John & Anne Wiley

2013/08/25

Magic

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Islander Adventure,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 19:30

As I was looking through pix from our Islander Adventure to continue this review, I wondered why two quite different places are so powerfully magical to fly. Taking off from New Haven our hearts were filled with joy from our time with Molly & Dustin. Maybe that made the lighthouse more scenic.

2878 Haven Light

2878 Haven Light

A similarly scenic hour later we’d made a brief stop in White Plains and were passing this familiar bridge locals seem to call just “The GW.”

2899 George Washington Bridge

2899 George Washington Bridge

For us it marks one end of what is clearly one of our two most magical places to fly in North America. Of all the countless magnificent vistas our flying brings, Manhattan just stands out. Because we’ve explored Central Park several times, the joy of seeing this “heart” of NYC from the air is surely enhanced.

2910 Central Park

2910 Central Park

On every flight here there are fascinating things to notice, like the Space Shuttle joining the Concorde at the Intrepid Museum.

2919 Shuttle & Concorde

2919 Shuttle & Concorde

Another scene that evokes the “heart” of NYC is the area around the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, and of course Times Square.

2930 Empire State Setting

2930 Empire State Setting

In the past decade and some, the area around this new tower also expresses the “heart” of NYC.

2942 Sparkling Heart

2942 Sparkling Heart

For us the Heart of NYC is also found in the warm smiles of our precious friends Bob & Enid, whom we’d picked up in White Plains.

3111 Shared Joy

3111 Shared Joy

All these delights contrast with the austere magnificence of Monument Valley where we’ve never visited on the ground and don’t yet have friends. So why are these two places so powerfully magical to fly that they stand out from all our other memories? Could it be that when we wander among tall buildings or towering spires, we are a newborn passed between friendly giants? Flying low enough to experience the planet in three dimensions is to feel yourself intimate with the earth, but not bound by it. Freedom in relationship.

2013/08/11

Linden to Haven (2)

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Islander Adventure,Nature,Random — John @ 00:55

The day after our first dose of Manhattan, Bob kindly drove us back to Linden so we could fly up to see our precious Molly & Dustin. Looking across NJ to the distant Big Apple we’d enjoyed a small taste of yesterday was thrilling. 🙂

2818 NJ to NYC

2818 NJ to NYC

Compared with the low clouds that blocked our way from Annapolis past the Verrazano to White Plains the day before, crossing the Verrazano this day was a breeze.

2819 Verrazano to NYC

2819 Verrazano to NYC

On a past visit we’d finally taken a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, though it turned out to be quite a disappointment after having flown the Hudson. Still, it was interesting to see it from the air in context.

2822 Staten Isl. Ferry

2822 Staten Isl. Ferry

In the earlier post from this day I shared one of the pix from our aerial float past Lady Liberty, but here’s another view of the ageless beauty.

2826 Stalwart Statue

2826 Stalwart Statue

Also a good view of Ellis Island, where many who first saw the statue faced the probably scary yet welcome first steps of a life in America.

2832 Ellis Island

2832 Ellis Island

I’ve wondered what this next interesting building was, so I looked it up to discover it’s the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal. Looks like it could use a bit of work.

2833 Central RR of NJ

2833 Central RR of NJ

Next what looks like an ordinary pic of some skyscrapers on the Jersey side. But if you look more closely in the middle, you’ll see what motivated me to snap this.

2842 Safe Passage

2842 Safe Passage

We’re not just safely on the other side of the river, but much higher. This and the skilled assistance of ATC is what keeps the Hudson safe for flying tours. Now here’s a view we don’t often get of the White Plains airport, because we’d typically have just taken off or be about to land.

2852 Airport to Nyack

2852 Airport to Nyack

In the far distance past the lake and across the Hudson you can see the cliffs of Nyack. Last today is our last aerial pic of that day, as we passed New Haven headed for the airport and another wonderful time with Molly & Dustin.

2863 New Haven

2863 New Haven

2013/08/09

NYC Entry (2)

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Islander Adventure,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 01:14

So in my continuing review of pix from our Islander Adventure I’ve again reached the point where we entered The City. After a quiet night near the Linden, NJ airport we took the short train ride into Manhattan. Coming up out of Penn Station, the city greets you like an avalanche.

0539 Fun Overwhelm

0539 Fun Overwhelm

Stimulation everywhere. People, sounds, traffic, billboards, colors, movement, aromas. This place is Alive!

