John & Anne Wiley

2011/01/03

Fresh Snow

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 06:54

This morning there was fresh snow on the local mountains, but we couldn’t see it until the clouds lifted. The wind was ripping the trees around and clouds were marching past the slopes, but we saw several gulls and crows doing aerobatics as if to mock our inability to go flying in Tripp.

4258 As the Crow Flies

4258 As the Crow Flies

It seemed as if the crow was returning from having created the storm and capped the hills in white. In reality, he was just flying down to join his friends in the stark branches of a dead tree on a small knoll.

4251 Murder of Crows

4251 Murder of Crows

Can you make out the “murder” (group) of crows at the bottom center of this pic? Well, turns out Anne couldn’t either so here’s a cropped version.

4251 Cackle Choir

4251 Cackle Choir

They seemed to be quite enjoying the weather, and were bragging loudly about it. We saw them fly around noisily celebrating, arguing, chasing, or whatever it was they were excited about. Then they’d glide back to perch there watching, with an occasional eruption of “crowing.” Tooth Rock (aka Cathedral Peak) looked especially mystical in the dark of thickening clouds.

4259 Tooth Rock

4259 Tooth Rock

It’s the pyramid-shaped rock on the right. Can you make out the caves in the face? There’s an especially big one at the base, though they’re all fairly shallow. I like to imagine ancient people living or at least having ceremonies in them, and some day it would be cool to find a way of reaching them. I’ve yet to see a good trail, despite flying all around it several times. I wonder if the crows visit it.

2010/12/26

New Tradition?

This might be our first Christmas at home together, and it’s wonderful to savor what might become a new tradition for us. Usually we’re with family, so this year after a warm and wonderful Christmas Eve with family in San Diego we flew home through a dreamscape. Yesterday between morning coffee and evening soup/gifts, we took a break to fly over San Diego Bay.

4118 San Diego Bay

4118 San Diego Bay

This view over the salt ponds from near the Mexican border shows the graceful arc of the Strand to Point Loma with the city skyline just visible at top-right. Flying home today we got a great view of distant snowy peaks beyond the Riverside area.

4170 Snow Beckons

4170 Snow Beckons

We were tempted to fly over them for a closer look and to avoid incoming weather so we can meet up with dear ones in the desert. But the siren song of Home was stronger, so we dodged storms to arrive just as heavy rains were approaching Santa Barbara. It’s so fun to choose in the moment, allowing our destined route to emerge. Dipping through a large opening in the clouds near Camarillo was just one in the string of choices that ended with us enjoying home made soup by a warm fire.

1195 Clouds Parted

1195 Clouds Parted

Happy holidays, everyone!

2010/12/24

Up Again

We saw some delightful sights flying to Oxnard today. First was the brown marble sea created by the muddy runoff from all the recent storms. We saw variations on this theme at every creek and river outlet along the coast.

4048 Sea of Mud

4048 Sea of Mud

Over the Oxnard coastline looking toward Ventura the dappled shadows and scampering small clouds made the familiar scene we’ve seen on so many flights, all new.

4050 Oxnard Anew

4050 Oxnard Anew

Can you make out the campground at the bottom? Those little circles each lead to pads where motorhomes park to sleep with the drumming of surf beyond the dunes. A bit to the right out of this frame is a similar shape from the air, made by picnic tables on pads around a playground. I like the embellishment created by the trees and their shadows lining the street.

4052 Playground Flower

4052 Playground Flower

Flying low reveals both geology and geometry.

2010/12/21

Layers

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 01:52

Anne had hair and happiness (shopping) time this afternoon, as I cruised Altered State Street looking for a place to park. Downtown was surprisingly busy given the rain, but maybe most were doing holiday shopping and taking advantage of this break in the heavy rain of the last few and next few days. For some like Anne and me though, it was also a great time to be out and about. There was just enough rain to tingle the skin and make everything shiny. I paused at the corner before turning left onto Altered State, to snap this invigorating view of the clouds layering among the hills over Montecito. Layers of thoughtful feelings about holidays and a precious grand-daughter warmed my heart in the brisk air.

4040 Rainy Day Stroll

4040 Rainy Day Stroll

2010/12/18

Rain & Memories

I’ve finally found one photo of grand-daughter beautiful, being held by our jubilant son-in-law (posted on his FaceBook page). I’d like to post it, but we’ve had a policy of keeping pix of people off this blog and I already bent that rule yesterday with the old photo of my precious daughter as a newborn. So we’re sitting by the fire listening to the rain, and remembering all our sweet and fun times with her as we imagine how Happy Tired they are.

To keep myself busy, I’ve also looked through more of the photos from our most recent flight. I imagined just now what it would be like to have the whole family over for a holiday meal at this place downtown.

3976 Downtown Mans w/Tower

3976 Downtown Mans w/Tower

I wouldn’t want to own, much less live in such a massive old house. It would be fun to have that tower though, and add round windows all the way around. There did seem to be a gathering at Oprah’s place, since we seldom see more than one or two cars there just before sunset as this was.

3997 Oprah's Montecito Estate

3997 Oprah's Montecito Estate

Nearby was a quiet scene with the Chumash burial ground at Shalawa Meadow in the foreground and a serene seascape toward the distant clouds beyond Carp.

4003 Shalawa (Hammond's) Meadow

4003 Shalawa (Hammond's) Meadow

Generations of memories, here and in the homes we saw, and beyond to the native peoples who once gathered on that beach for meals and ceremonies.

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