Capital of the Evergreen State (by William)

Live from Spring Break Road Trip (March 27, 2018)

It has been raining non-stop since our plane landed in Portland, Oregon Saturday night.  We decided to spend our day in the Washington State Capital.  It turned out to be a great learning experience.  Let me share three stories the tour guide Linda Moon told us.

The first one was a very funny story about the creation of the Washington State Seal.  One day, Charles Talcott was thinking about what the state seal should be.  He had the cold and reached for his medicine bottle.  On the bottle was a picture of George Washington.  The medicine bottle gave him an idea.  He traced a silver dollar to get a circle then drew Washington’s face inside just as the one on the medicine bottle.   
  

The second story was about the Tiffany glass chandeliers. A standard chandelier in the legislative building weighs one ton and the heaviest one weights five tons (10,000 pounds).  The light bulbs on the heaviest one are the same kind of bulbs used for traffic lights since they can last very long.  Someone in our tour group noticed a light bulb was broken.  Linda explained the old way for the technician to fix the chandelier was to balance walk on a cable.  Nowadays safety nets are installed underneath to protect the technicians.    
 

 

The third story was about the marble wall and floors.  The marbles came from different regions of the world—Alaska, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and France.  In the Reception room, there are many patterns on the marble wall, and I was able to spot a butterfly, a dog, and a river.
 

 

I also followed two classes of 5^th graders from local schools into the Temple of Justice and listened in a mock trial.  This was a day I visited offices all three branches--Legislative, Executive, and Judicial of the government.

Exploring Portland, Oregon (by William)

Live from Spring Break Road Trip (3/25/2018)

This was the day we started exploring Oregon!  We went to the International Rose Test Gardens and OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry).  The Rose Garden is home to over 10,000 roses under 600 different species, and every rose has a name.  For example, two of my favorite names are Hot Cocoa and Sunshine Daydream.  Although the roses are not in bloom, I knew that in spring, the rose gardens will be very beautiful.  OMSI has so many fascinating exhibits, and one of my favorites is the Beginning of Life.  The sperm cell produced by a male meets the egg cell produced by a female, and that encounter produces a baby.  I also found the answer of my long time question, why females have period.  It is because their ovaries release eggs, and if the eggs are not fertilized, the eggs will be flush out by blood. 

Robot Revolution Exhibit at OMSI 

The Beginning of Life Exhibit at OMSI



Here I Come Portland, Oregan (by William)

Live from Spring Break Road Trip (3/24/2018)

“Vrrrrrrr!” Went the plane as it sped up on the runway.  Boy, was I excited for spending my Spring Break on vacation!  I felt my stomach lurch and somersault as the plane climbed higher into the sky.  I looked down and saw the grand Pacific Ocean looming blow us.  I took a deep breath trying not to think about the turbulent experience of my first plane trip to Taiwan five years ago.  Just then, the plan turned north and began its trip to Oregon.  After what seemed hours, the plane finally landed in Portland.  I managed a wan smile as I took my first step into Oregon. 

Source: Google Map