Jack loved to bring us to road trip and camping.
He bought me a Sleeping Bags back to 1987 when I just settled down at US.
It was sky blue color with a lot little cute poppies images on it. I still have it in my garage to cover George's antique car. .
He is such nice and thoughtful guy! It was keeping me worm for several years, I used it as my blanket most of the time not only in camping.
As I was digging through old photos I found this one of my parents singing together in the early 1980's. It reminded me that singing was always a big part of his life. I remember especially during the 90's when they and their friends got really into karaoke--every weekend during that decade was filled with people gathering together to sing.
Later in life he joined the church choir and I'm a little sad that I was living in New York at the time so that I never got to see him sing with his choir.
The last year of his life, it was hard for him to sing, but his choir friends would stop by the house to sing for him. The last 2 weeks he was on hospice, his friend Simon came one day and they sang some of his favorite Taiwanese songs together.
A few days before he passed I witnessed the most touching and lovely moment. The hospice music therapist came to the house to sing and play the guitar for my dad. Arriving at the same time was his church choir friends, who also brought their instruments. They ended up doing a jam session and everyone played together and sang together. It filled the house with beautiful sound. I will never forget that day.
Jack was a lifelong nature lover. I remember my childhood filled with endless road trips to every national park in the Western United States. I didn't appreciate it much as a kid (at that age I think I'd rather spend time in front of a TV or in a mall). As I became an adult, I realized what an impact that made in me and formed my own love of camping and hiking. It still didn't connect fully until in 2013 when I took my dad back to Taiwan and I got a chance to meet his college buddies. Listening to their adventure stories from when he was a young man, I started to connect those family road trips to something larger; to an essential part of who he was as an individual.
One of his favorite places close to home was the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, known fondly in our family as "the bird place". It's a wetland that's between Huntington Beach and the interior marshes and a place where several endangered species of birds nest during their migratory routes. Dad loved this place and would take us frequently and make regular trips out himself (with Coco, when she was alive).
The day after the memorial, my husband and I went out there to take a walk in memory of dad. We saw this lovely little bird there. He let us get so close to take the photo--too busy with the fish in the water (its next meal) than to be scared off by us. We also saw a few sting rays in those waters! A lovely day out and a nice remembrance of Jack's love of the birds.
Not many people know that Jack and we, a group of classmate, used to ride and swim almost every country side and river around Taipei. We jumped into Green Lake and spent nearly all the summers when we were young. He was also a skillful canoe rowler. What a wonderful youth
Jack loved to watch sport games (NBA, NFA, MLB etc). He was one of hard core Laker fan. He loved Magic Johnson so much! With him I started to know some professional sport event.
You loved to travel a lot! With you i had chance to see a lot of places such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Big Bear, San Diego, Tijuana, Ensenada, Huntington Library, Queen Mary, San Fransisco, Las Vegas, Palm Spring and etc. I was enjoying the countless road trips with you.
I receive my Triple A membership card every year. This year it is indicating membership for 29 years. That was 29 years ago my Christmas gift from you I think it was in 1989 that was my second years to settle down in USA. Your kindness and thoughtfulness is always in my mind.
Jack told me he love chewing gum so much. One time he got Double Mint chewing gum from some one. He was chewing all day long until the sweet sugary taste all gone. He reconditioned the chewing gum by putting into an empty cup and add some raw sugar over night. Next day he could chew it again and again. It was in late 1940. Since he was a little boy, he already knew how to save money!
