John & Anne Wiley

2013/01/18

Valley Views

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 23:53

I love California. Even when the hills are a furry golden brown in Winter. But after some rain, the green hills and valleys are also breathtaking in the morning and when evening light gently caresses their colors and shapes.

2553 Golden Green Flank

2553 Golden Green Flank

After we passed the golden tinged green flank of the hill descending into Santa Ynez, the old barn in the vineyard by the airport was lit by our “Heiligenschein” (near the top-center where our shadow would be if closer).

2556 Heiligenschein Vines

2556 Heiligenschein Vines

Since the term for it is such a mouthful, I tend to just call it a “Glory” even tho that’s not technically what this type of “anti-solar” effect is. Oh well, eh? 🙂

As we climbed out of the airport toward Gaviota Pass, treetops taking their last glimpse of daylight in the valley brought a deep sigh that just happened again as I looked at it. What a magnificent planet we share!

2571 Last Glimpse of Day

2571 Last Glimpse of Day

2013/01/13

High Minded

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 04:13

I used to think about taking the train from SB to Lompoc, just to see that beautiful coast.

2804 Amtrak Coast

2804 Amtrak Coast

These days, having flown it many times with views like this, not so much.

2805 Highfalutin

2805 Highfalutin?

Is it “high minded,” highfalutin” or just plain snobby of me to look down at that little train in this big view, and imagine the brief glimpses it provides of the scene we’re immersed in up here? I don’t mean to be sanctimonious, yet flying is such a magical thing! Added to the immensity of panoramic delight, there are little scenes like this magical blending of colors and shapes.

2798 Dream Carpet

2798 Dream Carpet

It all weaves into a Dream Carpet every time we fly even for a few minutes. I hope you can forgive how endlessly and ebulliently I sing the praises of flight, because to me the words and pix still fall so woefully short of giving you an appreciation of my pure Joy. 🙂

2013/01/11

Wings

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 22:35

“We love on wings of glass,” the angel said in last night’s dream. It was such a striking thing to say, I just had to share. Of course I’ve been thinking about it some today, curious where it came from in the sea of happiness where we dwell. An odd association comes up, related to having once yearned to live far from people. That in turn relates to this pic.

2807 Far Away

2807 Far Away

Not just the lighthouse, actually, though I did once imagine working at one or at a forest fire lookout. It’s the little keeper’s house in the shade at top-left that’s somehow associated with last night’s dream. This closeup I got of it evokes such a powerful sense of distance.

2823 Abandoned Dream

2823 Abandoned Dream

I imagine the keeper there a century ago, perhaps with a family. Feeling happy and fortunate to be there. Then things changed for the people and place, until now the dream stands neglected.

Flying from all the warmth and humanity of SB to visit that isolated spot, I enjoyed this vista out toward the islands. I notice now the sturdy aluminum wing in this pic, and am thankful for the contrast to last night’s dream. How far indeed our new wings of marriage have carried us, into the realm of Love.

2803 Sturdy Wing

2803 Sturdy Wing

2013/01/09

Both Sides

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 08:19

We’ve seen Point Conception Light from both sides now. Today I managed to finally get permission (thanks, Dave!) to enter the restricted airspace over and to the West of the light. Such a powerful experience it was to fly in this place!

2819 Passing Normal

2819 Passing Normal

Passing where we can normally go, the colors and sights instantly went from breathtaking into the realm of magic. First off, with full zoom at full resolution I can make out the year 1881 stamped into that gray concrete emblem above the door.

2892 Looking Back

2892 Looking Back

Now in terms of human activity here at the Western Gate as the ancients called it, 1881 is yesterday. But it gets you looking back. Circling around it, we could see more deeply into the place.

2860 Looking Deeper

2860 Looking Deeper

Out over the water we looked at the sea caves carved in the rock below the light by billions of pounding waves.

2842 Sea Caves

2842 Sea Caves

 

With our new perspective we could also see out to the islands in another transcendent panorama beyond this side few people get to see.

2806 Forbidden View

2806 Forbidden View

We felt altered by this brief flight, and it will take some time to process our memories and look thru our pix. I hope we can find words and images to share more of it with you!

2013/01/06

Happy Valley

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 07:42

Having savored a relaxed flight over the hills to Santa Ynez, I’m in a happy valley today. Well, you might call it a welcome rut. Not just the soaring joy of seeing this riot of fresh green among lingering Fall colors.

2547 Happy Valleys

2547 Happy Valleys

Another part of my happy rut is more experimenting with 3D. Now maybe you didn’t like the one I shared before, or weren’t able to ever see it in 3D, or are concerned about eye strain. Well, close one eye because here are two more. First this cool old barn next to the airport and winery, with grand old oaks in attendance.

2560 Barn-O-Rama

2560 Barn-O-Rama

I’ve spiked it a bit, because I like how it enhances my enjoyment of the dimensionality. If that’s too overdone even when you only look at half of it, here’s a more natural one. Reminds me of scenes in the View-Master some well-off kids had. So maybe I’m enjoying finally having one of my own, with photos taken from beneath the broad wings of Tripp.

5053 Hills, Cachuma, Beyond

5053 Hills, Cachuma, Beyond

In case you’re still reading, couldn’t get the 3D effect with my prior method, and want to try again, I found another trick. Pick a spot in one of the photos, maybe the barn or the lake, and look at it while you cross your eyes like we all did as kids. When you cross them too far you’ll see more than three copies of the image, and too little gets you back to two copies. Go back and forth crossing more and less until you can hold three copies of the image while looking at your target point. I find that after a moment my eyes “lock” and then I can look around that center image without losing the 3D effect. Again, it’s easier if the image is smaller on the screen so you could zoom out if you’re having trouble. But I made these images a bit bigger, so if you click to see the largest versions this cross-eye method might enable you to see it in 3D more easily than the other method. Anyway, I hope you’ve at least enjoyed my fascination with this, and I’ll try to resist sharing any more unless someone requests them – even tho I’ll probably keep playing with them for a while before leaving my happy rut.  🙂

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