John & Anne Wiley

2012/01/03

Shuffle

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 09:39

New Year’s Day we did a shuffle, and for the second we did a walk. The shuffle was driving over to Santa Ynez, leaving the car and flying Tripp home to SBA just ahead of the late afternoon fog. The familiar shapes of Bradbury Dam looked tranquil in the lengthening shadows.

1020001 Bradbury Shapes

1020001 Bradbury Shapes

If you have Anne’s keen eye for detail, you’ve noticed yet another numbering scheme on this set of pix. We got a cheapo videocam in SD, and somehow both forgot our cameras so we had only that along with us on the short flight. I’m undecided whether to keep it past the trial period due to the marginal quality of video and stills, but it could be cool to have aerial video from some of our adventures. These stills of Cachuma Lake are ok for here or Edhat, but might not meet my standards for the Photo Page. Of course, we’d normally have better still cameras along, but the video quality is marginal too. Maybe the “flybucks” saved on the cheapo camera would make it worth more hassle editing and improving any video we use.  This wider shot better shows the poor lens quality, in all the haze and washed out sky.

1020003 Cachuma Head

1020003 Cachuma Head

This still has already been corrected some, and doing even this amount on video takes more time and effort. At least the lake was relaxing and beautiful to look at, and even these pix take us back to the magical ride home to slip Tripp into her home base just before the foggy sunset.

1020002 Up Lake

1020002 Up Lake

To celebrate our second day of 2012, we went for a walk. Pretty pedestrian perhaps, but it felt wonderful to catch up on some chores around home, sleep in, vege out in front of TV, and catch up with cyberia (email & web). Well, except for sharing these pix before the clock struck twelve. Tomorrow maybe we’ll get more active again, and start practicing saying and writing 2012. For some reason the change is taking longer to feel real this year.

2012/01/01

Goodbye ’11

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 06:03

Approaching familiar SBA we imagined a dusk landing and a cozy dinner at home to bid farewell to 2011. Instead, this odd numbered year provided some last odd gifts. First was this sunset over the Channel Islands as we passed Ventura.

8940 '11 Hangover

8940 '11 Hangover

The overhanging cloud was an odd color that gave me a brief sense of foreboding as if 2011 had a hangover. Do you see the freckled fog on the ocean in the above shot? Here’s another look, back toward Port Hueneme with better light because the camera’s not overloaded by the sunset rays.

8948 Oxnard Blanket

8948 Oxnard Blanket

Well, that fog was thicker at SBA so ’11 gave us another odd surprise by preventing our landing. So we diverted to Santa Ynez where the quiet airport greeted us with clear skies dotted with the first stars of the year’s last night. A great friend drove over to bring us home, after we cruised the lights in festive Solvang. Tomorrow we’ll drive over to bring Tripp home once the fog burns off, and hopefully our friend will join me for the short flight while Anne brings the car back. I’m excited to see what ’12 looks like! So far it’s shaping up to be a Perfect Dozen year. May ’12 be your fave year so far, overflowing with welcome surprises and joyful closeness.

2011/12/31

Rampant

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 08:04

You learn interesting things flying. I noticed this flag on the tail of a jet at SBA.

8731 Rampant Lion

8731 Rampant Lion

I thought at first it was German, but one of the airport managers said it’s Belgian. So just now I googled “Belgian Flag” and came up with a boring flag with a few colored stripes. So next I googled “Lion Flag” and the Scottish flag called the “Rampant Lion” came up looking quite similar, yet different. Digging deeper I discovered it’s actually the Flag of Flanders, and it too is often called a Rampant Lion flag according to more details found on this site. The jet itself was prim and of course also wearing the Euro Flag.

8732 Flanders Tale

8732 Flanders Tale

So I still don’t know the tale of the tail flags, but maybe it’s something to do with an E.U. delegation visiting some bigwig in SB? As you can see, it was a glorious day so of course we went flying and within a few minutes another interesting story came into view.

8759 Enigmatic Earthworks

8759 Enigmatic Earthworks

It looks new, and we’ve never seen it before, yet there it was in the foothills above Carp. New dam, perhaps? So back on the ground I posted it on Edhat and looked at the full-res pic in more detail. It seems this is a catch basin to protect Carp from flash floods, and it’s been there for years. In closing here’s a snap of SBA (Flanders Jet circled in red) in case you wonder why, after landing in every state and province, we still say SB is our fave area to fly in North America.

8733 Pilot Heaven

8733 Pilot Heaven

2011/12/28

Flood Risk

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random — John @ 08:11

I recently sensed that someone was bravely holding back a deep flood of emotions, and that a relatively small event could shatter the calm facade. Maybe that’s why I noticed the signs of recent activity on the face of this dam we passed on a slow climb out of San Jose toward home.

8700 Holding Back

8700 Holding Back

Having studied human nature and practiced new techniques for communicating deep emotions, my hope is that in this century humanity might at last learn to manage the feelings within and between us. To repair the damage done, and locate areas in our psyche that can benefit from strengthening. Somewhat like this dam, holding Anderson Lake above Morgan Hill. Turns out it was vulnerable to a failure that could have sent a 35 foot wall of water across the quiet town, and even eight feet of water into populous San Jose buzzing in the distance. After noticing the dam, I remembered visiting the lake in my youth.

8699 Over Lake

8699 Over Lake

Over the lake that dam is holding over the town, a small flood of memories came. The cottage my grandmother lived in for a few years there. A family of close relatives in the town. Memories of the last time I visited the lake, pausing on the hillside near a lone dead tree on the grassy slope. Contemplating a very difficult time in my life, with none of the peace and clarity Anne and I have created together. All this and more whimsically passing in slow-motion parade beneath Tripp’s stout wings, with only quick moments of thought as I took in all the rest of the panorama unfolding around us in a rotation that included attention to flight and navigation. Now in front of the fireplace reflecting on the pix and typing this, those moments expand into exploration of submerged memories and feelings. Healing with the awareness and acceptance that reduces flood risk to a steady ebb and flow.

2011/12/27

Peak

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 03:25

This holiday season is adding a new peak for the year, with great family times together and today’s sunset flight home across Pinnacles National Monument.

8724 Peak Experience

8724 Peak Experience

Much as we’d have once enjoyed climbing those trails to experience the rock forms, this evening it was nice to fly quietly over looking at all the variations in shape and texture on our way home to a cozy fire with tea and warm memories.

8728 Western Set

8728 Western Set

Some of the scenes were straight from a Western movie, perfect for ambush scenes. Maybe some day we’ll fly to King City and find our way out to the Pinnacles for a closer look. Meanwhile we’ll hope to fly over again for another peek.

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