Mississippifinally split into three channels, each extending its arm further into the sea, where it gradually breaks into smaller and smaller channels. The banks broke, became chains of small islands. Without a clear demarcation, the great river disappeared, right in front of my eyes, into the truly borderless ocean.
细节是很有意思的东西。平日里见惯的那些，被放大了N倍，框在一个你无法回避的框中砸在面前，不得不去面对。仔细去看，就会发现在司空见惯的事物里，居然还有那么多值得慢慢品味的什么。
可究竟是什么呢？那就看观察时候的心情和感悟了。
为为叠了条大纸船，放在卧室里。不知道为什么，老虎对这条纸船极度着迷。一天很多时候就趴在里面东张西望。难得出来溜达，略受惊吓，也是狂奔回楼上的卧室，跳进纸船，仿佛那是他的诺亚方舟。
（2005年的冬天，山西平遥，没什么游客在那儿，每天冻得索索发抖，但唯因安静，才能心平气和地慢慢看，不需要和数万个脖子上都套着相机的摄影师们比肩接踵。坐蹦蹦车去附近的双林寺，一路漏风，手完全冻僵。那里号称有中国最好看的韦陀塑像，果然名不虚传。看了许久也舍不得离开。最后到了大门，又回头看一眼，看见这位天王雄伟，在门廊下站了不知道几许百年，雪天森冷的空气更给场景多了几分凝重。楞楞看了一会儿。朋友催促，该上车了。扑回去又按了一次快门）。
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有些日子没下暗房了。通常旅行回来，总是会将暗房里的药水槽灌满。每天做几张照片，没任何目的，纯粹是让我觉得踏实的消遣。前几天看个厨艺节目，烤面包的师傅说起超市里那些标准的面包，说那样的产品从头到尾，就没有过“Human Touch”。说法有些过，即使是烤面包机和烘烤程序也是需要人来完成。如果不特别矫情的理解，我想他说的是那种一对一的专注和投入。他的面包是用手揉制了放在一个一个小碗里烤出来的，每个的形状都有点不一样。
暗房里出来的照片也一样，即使是同一张底片，用同样的曝光，曝光过程中的遮挡，绝对是一个独特的过程。喜欢在做暗房的时候听音乐。因为没有人在边上看着，长时间的曝光，自可以随意在黑暗中手舞足蹈，将音乐的节奏揉进双手在光影中的比比划划中去。一个特让我享受的过程。即使不是张完美的结果，也舍不得扔，放在一个盒子里，过几年拿出来翻翻，也会勾起很多记忆。 依然在拍着胶卷，但早就不再如过去那样，拍完一卷就急着想冲洗出来。
暗房里有好几十个拍完没冲洗的胶卷。我不记得上面有些什么，什么时候拍的，也不知道什么时候会去冲洗出来。不着急。每个胶卷都是一个小小的时光宝盒。等都忘记干净了再冲洗出来，忽然打开记忆，该会是多好玩的一件事情。
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（客厅里的老虎。在这里住了十多年，客厅一直没装修，窗是最初的单层玻璃。这照片后不久，那窗换成了更环保的双层玻璃，样子也从原来平面变成了现在的突出墙面1尺多的花窗。这地方现在依然是老虎的地盘，但他更多的时候是趴在窗台上舒服的软垫上晒太阳，难得抬头，懒懒看看窗外。）
科罗拉多的温差很大，早晨是最舒服的时候，太阳初起，金黄铺在后院的晒台上，投着环绕着的树叶影子。坐那儿看会书，是早晨的功课。最近在看关于维多利亚女王，一个时代的象征。印象很深的两件事。其一，对女王的超级保守，评价不是落后时代，而是对昔日辉煌的怀念；其二，阿尔伯特去世后，维多利亚终其一生着黑，这份情，让人感动。
爸妈和我们一起生活，住在山坳里的家中。最近妈妈开始觉得腿脚不很方便。早晨的散步，出门就得上山下坡，有些力不从心。开车带他们去金城的清溪边。妈妈爱水，陪他们沿着溪边慢慢走。和母亲随意聊天。父亲喜欢拍照，自己走在后面，拿着相机到处拍。已经入夏，落基山的积雪依然在融化期，山水流到平原也需要些时候，溪中水虽然不似初夏那么奔腾，但也依然湍急。金城的房车营地停满了豪华级的房车，美国退休人的梦。安静在一处住段日子，然后换个环境，继续安静着。
80天环球的海选告一段落，8强胜出。输赢瞬间，最是能看明白人的时候。当一个局外人，安静看小宇宙中发生的一切。也觉得最近在这上面用了太多的时间，该安静回到自己，看书写字。收心不易，但不收，时光流逝的速度更快。快餐友谊能延续多久？很想念那些一起走起慢慢走过这些年的朋友们。
下午的气温就直线上升。去DTC看朋友。朋友最近摔个跟头，把脚扭伤，和母亲前两年的那次事故很像，走路一瘸一拐。
