John & Anne Wiley

2015/03/09

Nice Surprises

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 06:09

We decided to make the short hop over to a popular wildflower road for a look and not seeing any as we approached, the topic of turning for home came up. Just after deciding to continue a little further I spotted this giggle of yellow on a hilltop.

1649 Yellow Encouragement

1649 Yellow Encouragement

Soon we saw many splashes of bright orange poppies celebrating recent showers juicing up the dry slopes.

1661 Juicy Orange

1661 Juicy Orange

Nestled in a magical valley near Figueroa Mountain is this lake adding emerald to the distant blue Sierra Madre, green San Rafael range, and another sprinkle of prancing poppies.

1727 Mountain Lake

1727 Mountain Lake

Then in a hidden valley nearby as we turned back home, Neverland slipped beneath our wings.

1748 Neverland Station

1748 Neverland Station

So many enchantments Tripp transports us to. There’s no fairy dust required, though it so often feels unbelievably magical to see our home turf in ever renewed light.

2015/03/02

Calm or Carnage?

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 01:36

According to Wikipedia if March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb. Today’s frisky clouds were mixed with gentle breezes, so for month’s end does this portend calm or carnage?

161515 Moon & Magnificence

161515 Moon & Magnificence

That’s the waxing moon at top-right just above the clouds. I love the contrast of the softly waving grass foreground.

1335 Uphill

1335 Uphill

This view up the hills into the mountains made me pause on our March first walk, to share the view with you. May your March overflow with green and wildflowers.

2015/02/27

Family Fun

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 07:08

Now that we’re rested and caught up a bit, I’m finally finding time to share a few pix of our big family gathering. It began with our precious daughter and family arriving late at SBA due to flight delays, with daddy wearing this angel drape.

213405 Angel Drape

213405 Angel Drape

The next day, family from North and South gathered to join the fun. Our angel shadow boxed with daddy to entertain the crowd.

1077 Boxing

1077 Boxing

Cousins collected in a clump behind the chairs for some concentrated play and creative pretend with everyone’s collected favorite toys.

1133 Play Time

1133 Play Time

As night arrived, all but one stopped for a photo moment to appease grampa (aka “Bumpa”) before some departed for home and others stayed in town for another day.

1147 Warm Family

1147 Warm Family

That next day literally flew by, including a flight with some to Santa Ynez while the rest drove to meet us and drive on to explore Solvang. SB weather closed in so we left Tripp and all drove back, ready for a good long sleep. Except our angel, who thought it a good time for an unannounced hide and seek with daddy. 🙂

1152 Hiding From Bed

1152 Hiding From Bed

Next day one of many highlights for our little family taking a break from -17 blizzards at home, was swimming in a heated pool in our balmy air.

162750 Beyond Cold

162750 Beyond Cold

The next day we enjoyed some concentrated down time, sleeping in and hanging out.

164706 Hanging Out

164706 Hanging Out

Another day, and we added Ellwood to see the last dozen butterflies and stroll out to the beach bluff.

164623 Ellwood Stroll

164623 Ellwood Stroll

Bumpa showed our angel the “enchanted grove” and we peeked back under a tree as “Grammy” snapped the moment.

165852 Enchanted Grove

165852 Enchanted Grove

Our last full day included an introduction to flying for daddy, who demonstrated a natural aviator’s ability and quick learning.

1165 Flight Lesson

1165 Flight Lesson

Then the beach, where the sound of surf washed away any lingering tension from work and daily life in a cold climate of their home.

1170 Warm Waves

1170 Warm Waves

Before sunset, Grammy got some sweet moments with our angel to savor until her next visit.

1192 Precious Moments

1192 Precious Moments

The next day one last swim in the relaxing pool and then back to SBA for the long journey home, that again arrived late. But just as we savor the joy of Daughter and family, their exhaustion was hopefully tempered by memories of a vacation here in paradise surrounded by our Love.

2015/02/25

Beyond Time

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 01:54

Flying takes us beyond time, seems to me. For most people that means jet lag. But it means “prop advance” for the few who enjoy our great good luck in flying low and slow over the paradise that is Santa Barbara region. I’ve waxed poetic here in the past about prop advance, which is what I call the sensation of gaining a day every time we fly low and slow. I’ve also offered my theory as to the cause: flying this way is “dream time,” so our bodies imagine that we’ve just had a restful and transformative night’s sleep. I dearly wish it were possible to share some hint of all this in a photo, but this will have to do.

1230 IV, UCSB and Beyond

1230 IV, UCSB and Beyond

Variations of this general view greet us at the beginning of every flight out of SBA, and such magnificent beauty is almost a shock to the system. We always smile, and even the best of moods before liftoff is instantly transported into a realm of bliss beyond time.

Over coming days I hope to share some pix of recent flights, family fun, and maybe some of our other delightful distractions from our enjoyment of sharing here. 🙂

2015/02/01

Mission

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

Pilots sometimes talk about a mission, meaning the purpose of a flight. Another meaning of the word is a larger, even Life mission. Californians are also familiar with the word used in reference to our string of old church buildings such as the Santa Barbara Mission. This pic covers all three of these meanings.

0464 Mission

0464 Mission

Our mission in life includes enjoying beauty and sharing it with others (like posting this pic); the mission of this flight was very much about sharing beauty (and bliss); and toward the lower-right is the SB Mission. While we also appreciate aviation for getting us quickly and affordably from place to place, sharing the breathtaking beauty of it is what we most enjoy.

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