John & Anne Wiley

2011/08/28

Stuff Is

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,Smiley Adventure — John @ 05:55

Home is where your Stuff is, they say. Sure feels like home here, surrounded by all our stuff. Lots of it is currently piled by the door, fresh from the car after being unloaded from Tripp. She seemed quite happy to be back at temperate SBA after some of the sweaty places she’s visited lately. We saw a red sunset coming home from the San Francisco Bay Area, and as it got darker nearing home a shooting star crossed our path overhead causing us to think for a moment that it was another plane.  Good omen. 🙂

The only pix I have from today so far were all shot over the hills above San Jose. I’ll probably post more favs from this incredible Adventure in coming days, but for now here are some from this last Smiley day. These rolling hills are so Home to me I once wrote a poem about the song they sing to me. Dotted with oaks and lakes, their golden furry folds caress the eye.

5689 Blue & Gold

5689 Blue & Gold

A closer look caught that small boat making a turn as we cleared the hills and turned toward home.

5690 Change of Course

5690 Change of Course

I guess the large hole on a hill just above the lake in this next pic is a drain in case it ever gets too full?

5691 Flood Drain

5691 Flood Drain?

As I gazed at a winding waterway between the hills, it evoked a sense memory of this trip. Many twists and turns as our path bent one way and other influenced by weather or the availability of friends & family along our route. Points of interest and whims added to the wandering, as more unseen turns awaited in the distance. Will this be our last big Adventure in Tripp, or will we find funds to continue to unfold new pathways over the wonders of this continent?

5692 Into the Mystery

5692 Into the Mystery

2011/08/27

Pass

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,Smiley Adventure — John @ 06:43

Imagine yourself in a boat on a river. After fun with family in Grants Pass we flew over the area and saw a boat on the river that summed up some of what people love about living there.

5633 River Boaters

5633 River Boaters

The people who live along the shore enjoy it too, building shaded areas to sit and watch the flow. We spotted the hillside home where we slept out under the stars last night.

5634 Starry Night

5634 Starry Night

In the clear skies I spotted five shooting stars and three satellites in an hour or two of gazing up into the quiet night. Flying out to the coast, we found the clouds thicker than yesterday so at Eureka we headed direct to San Jose. This river bluff is similar to, yet so different from the one we saw further North.

5661 River Bluff

5661 River Bluff

Further along I admired the rocky crest of this hill, awash in a sea of trees.

5668 Rocky Crest

5668 Rocky Crest

So now we sleep, to dream of flying adventures and wake to discover new vistas tomorrow.

2011/08/26

OR Coast

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Smiley Adventure — John @ 06:22

Today, after trying again for a good pic of a house in the trees above Lake Oswego (Portland), we flew out to the Oregon coast. It was such a welcome wash of cool air when we opened the windows and gazed upon the coastal marshes.

5203 Oceanic Welcome

5203 Oceanic Welcome

Most of the coast was under low clouds, so we flew along the edge and watched for places where we could slip underneath for glimpses of beach. By flying very low offshore, we could observe safe limits and avoid disturbing people walking the beaches but still get telephoto shots like this waterfall and sea cave.

5266 OR Waterfall & Sea Cave

5266 OR Waterfall & Sea Cave

Now we’ve driven this coast a few times, and had no idea stuff like this is so close to the highway. Florence was another place we got a break in the clouds, though we were high enough for a long view.

5298 Florence, OR

5298 Florence, OR

Further along we slipped below clouds again with permission from the helpful ATC at North Bend, and flew very low over the deserted bay.

5346 N.Bend Tidal Marsh

5346 N.Bend Tidal Marsh

My own brain tissue was stimulated by admiring this brain-like formation. I also enjoyed the remains of a wooden ship keeping company with driftwood.

5347 Lost Ship

5347 Lost Ship

As we turned inland at Gold Beach (we call it Hurricane Beach because the winds are often strong at their airport), the scene was idyllic.

5475 Gold Beach, OR

5475 Gold Beach, OR

As we neared another night with loved ones, boaters along the many Rogue River rapids were settling into camps and landing on the many sandy beaches.

5550 Rogue River Beach

5550 Rogue River Beach

Did any of them notice our plane passing quietly high above, or were they all too excited from their own magnificent adventure of the day?

2011/08/25

Clouds & Mountains

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,Smiley Adventure — John @ 06:13

Today we have no net again, so this is from my phone & may contain traces of nuttiness. We saw some great clouds and mountains flying out of Olympia.

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Time was frozen in layers of sandstone at a river bend. image

It was fun to also spot boats & tubes on the river near Portland.
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2011/08/24

Magic

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,Smiley Adventure — John @ 07:27

Tripp is our magic carpet. We huddle beneath her stout wings and she whisks us to imaginary lands. Today we bid goodbye to our Renton hosts, enjoyed deep conversation with one of our dearest friends, and then Tripp-ed out toward Snoqualmie. Near the small town of Carnation, a magic mirror pulled us effortlessly the remaining distance into another dimension.

4629 Magic Mirror

4629 Magic Mirror

We saw the farmhouse where loved ones once lived in an enchanted past, opening doors into the soul and forming lifetime bonds in a shared exploration of nature.

4666 The Farmhouse

4666 The Farmhouse

Now it’s up on blocks with the chimneys pulled out, ready for a move to some other landscape. Nearby we saw the famous Snoqualmie Falls as never before. The added dimension and context gained by flying over this wonder left us awestruck.

4687 Snoqualmie Falls

4687 Snoqualmie Falls

Close by, another home from the past slipped slowly past our shadow. The forest chalet where part of our marriage was formed as we fixed it up and built a meditation pond next to a small stream in the woods.

4717 Treehouse

4717 Treehouse

Now this treehouse has new dreamers, and has been fixed up even more. We were pleased to see that the old circus wagon (top-left) is still there, working its charm on the new owners and their visitors. Then we turned back toward Seattle and flew out toward the Sound, snapping this on the way.

4863 Seattle Skyline

4863 Seattle Skyline

Where once we dined atop the Space Needle watching a small plane move slowly across the sky, today we were in that plane watching ourselves down in the remembered restaurant. Then on to Olympia where we picked up another lifetime friend for a wander out to Hoquiam. There in the wide bay we spotted an offshore islet sporting a punk haircut tuft of green.

4934 Fantasy Island

4934 Fantasy Island

Turning back toward Olympia a sea cave in the colorful bluffs came into view glowing with sunset accents.

4937 Sunset Sea Cave

4937 Sunset Sea Cave

Once again our magic carpet has transported us to new dimensions for a short journey that feels like generations have passed gracefully before us.

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