John & Anne Wiley

2012/04/11

Air & Sea

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 06:46

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

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 06:24

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

2012/04/06

Mixed

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

Flying on windy days is a mixed bag. If the wind is behind you, it provides somewhat of a “free” ride. Of course with a headwind, not so much. Another downside is that windy days are often, but not always, bumpy. Today we took off into a stiff headwind that changed abruptly soon after we took off. I was ready for it so no biggie, but the difference between wind direction on the ground and a few hundred feet up made for mixing. Translation: bumps. Anne used to get that look a cat wears while you’re giving it a bath. Now she usually doesn’t even notice. Today she was a little mixed at first, but quickly settled into enjoying the flight. Here’s one reason:

1303 Windy Devereaux

1303 Windy Devereaux

Windy days often bring clearer air and crisp colors like these. We enjoyed looking at everything even more than usual, if that’s possible.

1305 Coal Oil Point

1305 Coal Oil Point

We’ve flown past this point occasionally since it’s near the airport, but we saw it anew today. Maybe the clear air and bright colors of Spring helped us notice it more. The colors at the beach house ruin nearby seemed brighter too, telling tales of days long gone when craftsmen laid the stonework as gardeners planted the flowering trees and when couples sat cherishing quiet sunset moments together.

1306 Fun House

1306 Fun House

Many more recent stories too of college kids, parties, and tagging expeditions.

2012/04/05

Ambivalence

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 02:34

Looking at this pic, I experience ambivalence.

1088 One/Ninety-nine

1088 One/Ninety-nine

I love the green expanse of the golf course at the left, but feel some concern about water and fertilizer use. I think about the “1%” who can afford the astounding rates at the resort hotel on the right, but have greatly enjoyed the free public “raptor show” they sponsor near the pool. Between is a relaxing open area where we’ve enjoyed strolling quiet treed walkways, a creek, and a lovely beach. Moments before passing this scene we climbed out of the airport over this familiar place.

1083 Corner Store

1083 Corner Store

This is one of the few “big box” stores we frequent. While we like the prices and return policy, we feel concern for the local small businesses it has displaced. Though their products often seem “over-packaged” to us, resulting in lots of trash that’s difficult to recycle, check out all the solar panels on the roof.

To me, ambivalence is a Very Good Thing. When I feel none, it’s probably a sign that I’m not paying attention to the full spectrum. If I feel too much, it’s probably because I’ve lost sight of a question that according to one of my fave scholars is found in various forms in all the major spiritual traditions of the world: “What difference will this make in 1,000 years?” By then, maybe our descendents will know the outcomes of the global experiments our species is currently conducting. Perhaps it’s fortunate that my ambivalence is greatly soothed by a few minutes of fossil fuel consumption taking in scenes like these.

2012/04/04

ReTy

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 00:52

I snapped Ty Warner’s place again recently, and thought you might enjoy another angle on his water dragon to complement this earlier one. As you recall, his mansion near the Biltmore is quite impressive.

1058 Ty Revisited

1058 Ty Revisited

You’ll also remember my fascination with the “water breathing” dragon I noticed in his lagoon next to the white pagoda just visible at the top edge of the above pic (right of center).

1059 Warner Dragon

1059 Warner Dragon

I love the Creativity of Place that’s found on so many estates, and this region has a seemingly endless supply of gazillionaires creating non-stop in their walled gardens.

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