这个季节，傍晚时分经常雷雨。闪电过去，雷声滚滚。高原，云底离开地面近，雷声好像就在身边。雨未过，天也没晴，东方天空一道彩虹。愈来愈深的色彩。和媳妇一起，在依然纷纷的雨里走，几步一回头，忽然发现彩虹不见了。正纳闷，媳妇说，太阳已经下山，怎么还有彩虹，亏你还是学过光学的。
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到临睡的时候，忽然发现后门大开。老虎不见了。每次发现老虎私自溜出去，总会让全家人揪心。他没爪子，院子里有狐狸，他不是对手。把所有的电筒都找出来，屋前屋后地找，全不见他的影子。侥幸心理，以为他会和平时一样躲在屋子里的某个角落，但终于没有见到他。他肯定是出门去了。
和然然绕着街区走了一大圈，强光电筒照在子夜的屋角和树从。邻居们已经在梦乡，这样很扰民，但此刻我完全不在乎。还是没找到。告诉孩子们，别停下，在附近走，照电筒。不指望这样能找到老虎，但能把警觉的狐狸吓跑，给他一个在狐狸发现他之前回家的机会。夜有些凉，为为拿了件外套给我，可我一点都不想穿。不冷。
和为为开车出发，扩大寻找范围。一圈回来，看见然然打着电筒沿着路狂奔下来。我知道，一定是找到老虎了！然然说，他蹲在对面邻居的车底下。晕！先前找过那儿的。这家伙显然在附近晃悠，然后等我们走远，就回来在那儿看热闹。
我先前的脸色一定很难看。然然和为为给我个熊抱。累劈了，进屋，知道老虎回来就行，也没去看这调皮东西一眼，直接倒下，入梦。
2002年，老虎和他的孪生兄弟影子的合影。影子在这照片后半年就走了，虽然是不治之症，但终于死在我的怀抱里，总让我觉得歉疚于老虎。老虎今年8岁多了，一匹大肥猫。
到八月中，为为就要正式离开家，开始他的大学生涯了。美国学校挺人性，正式开学前，给学生一个机会去住两天校，体验一下新生活。因为还有时差，我五点多就起床，在工作室写了会儿东西，为为六点下楼来，吃了早饭。我开车送他去40公里外的学校。
他弯腰穿鞋，看见老虎的猫粮盆空了，给添满。然然也跟着起了床，但还是那样无所事事，粘在沙发上看电视。到十月，为为18岁，然然15岁，当年的小石头们，现在已经长大成人。凌晨的93号公路上车不多，一路顺利。到学校，发现大部分孩子都是家长陪着送来体验，孩子在前面走，家长拉着行李箱在后面跟着，似乎全世界大部分的爸爸妈妈都这样。问为为，要不要我陪你进去。阳光透过车窗，照在线条分明的脸上，为为说：不用，我都没在表格上选父母陪伴着一栏。这很好，当年我离开家去读大学的时候，也没让爸爸妈妈送我。翅膀硬了就该单飞，早晚的事情。
我小时候因为身体不好，都是姥姥带着，没上几天幼儿园。都到了快上小学的年纪，爸爸妈妈觉得我该去适应一下生活，每天送我去师大先锋路口的幼儿园。几天后，觉得自己是个大人了，豪情万丈地说，今天别送了，我自己去。爸爸给我别好手绢，我自己头也不会去上学。到了学校不远的地方，妈妈骑车上班，超过了我。看到妈妈，我哇地就哭了。
为为自己走进校园，肯定没哭。我掉头回家，来时两人的车里，现在只剩下自己和缓缓流动的音乐。太阳起来了，照在落基山前绿绿的山坡上。路一直往前延伸，这条路，17年，我们一起不知道走过多少次，以后再来回这里，该是不一样的心境。
时空本该是连续的，非要给它打上里程的标记就很容易让人感慨。前几天，世界杯，朋友聊天说起，2006年，2002年，1998年。。 都发生了什么。生活忽然不以秒，分，小时，天，月，年为计量单位，四年一跳跃，时间刷刷就过去。而孩子出生到离开家为一个单位，眨眼间，已然半生。
一早晨在工作室没抬头，吭哧吭哧，将加州国家公园写完，数数字数，4000，超额完成任务。心满意足拍拍肚子。存档：YOSEMITE.DOC。 下午，该开始下一篇文章。记得笔记本出问题前曾经做过一个全盘备份，于是将盘找出，连接上工作室的电脑，嗯，果然都在。为什么不将两个目录合并呢？那样可以省很多时候的。CTRL-A，C，V 无条件合并。DONE。
吃过晚饭，该给小土豆发稿了，打开WORD，想最后一次检查。CTRL-O， YOSEMITE， 开！ 揉揉眼，打死也不敢相信，4000字的内容只剩下了一个提纲的提纲。疯了。到此刻才想起来，在笔记本上写的这个提纲的提供，存的文件名：YOSEMITE。打开恢复软件，扫描，再扫描，再在扫描。覆盖的范围实在太大，大海实在太深，我那可怜的4000字，没了。
我，咋就这么【2】呢？！ 我，咋就没多做几个备份呢？！！！
【2】是有传统的，深埋在基因里。记得俺博士论文的时候，一张360K的文件盘，所有的论文内容都存在上面。一次一次修改，一次一次讨论。一次一次告诉自己，做个备份，做个备份。然后，到最后一稿，修订完毕，很得意地按下存文件。磁盘驱动器发出一声怪叫。我也发出一声怪叫。因为我知道。。我，没有备份。
还有更【2】的时候。前几年，去了南非。回来在华夏人文地理上发了一篇40页的大稿。心满意足数完稿费，觉得，这次任务完美，没必要再留着那些原始图片了。CTRL-A，SHIFT-DEL。然后就忘记了这档事。天算不如人算，2010年，世界杯在南非开场。一个又一个稿约，石头，你的南非呢？ 欲哭无泪，SHIFT-DEL的不是图片，是昨天吭哧吭哧的心血，和钱包里白花花的银子啊。
