John & Anne Wiley

2013/03/02

All The Pretty Horses

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 17:05

This wooded point is El Capitan, and it’s great place to stroll or to watch the surfers that often congregate offshore waiting for waves.

4724 El Cap Point

4724 El Cap Point

The title of this post is from a lullaby I used to sing my daughter. Just to the northeast of the point is a horse ranch where we saw this cart herding horses.

4727 Cart & Horses

4727 Cart & Horses

I like their spiffy green collars, and wonder what was going on. The cart stopped when they reached this corner, and they seemed content to stand this distance from it. Maybe they were getting used to the cart or driver, but a smaller group in the adjoining stall seemed quite interested in the activity.

4728 Equine Inquiry

4728 Equine Inquiry

These neighbors looked interested, and some poked their heads through the rails for a better look. But I notice that they seemed to stay even a little further away. I guess they know the ranch hand is associated with food, they can’t see any food in the vehicle, and they’re watching in case some treat should appear.

It got me remembering wonderful horseback rides in my life, and contemplating a time not much more than a century ago when horses provided our main transportation. Now people in cars whizzing past pay little attention to the horses, and none of them notice the 180 horses of our little carriage named Tripp passing quietly above.

2013/02/20

Memory

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 00:15

I remember many times as a child, gazing wistfully at the sky. Not just when an airplane happened to pass or to watch a bird, or even to look at clouds like these.

4410 Both Sides

4410 Both Sides

Having flown all over the continent now, I’ve looked at clouds from both sides. Though I still often look at them from the ground like this, my memory of those childhood moments is expanded by having flown among them. I wonder what Lulu will remember of her visit here. If for some reason she didn’t see me again, would any of her memories include me? Moments like this one looking at me lovingly watching her?

4356 Childhood Moment

4356 Childhood Moment

My own grandfather died when I was about her age, and I have only a few dim memories of him. Might she remember the long visit we two had with ducks at the zoo while everyone else was buying lunch?

0865 Out of Sight

0865 Out of Sight

I realize now in looking at our zillions of pix, that I was out of sight for her most of the time. With the ducks I was mostly that hand tempting them with tidbits of bread, and occasionally a few quiet words behind her. Memories of me that are reinforced or formed by family photos will be few, since I took most of them and thus am the invisible man. Like those old black and white pix of our family, where Dad was just the photographer’s shadow most people don’t even notice. This is the way of human history, as we each pay the love forward outside of memory. Except when those we love leave a sweet note of appreciation that we can reflect on.

0966 Message in the Mirror

0966 Message in the Mirror

2013/02/17

Change

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region,White North Adventure — John @ 03:51

It’s quiet. No musical little voice babbling as she toddles from this room to that, and from one set of loving arms to another. No conversation about what we’ll do tomorrow. Another change is that we flew after several days on the ground, taking off just before their plane. I heard their pilot talking to ATC as I snapped this view of their airliner climbing with the lush green hills behind them.

4462 Takeoff

4462 Takeoff

After watching Lulu blow us kisses as they walked thru the TSA checkpoint, being already at the airport we decided to take Tripp up for a few minutes to get some air in our hair. I flew the “pattern” around the airport once for a change so we could watch their plane taxi and take off, and got this view past UCSB to the islands that’s much like what they saw if looking out the left.

4440 SB Winter

4440 SB Winter

Looking at it now, I’m remembering them talking this morning about the temperature here (about 80F) and the change they were headed into (Edmonton forecast is -14C). I’m remembering what we saw about this date two years ago when we visited them there.

5433 Edmonton Winter

5433 Edmonton Winter

Yes, that’s a frozen river. This is one of our most colorful aerial views from that trip. Most of the city and countryside is a study in black and white, since anything not covered in snow looks black by contrast. It’s a beautiful and fun city, but of course we hope their taste of SB Winter will draw them here again. 🙂

2013/02/16

Maybe One

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 09:26

I know, no more baby stuff. But I had to do this one more, a few favs from our family trip to the beach for Lulu’s first experience of the Santa Barbara coast.

4284 Right Here

4284 Right Here

I thought she’d be drawn to the water, but being totally Here and Now she instead wanted to run on the grass chasing the birds. As we walked a short path across the dune, her interest was beneath her feet.

4293 First Glimpse

4293 First Glimpse

Approaching the surf, she ran into the chilly water and immediately fell face first to the great alarm of everyone but Daddee who calmly fished her out and walked her back to Mommee for comfort and reassurance.

4306 Chase & Evade

4306 Chase & Evade

Then he introduced her to the giggly Chase & Evade game with the waves, so that soon she had a healthy caution but no terror of the surf. Bumpa loved watching (and photographing) all this. Later she settled down next to those of us watching from the beach, and played in the sand with a yellow flower Bumpa had provided.

4313 Careful Cultivation

4313 Careful Cultivation

She very carefully prepared the sand, planted the flower, then repeated the process moving it to a different spot. I’m so endlessly fascinated, seeing my daughter at that age all over again with wiser eyes.

2013/02/15

Baby Channel

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 20:38

This may be my last post that’s all about Baby. It’s been so fun to wallow in our addiction to everything she says and does. We’re even beginning to speak with each other in baby language, and I occasionally notice we’re all staring blankly at some of the baby shows she watches on TV. Here’s a toy house she gleefully discovered on our quick trip to Costco.

04_277 Playhouse Delight

04_277 Playhouse Delight

I’d never noticed them before, but her child eyes saw nothing else. Her pure joy opened my eyes and heart, but thankfully not my wallet. 🙂

Yesterday my fashionista daughter dressed her up for Valentine’s Day, and it was fun watching everyone else go gaga over her as we had in the morning (including our mama & paparazzi photo session).

4209 Heart Winning

4209 Heart Winning

She loved our brief visit to Painted Cave, and again opened my eyes to things I hadn’t noticed during our many previous visits there.

4218 Cave Explorer

4218 Cave Explorer

Then down to town for lunch at Andersen’s, where her Dad tried the pickled herring and the rest of us enjoyed the more typical delicious fare. Now he knows it’s not his favorite food. Then we shared three of their best yummy desserts. Another nourishing Family day. 🙂

4238 Family Day

4238 Family Day

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