John & Anne Wiley

2012/06/19

Grand Parks

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 21:47

We’ve been to some truly iconic Grand Parks at cities around the world. Among my faves are Central Park in NYC (in our aerials from this post), SF’s Golden Gate Park, Vancouver’s Stanley Park, Rome’s Borghese Gardens, and a growing list of others. But right here in Santa Barbara we have many good parks and a set of three that, in scale to city size, is a Grand Park.

0269 Grand Park

0269 Grand Park

You’ve seen many pix of this three-park complex here over the years, including this recent Alameda Park drive-by testing my new camera.

0017 Tree Song

0017 Tree Song

In less than a week, you’ll probably see some new Solstice pix we’ll take here. It will look quite different than the quiet time above as the parade aftermath fills it with colorful people, floats, costumes, arts, crafts, food and beverages. But a couple of days ago the southwest section of the park was the scene of this party with live music.

0270 Lively Park Party

0270 Lively Park Party

I guess what makes a park Grand for me isn’t just size. Add diversity, music, kids feeding ducks (in the ponds of the Alice Keck section), kids on playground equipment (in the Kid’s World section), a gazebo, open space, and natural beauty. Oh, and the fact that like many locals I visit there often ( and want to fly over). 🙂

2012/06/18

Unidentical Twins

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 08:28

Some twins look and act unrelated. The owners of these two large homes presumably have a lot in common. Similar incomes, same neighborhood, etc. Yet they are so drastically different.

0146 Unidentical Twins

0146 Unidentical Twins

I like the more compact layout of the top one (T), yet the bottom one (B) has an inner sanctum. B has a natural style pool, yet T’s pool is probably a bit bigger. T has a symmetry in the yard with fountain, yet B has a natural look and a cool detached cottage.

We have a lot in common with our neighbors and do spend some time with them, but we all like to imagine ourselves as very different. I wonder if these owners are friends who chat over the fence (or through the hedge), and hang out together a lot. Maybe not, but they probably do have enough in common to imagine them as fraternal twins from this distance. Separated at birth.

2012/06/17

Yarn Bomb

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 02:44

I’d never heard of it until seeing an Edhat item about a Yarn Bomb. Now I’ve added one in an Edhat item, there’s two pix of it on my Photo Page and here are two more smaller ones.

0257 Yarn Bombed Tree

0257 Yarn Bombed Tree

It was nice to see people there admiring it, though from the air I could barely tell one person was there. I wondered whether anyone on the ground would notice us passing 1/2 mile away, but from the pix it seems nobody did.

0262 Yarn Admirer Huddle

0262 Yarn Admirer Huddle

2012/06/16

Hidden Forest

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 01:21

When we first moved to SB it took a while to realize how much “wilderness” there is close by. The mountains look mostly wild of course, but back then we didn’t realize there are plenty of trails up through them. But many of the creeks have trails too, and they start well within the city limits. One of our favs starts at Stevens Park under the bridge we enjoy taking to and from town, and voting on the best view (mountains or city/islands).

0496 Forest Bridge

0496 Forest Bridge

Though most drivers don’t even notice the bridge, we usually take in not just the two views but also the “hidden” forest beneath us. Maybe because we often go there to walk through the small park to the well tended trails along either side of the creek. Down amid all the green, the sights and sounds of the city seem far way. So close to houses and cars, yet you feel yourself back in time discovering hidden delights.

0191 Close Nature

0191 Close Nature

A tall tree with miniature “grapes” was beautiful and imposing, yet offered its bounty right next to the path. So many people know every plant, we probably could have waited there a moment to ask someone passing by. But other delights beckoned.

0197 Forgotten Fire

0197 Forgotten Fire

It seems long ago that a wildfire raged through this canyon, where brave fire crews stopped it beneath the bridge. The main signs remaining just a few years later are charred trunks on healthy trees and scattered victims like this that nourish the ecosystem. A few steps further along the trail, a different combination of light and soil shelters this explosion of color.

0206 Splashed Colors

0206 Splashed Colors

Whether flying past, driving across, or walking the trails and pausing in contemplation, our creek parks soothe the soul.

2012/06/15

Mixed

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 01:18

I like it when different things mix. People of different cultures and personalities. Oil and water, like the old Lava lamps. Square pegs and round holes. And in our hills, white rocks with red rocks.

0128 Mixed Rock

0128 Mixed Rock

Of course, the shapes also catch my eye as you well know. I like how there’s a creative convo between the cave’s open mouth and the white rocks “listening.” This next one’s a shape thing too. Do you see a cartoon head at the left, frowning toward the rocks on the right?

0129 Frowning Rock

0129 Frowning Rock

No? Then maybe just a nice rock texture formed by weather over eons with no shapes that leap out at me?

0129 Weathered Texture

0129 Weathered Texture

How about some livestock mixing? I don’t recall seeing free ranging cattle and goats together, but it seems to be working for this group I saw in the middle of a large open space on the front range.

0130 Mixed Livestock

0130 Mixed Livestock

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