John & Anne Wiley

2012/04/15

No Escape

Long ago when I lived a winter in the woods far from any towns and 10 miles from the nearest neighbor, it was a surprise to learn that hunters on snowmobiles enjoyed coming to that area for their riding and shooting. I felt sad to learn that there is no escape from “civilization.” Now of course, I love living in sunny Santa Barbara and have no desire to “escape.”

This place might have been built back when I was in the woods, and gradually upgraded to the lovely escape it is now.

1407 Geodesic Home

1407 Geodesic Home

I thought at first it was an observatory, but looking at the full-res pic now it’s clearly an especially creative private residence in this neighborhood on a ridge this side of Santa Monica.

1408 Mountain Escape

1408 Mountain Escape

That’s the dome house just below center. Just out of frame to the left on the ridge is another structure I find interesting.

1400 Communication Problem?

1400 Communication Problem?

How do the people who have built their homes so far above the city, feel about the graffiti on this communication tower? How does the owner of the facility feel about vandals apparently being undeterred by the razor wire? Since there are no other apparent attempts to prevent or paint out the tagging, is there some sort of detente in place? Is there any contact between the residents, taggers, and tower owners? I wonder what if anything the taggers’ form of expression has to do with their powerful need to communicate their inner feelings and creativity. Maybe similar to my motivations in snapping this pic and typing these thoughts atop this little “hilltop” I’ve claimed in cyberia.

2012/04/13

Blooming Luck

Coming home from Easter with family in San Diego we chanced to pass the famous flower nursery at Carlsbad Ranch on an especially clear day when some flowers were in peak bloom.

1530 Fun Flower Farm

1530 Fun Flower Farm

It was tempting to land and find a way to get there. If we’d had our “tweaky tandem” bike along, it would have been a great outing. As I circled waiting for other planes coming and going at nearby Palomar, the flowers and falls at the Crossings golf course were accented by wild mustard on the hillside.

1527 Crossings Colors

1527 Crossings Colors

At last cleared by the tower to cross the departure path of the runway, I flew directly over the flowers and snapped these with maximum zoom. Cropped down they give some sense of how magical it is to wander among the blooms.

1531 Childhood Enchantment

1531 Childhood Enchantment

The gentle mood of this pic is so refreshing. The girl standing and taking in the field of color is the stuff of dreams, and the rest of the family seems almost reverent. In the crops of the few snaps from our passage there are lots of cameras visible, and this is my fav pic of a pic.

1532 Moment In Time

1532 Moment In Time

Old family pix of ours often include strangers who happened to be in the background. As the entire world gets wired, it’s fun to imagine that someday soon their loved ones can google our pix and discover snapshots of long-lost friends and relatives who chanced to be there. Is this a honeymoon couple who will chance upon this pic found by their domestic robot to supplement their 50th anniversary in 2062?

2012/04/12

More Murdock

Everyone knows (if they’ve seen this and this) that I’m fascinated with Murdock’s marvel. Most flights past the Hidden Valley area we look at his estate again. This time I snapped a different view aided by clear air and a higher sun angle.

1387 Murdock Manse

1387 Murdock Manse

If you click to see the largest version here, you can make out the courtyard of the pagoda left of center. Plus another view of the manse and of course the Kwai rocks. At the top-left is the pond where another pagoda sits, and I got a new angle on that too.

1389 Pond Pagoda

1389 Pond Pagoda

What’s more interesting to me: the many quirky features of this estate, or my own fascination with it? Given his funds, would I build something as elaborate? What additional details are invisible from this distance? I’m unlikely to ever be invited to tour the estate, so I content myself with snapping it when passing so I can pore over the telephoto pix back in my own little castle.

2012/04/11

Air & Sea

The air along coastlines is special. Not just the subtle smells and tastes of the sea that find their way into the gentle breezes. I’m talking also about an ethereal quality especially present along the west coast, of light and color that is best viewed from about a quarter mile up like this.

1315 UCSB & Sea from Air

1315 UCSB & Sea from Air

This amount of air can make an already spectacular scene simply breathtaking. We flew along the coast toward town in air even clearer than the SB norm, and the effect was simply beyond words or the capability of photos to convey. I took other pix of course, but this one captures for me an enhanced sense of living on a bluff over the beach in a Hope Ranch manse.

1327 Hope Manse

1327 Hope Manse

The house, yard, those glorious trees, and the large dog (or small horse) and child at bottom-center give me a glimpse of that life. Being at this height above it keeps me free of the realities involved in earning and keeping such a place. From here my imagination is free to make it absolutely idyllic as my eye wanders across the details frozen in time.

2012/04/08

Stone Faces

Going thru pix I came across some rock pix. As you know, I take lots of rock pix because there’s something about the shape and texture of stone that fascinates me. Turns out some of them convey an impression of faces.

1211 Remark Rock

1211 Remark Rock

To me this rock looks like it’s making a casual remark. This of course begs the question: what might it be saying? Also, how long will the remark take to complete? This next one’s more of a turtle or snake head to me.

1211 Turtle or Snake?

1211 Turtle or Snake?

I sneaked this last one in, even tho I don’t see a face. I just like rocks that have holes in them. Sometimes they’re from ancient peoples pounding acorns or some such preparation.

1215 Holey Rock

1215 Holey Rock

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