At the request of some parents and teachers, we flew over a local grade school today while the kids made these symbols on the playground.
9654 Our Future
Such a delight to see the excitement and enthusiasm of our country’s future generation. Many parents joined them, and it got me wondering what our nation would be like if every child were cherished and nurtured by two informed and involved parents and a similarly supportive extended family and circle of friends. I ♥ Teachers! 🙂
I liked “Bridge on the River Kwai” when I saw it. I like many forms of Art. I like looking at rock formations. I like seeing how people with basically unlimited money sometimes express themselves in their homes and gardens. I love flying of course. So putting all this together, you could come to understand why I enjoy looking at this place in Hidden Valley just South of Westlake.
9593 Murdock's Fancy
Now without zoom, you might not notice some of the more peculiar features of this modest home. So with a twist of the lens, more is revealed.
9597 Yard Toys
Between the mansion at the right and arboretum at the left is an array of tall white sculptures. It turns out, according to stuff I’ve read, those are stones from the River Kwai hand picked from a helicopter by David Murdock. In case you’re wondering, he made some money on Dole Foods. He likes pagodas too, and this one is in the pond just right of the mansion.
9594 Zen
There’s another pagoda at the top of this last pic, that also gives a closer look at the beautiful Kwai stones.
9598 Sculpture Garden
I’m guessing there are some interesting vehicles inside those two facing 3-car garages just left of the manse. Also out of view is his surrounding world class horse ranch. Wouldn’t it be lovely to stroll that estate? Isn’t this one of the most creative uses of wealth you’ve seen?
When we’re little, parents hide stuff by putting it on the top shelf out of sight. Maybe the Boney Mtn. area is like that, being up where few people see it. Look how close the populous areas of southeast Ventura and southwest L.A. Counties are!
9578 Top Shelf
Millions of people drive past it on the 101 freeway and Highway 1 coastal route, but few have any notion of what’s up here. Of course, even when I knew my parents put something fun up on the top shelf it was usually impossible for me to actually reach it. Other than dedicated mountaineers and bushwhacking hikers, how many of us could reach spots like this?
9580 Beyond Reach?
Is another thing I love about flying the ability to at least find and get a closer look at such wild places? Even if I can’t touch the revealed delights, there is a feeling of connection from turning them in my mind’s eye feeling their textures and tasting their shapes. In those moments there are also sometimes deep Rememberings of childhood and my relationships with self, other and divine fleeting among the recollections triggered by looking at pix like these. Flight in small planes adds so many dimensions to life!
Boney Mountain State Wilderness above Conejo Grade near Camarillo has some great rock formations. I got some pix when we flew over it recently, and will probably post more here in addition to those I’ve already sent to Edhat and posted on my Photo Page (links in right column here). Meanwhile, here’s a starter.
9585 Boney Colors
Most flights in the Santa Barbara region provide a bounty of panoramas. Sadly, few photos capture even a slice of this overwhelming beauty. Even so, I like these slices more than many I’ve snapped. Taking off from runway 15L, if air traffic is light sometimes I request a left crosswind shoreline departure that provides the panorama hinted at by this slice.
9529 Shoreline Departure
On this day ATC changed their mind and had me fly North toward the mountains, turning our side window panorama and providing this slice that crosses the first one.
9531 Turned Slice
Reaching the 101 freeway, ATC turned us again to fly East until the freeway winds toward the South. That offers yet another slice of paradise beyond the friendly municipal golf course.
9539 Paradise Slice
As you probably know, having landed in every state and province North of Mexico, we still find our region the most beautiful and diverse. Even a few minutes aloft in this area provides a heart full of soul soothing scenes that these pix only hint at with serene slices.
John & Anne Wiley 
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