John & Anne Wiley

2011/12/14

Angels View

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Random — John @ 10:03

Flying is heavenly even in the city of the Angels, L.A. Approaching San Pedro we got a view of Angel’s Gate. That’s the park just left of the point at the mouth of the harbor.

8089 SW San Pedro

8089 SW San Pedro

Recognize this next attraction from a movie? The “Angel” link above takes you to the San Pedro website with info on the park and many other nearby attractions.

8103 Icon

8103 Icon

A short walk South of there is the 1874 Point Fermin Lighthouse, still a beacon but now for tourists and local events. Beyond the Vincent Thomas Bridge to Long Beach, a look at what we were breathing and above that the snow-capped peaks giving a reminder of what people might have seen from atop the light back in 1874.

8113 Smog Sandwich

8113 Smog Sandwich

2011/12/08

Secret Shore

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 19:55

Flying along the coast is ordinary magic. Places we’ve walked, ridden bikes, and boated reveal themselves anew. The enchantment that shorelines have on human consciousness is expanded and enhanced when we fly low and slow along the beaches and bluffs. Having done that so much now in the last several years, for us it has become ordinary magic. Luckily for us, the magic itself is never ordinary. A constant feast of serene beauty flows past in a sedately moving panorama.

7950 Dume to SMO

7950 Dume to SMO

Point Dume in the foreground, past Santa Monica (KSMO) and into the haze of L.A. All along this path secrets are revealed. Patterns of kelp and sea floor appear in the ocean.

7961 Past Dume

7961 Past Dume

We see the patterns of human activity, and the way buildings, streets and cities fit in relation to one another.

7988 SMO to LA

7988 SMO to LA

Part of the magic is how flying along shores we’ve strolled takes us to new lands of memory, mingling past with present. There’s even a future element, as charming new spots like Venice beckon us to explore from ground and water level.

8005 Venice Grid

8005 Venice Grid

When we experience L.A. from the ground it usually involves a lot of time in traffic, enclosed in a metal cocoon and surrounded by concrete. From the air, it still has a romantic relationship with the terrain from which it emerged.

8020 L.A. Story

8020 L.A. Story

2011/12/05

More MV

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random — John @ 07:37

I have to share a few more of the low quality pix from our Monument Valley flight, because they’re just so fun to look at! Gotta go back. Meanwhile, here are more shots thru the window. First up is the context as we approached, showing how cool all of the rocks are in the area.

0275 Approaching MV

0275 Approaching MV

We came in high, wanting to ensure we weren’t disturbing people and to get an overview. Quite a delight to see this formation from above.

027 Tribe Overview

027 Tribe Overview

To me, it’s a small tribe striking out across the plain with a tall scout out front. Next another overview, lower and closer now as we come in from a slightly different angle. Yes, that’s the propeller in the middle thru the windshield over Rusty’s nose.

0280 Prop Totem

0280 Prop Totem

Maybe these pix are only disgusting due to the low quality. I find them distasteful when comparing to what they could have been, and to what we saw. But my hope is they give you some clue of how incredible this place is to explore by small plane. For example, in the following shot imagine how differently we’re seeing it than those people in cars at the bottom right.

0281 Point of View

0281 Point of View

We saw many more sculpted towers than we snapped, and few of the snaps came out well due to the cheapo camera and windows. Still, here’s one example that’s passable. Doesn’t that look like a sculptor’s portrayal of someone looking back at the fortress on the right?

0288 Statue

0288 Statue

2011/12/03

Memory vs Memento

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random — John @ 22:10

I don’t recall any time that our memento from a flying trip matches the power of our memory. Most often the mementos that come closest are the photos, and sometimes our diary or blog entries from the day. Zubair said in email today that he’d searched the blog for references to the 2007 flight that stands out among our most powerful memories. The reason he didn’t find any is that back then Anne was sometimes uncomfortable with the windows open while we were flying, and we had only a low-resolution snapshot camera. Thanks to his reminder though, I reviewed the pix and found this one that came out ok.

0292 Monument Valley

0292 Monument Valley

This pic is actually good enough that I’m putting a larger version on my Photo Page. Monument Valley is among our absolute top bucket list places for a return flight with open windows and Nikon SLR (or better) camera. The topic actually came up because I was coaxing Zubair to fly and meet us there with his family. Anyway, here’s another pic that better reflects what we saw while also demonstrating the drawbacks of camera and closed windows.

0290 Relective Memory

0290 Relective Memory

You can see the interior of Rusty (the plane we flew back then) reflected on the inside of the closed window at the right, and the camera’s inability to capture detail or the “dynamic range” of rocks in shadow against bright background. What I most see reflected here though, is the powerful emotional experience of wandering at will amid these towering stone sculptures. Many of the “monuments” evoke our ancestors who themselves wandered here, now represented as individuals standing alone, in silent families, and in small quietly mournful tribes. I wish these mementos could better convey the memories of flying there, a collection of moments outside of time.

2011/12/02

Wrong Coast

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,MeriTimes Adventure,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 08:08

After some years in SB my friend and fellow pilot Zubair moved to the wrong coast, settling near Boston. I tried to talk him out of it, but I have to admit he’s happier there. Tonite looking thru pix from our MeriTimes Adventure I found this view of his cozy home in the woods there, nestled among the magnificent Fall colors. I think that’s his beautiful wife Momina standing outside the front door (click the pic to see the larger version).

9862 Right Stuff

9862 Right Stuff

Clearly his choice of coast was right after all. Still wrong for me, but perfect for him right now. He has at least yielded to my relentless bugging him about getting back in the air after a hiatus of several years, as you’ll see on his blog (click his name above). Sadly though, he doesn’t have a great plane like Tripp with windows that open and wings up out of the way for viewing the planetary pleasures. But even if in the “wrong” plane for crisp pix like this, at least he’s flying, right? See what I mean about relentlessly bugging him? 😉

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