We wandered the city a little, then met our wonderful friend Bob at his mid-town office. On the way to join up with his delightful wife Enid at their cozy home in Nyack he took us to another place of overwhelm, named Fairway Market.

0552 Fairway Abundance

0552 Fairway Abundance

If it’s food and you like it, they have it. This pic shows perhaps 1% of the space in this enormous market tucked under a highway bridge along the Hudson River. We took our bags of bounty home, then the four of us enjoyed a walk among the abundance of Spring.

0560 Spring Smiles

0560 Spring Smiles

The spectrum of beauty surrounding their home near the other side of the Hudson is matched by the souls of these two. We walked and talked our way past the towering cliffs and onto the trail cut along the river. Such sweet memories, I sighed deliciously just now typing this. Friends and family add So much to our adventures in life. 🙂

2800 Timeless

2800 Timeless

2013/08/07

Confession

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,Relationships — John @ 19:06

As I shared back on April 18th, we loved exploring Annapolis on a bright Spring day as exemplified in this snap by Anne.

0533 Annapolis Spring

0533 Annapolis Spring

I did mention our dance with weather flying to NYC a few hours later, in the post I did here that night. But I didn’t show you the full story. The flight started off in great weather, and we stayed low to enjoy scenes like this paradise point for boaters near Bay Bridge.

2745 Boater Bungalows

2745 Boater Bungalows

Lucky pilots have homes next to a runway with airplanes in their garages, so I can imagine the boaters in these homes being just as happy. As I hinted in my earlier post tho, 15 minutes after takeoff I was no longer relaxed because the scene had changed to this.

2758 Weather Change

2758 Weather Change

That bank of clouds at the top is the edge of a wide swath I’d climbed to fly over, thinking based on weather reports that it was just a local fluke. But ahead were more clouds, so in this pic I’m descending to see if the base of the clouds is low enough to fly under. It wasn’t. By now I was very busy exploring options, listening to local airport weather reports and talking with ATC while climbing high again to add visual details on the changing weather.

2759 Up Again

2759 Up Again

That tiny white cloud you may not have noticed near the top was a clue for me that we needed to either choose a nearby airport, or find another route to NYC. Luckily, by now we were only a few minutes’ flight from the coast and a friendly airliner overheard my convo with ATC. He said, “We just took off out over the coast and the sky is totally clear along the shoreline to NYC.” As I made a climbing turn toward the coast to go extra far over the top of the low clouds, I told ATC of my plan. I knew that we still had plenty of options because there are many airports in this area. We were rewarded with this friendly scene.

2761 Seaside Heights, NJ

2761 Seaside Heights, NJ

The golden glow of afternoon sun shone through a hole in the clouds as if to welcome us. I didn’t realize then that this is where hurricane Sandy had devastated the Jersey Shore (just above this pic is where the fire was).

I named this post Confession because I didn’t fully share at the time that I’d been cautious about the weather changing from the great forecast. What I was starting to see nearby had me vigilantly keeping at least three clear airports within a couple of minutes’ flight. See, some of our loved ones are terrified of flying. So while we were on our long flying wander across the continent, I didn’t want to chance increasing their concerns. Not because there was really any risk, but in case they might worry while we were traveling.

After passing several more airports, we were cozy at Linden in a few minutes. There, feels good to get that off my chest and savor a few more pix. 🙂

2013/08/05

Merry Land (2)

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Islander Adventure,Nature,People,Random — John @ 04:36

Reviewing more Islander pix, I found this mysterious mansion. Is it a resort? A clubhouse for everyone who lives on Bennet Point or maybe just Kilby Point? Here’s a wide shot of the point.

2678 Kilby/Bennet Pt, MD

2678 Kilby/Bennet Pt, MD

What got my attention is the round building with blue “happy face” below it. Here’s a closer look.

2679 Blue Happy Face

2679 Blue Happy Face

So both the square building next to it and the red-roofed one at the left look like resorts. Maybe they’re actually mansions? Judging by the condition of the swimming pool and that blue patio roof (click for larger version), maybe the happy face isn’t so happy lately? Love that little island bridge at the bottom-right, the tiny log cabin right of the “lodge” plus of course the pool and its bridge.

Wonder what the story is. When was it first built and what stories have unfolded there over the years since? How many people have sat at those picnic tables in the shade of the trees above the roundhouse, wearing their own serene happy face. How many marriages and honeymoons might have included time here? My heart and mind are drawn into this scene. So many interesting places like this we’ve noticed along our flying meanders. 🙂

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