在来看女儿之前，我们在家查了西雅图的天气预报，Google的结果是感恩节四天都是阴雨天气。LD感慨道，你说这在阳光之地长大的孩子她能不想念这里吗？

 

飞机晚上十点多到，走出航站楼，扑面而来的雨水和凉意。等我们租好车，开上高速，已经十一点多了。雨越下越大，高速公路上雨雾蒙蒙，窗前的雨刷快速左一下右一下在眼前晃动，但是道路还是看不太清。LD在黑暗中战战兢兢地开着车，嘴里骂了句“这鬼天气”，又感慨地说，“女孩子家，离家近点，找个好老公，完了”。

 

等我们达到女儿住处已经午夜时分。三个半月没见她，女儿瘦了，变白净变漂亮了，看来西雅图的雨水养人啊。我们放下行李，发现肚子有点饿。我打开冰箱，发现冰箱空空然(我们离开前将它塞满了), 只有半盒鸡蛋，两根zucchini瓜，一把烂葱，一袋土豆(还是我电话里嘱咐买的)，一瓶orange juice，别的就是些冰冻的食物，罐头倒不少。我匆匆煮了点热面热汤，三个人吃着，饭桌上女儿已经在跟爸爸滔滔地谈工作上的事了。

 

接下来的四天里，女儿带我们走访了很多地方。我们到过校园，漫步湖边，看雨中的湖面涟漪点点，远处青黛色的山峦烟雨迷蒙；我们走入雨中树林，看层林尽染，满目火红的、金色的、橘色的树叶在风雨中摇曳。我们不时停下脚步，仰起头静静地看着树叶从高高的树梢间一片片凋零，在风中缓缓飞舞，无声飘落，那一刻，时光好像是静止的；我们又在天晴时行走林间小径，那时的阳光像跳动的精灵，在树梢尖肆意地舞蹈，等你掏出相机对准距离时，又消失地不见踪影。我们冒着大雨去看电视剧Twin Peaks拍摄景点和著名的大瀑布，雨中的瀑布水气雾气弥漫，见不到底部，但磅礴的气势犹在。我们又驱车两个多小时，去寻觅节日盛装的德国小镇Leavenworth。一路上，青山绿水，白云环绕，山顶白雪皑皑，两旁河流纵横，偶见美丽的田野上，袅袅炊烟升起在孤零零的红色屋顶上。随着茂密树林从眼前掠过，我们还看到爬满厚厚的嫩黄色或鲜绿色青苔的树干和树枝。它们连同生锈的铁桥一起见证着历史，见证着岁月。

 

 

四天的时光很短暂，然而就是在这四天里，我们见到的色彩抵得上在加州近二十年里看到的色彩，四天下的雨水是我们那儿一年的雨量。也就是在这四天，我们也更加认清了这样一个现实：美不仅存在于加州的黄金海岸，阴雨绵绵看似乌云密布的地方一样有美。大自然赋予我们四季，赋予我们不同的景色，让我们能在阴霾天气里渴望阳光的到来，又能在久浴阳光后盼望雨水的滋润。感谢大自然的万物，因它们的存在，世界才多彩多姿，才有经风雨见彩虹的欣喜。同样，人也只有在离别后才会更加珍惜相聚的欢乐。

 

带着感恩，带着满足，我们踏上了回南加的飞机，牵挂女儿的心渐渐放下，知道她无论留在何处，都有上苍的恩典与祝福。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we landed and walked out of the building for the rental shuttle, a bit chilly rain greeted us in the darkness.  By the time when the car was ready, it was 11:20 pm. The rain began to pour, and the windshield wipers were set at the fastest speed.  Busy as they were swaying from side to side, the front window was still a bit blurry. My husband was driving on his nerves, his hands gripping tight at the wheel, cursing at the bad visibility and the weather.  It was midnight when we reached the apartment.
 
The next morning was Thanksgiving, still rainy.  However gloomy the sky was, we were in a good mood.  My daughter took us first to a college campus, then to a trail by the lake. In the afternoon, we went to Snoqualmie Falls, where the TV series Twin Peaks were shot.  Everywhere we went, the air was clean and crisp, and the scenery was beautiful.   The fall is like a magical painting brush that touches  with strokes from its palette the hues of colors, rich and varied, to the trees with fiery red, shining gold, vibrant orange, or lush green. The lake, shrouded in the misty drizzle, was dark but peaceful. The trail, flanked by tall slender trees on the sides, were carpeted with thick soft leaves. For more than once we stood beneath the trees, watching the golden leaves swirling in the breeze from the top of the branches to the ground, silently. For the moment, time seemed frozen and still.  My daughter later pointed to a dim distance, telling us that on a clear day, the Rainer Mountain capped in snow was visible from here. 

The next three days found us visiting residential areas and farmland, hiking the trails again, and driving around the island, and to the mountainous areas.  Most homes in the cities look old but pricey. Driving around the rich island gave us a glimpse of where affluent people like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos could possibly reside. The highlight of our trip was a visit to a city called Leavenworth. Nestled in the mountainous area, it was a German- styled town. Thousands of Christmas lights in varied colors (i.e. eye-catching purple) were decorated on the towering Christmas trees, twinkling and exuding a Christmas festive atmosphere in the air, accompanied by the live joyful music played from the pavilion. We spent hours shopping, eating and strolling around the small town, before heading to a famous trail close by. 

The trail was closed unfortunately, but the views along the way were stunning. The rivers were in one place placid and gem green, and in a few yards away, they turned into white waves plunging and crashing downward. The mountains were mostly bare dark green, contrasted with the white top frosted in snow. Falls, big or small, were spotted here and there, cascading down like white curtains or meandering through like streams.

Seattle winter reminded me of the similar seasons in my hometown in China, where it was just as cold and cloudy, yet charming like a misty young lady.

Traveling from the sunny coast to rainy port cities, we have witnessed the nature’s differences, and the splendors it bestows upon us, rain or shine. Blessed is our life and everyone's, in the hand of God and its creation, for which we are eternally thankful.