John & Anne Wiley

2012/04/02

Giraffes

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 19:52

I like giraffes. Their vibe is so calm, their color patterns beautiful, and they have those cool knobs on their heads. Imagine also what it’s like to nibble something on the ground and then something high in a tree. Like riding a “cherry picker” or, you guessed it, flying a little. 🙂

1051 Giraffe Corner

1051 Giraffe Corner

So it’s no surprise I enjoy watching for the zoo’s giraffes from the beach, driving by on Cabrillo Blvd., riding the little zoo train, and of course visiting the zoo. They’re not always out though, so  it was fun to spot the giraffes on a recent flight. The young one was going toward the gate to their stable with two adults. But then…

1054 Giraffes

1054 Giraffes

The young one turned to see what the other one was doing with the gathered crowd. Had someone tossed a treat? Maybe made a giraffe noise? Some visitors go to the giraffe enclosure daily, so maybe there was a familiar face in the crowd?

2012/04/01

Around Home

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 06:10

We spent today around home, and looking at pix from recent flights this one inspired what seemed an apt title. For years I’ve been intrigued by a round home near Gibraltar Road. Since childhood I’ve been fascinated by high places with windows. One of the earliest family homes I remember had a bay window with a view down a small hill toward a small town. The main attraction of castles for me, was high turrets. Soon after moving to SB and long before starting flying lessons, I discovered this round home and imagined the view.

0791 A Round Home

0791 A Round Home

Not only do residents here have a commanding view in every direction, they can probably go up into that turret for an even better one. While we have an ever-changing mountain view that we quite enjoy, anyone hanging out around home in this round home is treated to a panoramic view from peaks to beaches and beyond. Of course, we get an even better view as we fly past with our little magic carpet. 🙂

2012/03/30

Step Pools

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 20:44

One of my fave local waterfalls is actually a series of unremarkable small ones. What makes them cool is pools. Each little waterfall splashes into a refreshing pool carved from solid rock. The whole thing is called Seven Falls, and I managed to snap nearly the whole set (a short section is obscured by trees) that I like. Here it is, in pieces starting from the top.

0846a Top Pools

0846a Top Pools

I’ve often wondered about the name Seven Falls, because depending on how you count them there might be nine or more.

0846b Upper Pools

0846b Upper Pools

How would you count the falls? Are you like me, and more focused on the pools? If so, what about the one at the lower-left of the above pic? Given that it’s fed by a different source, would you count it?

0846c Lower Pools

0846c Lower Pools

At the bottom of the Lower Pools pic you can see the start of a short section covered by trees.

0846d Bottom Pools

0846d Bottom Pools

We occasionally talk about taking the strenuous hike to the Step Pools (7 Falls), but so far we haven’t actually done it or even found out exactly the route to get there. My guess is it might be easier to scramble up the creek and swim the pools, but then maybe it’s hard to get up the small slippery waterfalls. It’s beautiful from the air, but the ravine is so steep you only get a fleeting glimpse as you fly past. Birds have it easy. 🙂

2012/03/29

Carp Cloud Crag Color

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

Flying the hills above Carp, I enjoyed this little cloud that harkens back to lying on my back watching cloud shapes.

0757 Carp Cloud

0757 Carp Cloud

Nearby out the other window was this interesting crag sticking up out of the chaparral.

0763 Carp Crag

0763 Carp Crag

Though it might be less above Carp than above Summerland or Montecito, I had to follow the CC alliteration theme. 🙂

Anyway, this splash of color really stands out against the olive drab hills.

0768 Carp Color

0768 Carp Color

So much variety between and within flights. Every moment there’s a new pleasure or discovery, and without the camera we’d forget most of them. Kodak moments blend with all the ones we don’t snap, and soothe the soul.

2012/03/28

Detours

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 05:01

Sometimes I walk into the next room and forget why I went. Sometimes we start a conversation about something and end up talking about something completely different. Sometimes we plan a trip and find ourselves going in a completely different direction. Sometimes we take a brief flight over this town we’ve known and flown for years, and discover something completely new and unexpected. In fact, it happens on most flights. For example, I had no idea there’s a pair of brilliant blue and white buildings not far from our house.

0867 New Topic

0867 New Topic

From the air they were just unusual, blue and large. Looking at the full-res pic back at home, it’s easy to see this is a church and I correctly guessed from the architecture it’s Greek Orthodox. Looking it up on gMaps quickly confirmed that, and added the fact it’s named for “Saint Barbara” just like Our Town. Then I checked the name out on wiki, and what began by noticing an unusual blue building led to exploration of religious herstory. Lost in cyberia for a time, I learned a little about Valentinus, the torments of some venerated women named Barbara, and the explorer Sebastian Vizcaino, whose survival of a storm near here on Barbara’s feast day ultimately led to the name for our Mission and thus Our Town.

Detours can be fun. My goal is not only to “expect the unexpected,” but to embrace and explore it. Since every flight seems to bring plenty of invitations to detours, maybe flying could be described as an excellent opportunity for personal growth. 🙂

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