John & Anne Wiley

2011/06/19

Out of ABQ

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,MeriTimes Adventure,Nature,People,Random — John @ 19:35

Another rerun of our trip, this time leaving Albuquerque. Our tour of the Sandia Mountains on the way out yielded a great look at this high dome that hints at a giant squat figure.

7026 Dome Gnome

7026 Dome Gnome

Tucumcari on Route 66 has an interesting mesa to go with the interesting stories I found on the town’s wiki (click the name at the start of this sentence).

7038 Tucumcari

7038 Tucumcari

Rivers in that area are both rare and unusual, carving splashes of color & life across the vast desert.

7040 Colors & Life

7040 Colors & Life

300 miles further along Route 66 a sometimes creek near the little town of Shamrock, TX gave us another view of water for a thirsty land.

7061 Not Ireland

7061 Not Ireland

The wiki for this town tells about the Irish immigrant who named it, and I like looking at this arid scene imagining how far from the emerald isle Mr. Nickel felt. What moves people to yearn for their childhood and the green hills of home? Even though we enjoyed the varieties of human and geological terrain we saw on this trip, we still felt an occasional pull from our hometown.

2011/06/16

Around Acoma

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,MeriTimes Adventure,Nature,Random — John @ 20:30

Here are a few more fav views of the area around Acoma Pueblo, just this side of Albuquerque on the second leg of our MeriTimes Adventure. First a stone pillar that to me has the look of a magnificent unfinished sculpture.

6965 Acoma Pillar

6965 Acoma Pillar

Nearby a tribe of rocks huddled together protecting a warm sunset light in their midst.

6967 Huddle of Light & Shadow

6967 Huddle of Light & Shadow

Just past the valley where the ancient village of Acoma still stands, a thin spire seems to keep watch alone with its “head” still in the setting sun.

7004 Lonely Spire

7004 Lonely Spire

Last is this natural fortress of colors accented by the sunset into a brilliant beacon over the surrounding terrain.

7008 Bastion of Light

7008 Bastion of Light

2011/06/14

Beginnings

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,MeriTimes Adventure,Nature,Random — John @ 07:29

As we continue to sleep more than usual after helping with small jobs on Tripp’s annual and chores around home, my intention to share more fav pix from our MeriTimes Adventure has slipped down the To Do list. Here are a few that stimulated me to again look back. First at Magic Mountain, in an area that goes way back for me.

6839 Magic Mountain

6839 Magic Mountain

Fun to think about different times of my life there, and probably the last time there by car going on those rides before becoming a pilot, when those towers seemed high. Would like to ride the Ninja again though. 🙂

Passing LA there was still snow on the mountains, and even a small pond with thick ice still in the middle (bottom-center).

6844 California Slice

6844 California Slice

This small slice of our view shows some low mountains between the really tall and still snow-capped peaks, and the desert beyond. Anne’s side had a great view of one of the largest cities in the world, the beaches, and the island-dotted ocean beyond. It all reminded us of a day we woke in a cold desert sunrise, tore off our jackets when the sun rose and quickly heated the dry air, took a short drive up to pause at a frozen mountain lake, then another short drive down the other side to swim at the beach. There’s no place like home, and ours offers ample variety.

Another place of childhood memories for me is Lake Arrowhead, though I don’t recall ever visiting this interesting building.

6875 Lake Arrowhead

6875 Lake Arrowhead

Not much further (by air) is Big Bear, where more memories are kindled including now two landings at the airport (far end in this pic).

6883 Big Bear

6883 Big Bear

Beyond the airport is the small occasional Baldwin Lake, most full we’ve seen it (usually dry) due to the unusually heavy string of storms this year.

6902 Baldwin Lake

6902 Baldwin Lake

As you can see, beyond the lake past the last small rise we glimpsed the vast deserts that in some ways marked the true beginning of our adventure. The stop in Big Bear was a refreshing break, and a last breath of crisp mountain views before heading on to Phoenix. The months since that day seem like years.

2011/06/13

Venice Beach

Filed under: by Anne,Happiness,Has Photos,People,Random — Anne @ 07:07

On our way back from our nephew & wife’s delightful baby shower at a park in Hermosa Beach, we drove up Rt 1 PCH, stopping on the way at Venice Beach and I caught this color full image.

1363 Venice Beach crazy

1363 Venice Beach fun

Yes we DROVE in our CAR while Tripp is in annual maintenance, and the clouds were way low for flying anyway.  We found it sorta fun to have a driving trip – a different pace – and notice from a ground perspective, some places and scenery we’ve often seen from above.

~by Anne

2011/06/02

Here

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 22:58

It’s so glorious to be here. When we were there people would often ask where we’d be returning to after our grand flying adventure. When we modestly told them, most would then change the subject. Maybe they’d never heard of it, or maybe they knew Santa Barbara’s a tasty slice of paradise. They’d also probably assume we’re rich, being from here and flying our own plane across the continent. In case you don’t already know, we are decidedly not rich and the money we’ve saved for years to do this is almost gone. Meanwhile, we’re happy to be here and took our first foray into town.

1291 Tie

1291 Tie

Our traditional view vote crossing the Stevens Bridge was a tie. The coastal view out to the islands was spectacular too but our pic of it didn’t come out. There were some fluffy clouds bunched up behind the islands that enhanced their crisp outline. Downtown we paused walking into the library to snap the courthouse where strong winds were whipping the palms to give a turbulent contrast to the stoic building.

1294 Relative High

1294 Relative High

As I’ve probably written before, we used to drive Stevens and go up in the Courthouse tower for high views of the city and surrounds. Now of course, we’re more often enjoying the view down at them from Tripp as we quietly cruise the area. Though we greatly enjoyed the view descending home to the airport, we have yet to take that ride again and more fully appreciate anew the countless delights. After picking up “King’s Speech” and other DVDs awaiting us at the library, we walked across to investigate noises at the normally quiet courthouse.

1296 Restoration

1296 Restoration

Craftsmen were making final touches to the sandstone replica sculpture in the fountain, restoring the original that had been dissolving back into sand from decades of sun and water. Such bright and open expressions the characters have, greeting visitors and litigants alike with their calming demeanor. Then the louder noise again demanded our attention. Air horns and ebullient cheers erupted, resonating through the large arched passageway from the courthouse gardens beyond.

1299 Triumph of Hope

1299 Triumph of Hope

The black robed figures you can make out seated in two groups are graduating from two “alternative high schools” that enable more of our citizens to get diplomas. Celebrating hard work and determination, these grads and their loved ones were overflowing with a sense of hope, accomplishment and anticipation for the opportunities they had earned with the support of our community. Climbing to the top of the parking garage we took a last look at the open horizons, and basked in the warmth of being Here.

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