Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #1004 - Lan Su Chinese Garden - Portland - 1803.25

Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #1004 - Lan Su Chinese Garden - Portland - 1803.25

Hi Mom, This one is a bit of a beast.

There were 103 photos of our trip to the Chinese Garden and then the Asian grocery Uwajimaya, but I cut maybe ten photos. Still, this is a lot of photos. But the good thing is that they are all beautiful.

First, one of my GO BLUE photos for Instagram and the stack of books read so far since we moved here. I have finished two others since I took that photo -- Who Fears Death and a reread of ready Player One, not pictured -- and then TONS of photos of the Lan Su Chinese Garden where we went on Sunday March 25th.

I am stealing some text from the web site (shown below with formatting) for context. But mostly, I want the pictures to speak for me.

I found the garden to be serene and beautiful.

It spoke to my soul with flowing water.

LAN SU CHINESE GARDEN OFFICIAL SITE

How big is the garden?

The garden is one city block or approximately 40,000 square feet.

How big is the lake?

The lake, named Lake Zither, is about 8,000 square feet.

What are those free-standing rocks?

The rocks, called Tai Hu rocks are limestone mined from Lake Tai, a fresh-water lake near Suzhou. They are prized for their four virtues which are: the holes that allow life force to flow freely, the rough texture, their slenderness, and being top-heavy. More than 500 tons of rock was shipped from China for the Garden.

What types of wood are used in the Garden?

There are three types of wood used in the Garden. San-Mu (Northeast China Fir) is used for most of the beams and columns. Dong-Bei-Song (Northeast China Pine) is used for the largest columns. Yingxing (Gingko) wood is used for the pale yellow decorative carving in the Pavilions. Nanmu (similar to walnut) is used for the carvings in the doors and windows.

About the Garden

Lan Su Chinese Garden is one of Portland's greatest treasures and most interesting sites to see while visiting Portland. A result of a collaboration between the cities of Portland and Suzhou, our sister city in China's Jiangsu province that's famous for its beautiful Ming Dynasty gardens, Lan Su was built by Chinese artisans from Suzhou and is one the most authentic Chinese gardens outside of China. 

Much more than just a beautiful botanical garden, Lan Su is a creative wonder—a powerfully inspiring experience based on a 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition that melds art, architecture, design and nature in perfect harmony.

Once inside the garden's walls, you'll feel as if you've traveled through time to another era in a faraway world. Lan Su is a window into Chinese culture, history and way of thinking. Ever changing, Lan Su always has something new to offer - by the minute, by the hour, and with the seasons. Enter the wonderland.

Our Name

The garden's name represents this relationship: sounds from both Portland and Suzhou are combined to form Lan Su. "Lan" (蘭) is also the Chinese word for "Orchid" and "Su" (蘇) is the word for "Arise" or "Awaken," so the garden's name can also be interpreted poetically as "Garden of Awakening Orchids." (蘭蘇園) 

UWAJIMAYA

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Reflect and connect.

Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you.

I miss you so very much, Mom.

Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.

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- Days ago = 1006 days ago

- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1804.05 - 10:10

NEW (written 1708.27) NOTE on time: I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of your death, Mom, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of your death, Mom. I know this only matters to me, and to you, Mom.