John & Anne Wiley

2012/09/04

SF Flood

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 21:29

OK, I’m clearly overdoing it but can’t seem to limit the number of pix you might enjoy from our remarkable 9/2 San Francisco flight. Starting off with flying across the takeoff pattern for the massive and busy KSFO international airport.

0327 New View

0327 New View

In my late teens I modified an FM radio to receive air traffic frequencies and parked my car up on Skyline Blvd to watch the comings and goings here. Now I’m part of that communication as we make our supervised crossing of the two main active runways. Passing below us is a 747 “heavy” loaded to the max with people, luggage and fuel climbing out across the Pacific.

0243 747 Heavy

0243 747 Heavy

The one baseball game I remember attending in my youth was here at the giant Candlestick Park, now looking empty and small.

0315 Candlestick

0315 Candlestick

After passing the Bay Bridge this giant bow and arrow sculpture surprised me, because somehow I’ve never noticed it before.

0262 Buried Bow

0262 Buried Bow

I’ve never spent more than a few nights in the city, though I did make the commute from San Jose fairly often while living there. So this flight helped rekindle my memories and my desire to reacquaint myself with SF, making the flight partially a look back to my youth.

0265 Back to SF

0265 Back to SF

The holiday crowds at Pier 39 were colorful and even apparent from half a mile up, and trying to recall where Fisherman’s Wharf is launched me into a brief Google session.

0296 Pier 39

0296 Pier 39

We went out across the Bay to get a look back at the city with the Golden Gate, and loved watching the fog pouring in across the mountains above Sausalito like a foamy wave.

0280 Sausalito Fog Flood

0280 Sausalito Fog Flood

Dim memories of season long ago in Washington Square were refreshed as I noticed the many people choosing a spot there to enjoy their last holiday of summer.

0302 Washington Square

0302 Washington Square

Last in this spew of sweet memories is one of my favs. There has long been a special place in my heart for Coit Tower, and I don’t know why.

0298 Coit Tower

0298 Coit Tower

There’s a generational aspect for sure, recalling a hasty hike up to it with our daughter. The deco style of it resonates with the style of my parents’ and their parents’ generations. But maybe now it also reflects on all my times in this enchanted emerald city and stands as beacon to a lifetime of memories.

Warm Glow

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 04:46

We’re back in SB after a warm and wonderful long weekend with family in Saratoga, accented by two short scenic flights. First I took a relative and his two sons out over Santa Cruz, then Anne and I did ATC’s “Bay Tour” where I got this fabulous memento.

0307 Heart of SF

0307 Heart of SF

Though we’ve flown past on a few days that had slightly clearer air, this is by far the most enchanting view we’ve ever had of downtown. Much of the flight I had that old Tony Bennett song going in my head. 🙂

Just got home a while ago and some unpacking to do, but here’s one more pic for tonite showing the fun we had meeting a new family member.

0016 New Life

0016 New Life

2012/08/18

Prairie High

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 06:53

We flew high today, over the prairie northwest of Edmonton, to a lovely prairie town named High Prairie. But let me flash back to yesterday for a moment. We went with our young Grand family to one of the myriad events in Edmonton, called something like Fringe. We didn’t stay for the proper start of festivities but did soak up the festive atmosphere, and dance with our grand daughter while the young couple got some quiet time on a bench. She loves to dance!

0315 Dancers

0315 Dancers

Anne and I do too, so we took turns dancing with her. Which also included picking her up occasionally when she got excited and we’d intervene to calm or protect her.

0316 Quiet Moment

0316 Quiet Moment

Today’s flight was to pick up Joy who’d been visiting relatives at a lakeside cabin. In case you’re wondering: No this isn’t it.

2195 Treehouse

2195 Treehouse

Abandoned homes like this fascinate me. I imagine whole generations born, grown, aged and departed where now a tree lives. Since our time was short, we didn’t fly out to the lake. But since we love flying people who enjoy it, we took four of Joy’s relatives on three different short flights over their town in pairs to the great delight of all. Here’s the only passable pic Anne managed to get thru Tripp’s window of me taking two of them.

3880 Happy Passengers

3880 Happy Passengers

Here’s a sample of the beautiful countryside where they live.

2228 Prairie High

2228 Prairie High

The people living there are infused with this wholesome beauty, and are great fun to be with. We hope to return some day to enjoy a longer visit and maybe see that lakeside cabin. On our return flight to Edmonton with Joy, I got this snap of Slave Lake softened by the smoke of far away fires.

2212 Faust Slave

2212 Faust Slave

I think that’s the tiny town of Faust at the shore of the giant twin Slave Lakes. It was dreamy flying home over this enchanted landscape and imagining the stories of the people whose marks we saw woven into the landscape. Warm and interesting folks like the four I’d just flown. As our journey home begins tomorrow, we dream tonight on the rich tapestry of people and places that have charmed our way.

2012/08/16

Here and There

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 06:56

We’re starting to talk about the sweet little family coming to visit us in Santa Barbara. Would be so fun to share all we love about Our Town with them. They’re taking us to something fun here tomorrow. Meanwhile, today “Mommee,” “Grammie,” “Grampa” and “Baybee” went shopping at Walmart today.

40_137 Tour Guide

40_137 Tour Guide

While Baybee took us on a tour of the store, Mommee was able to focus on getting everything on her list. I think everyone had a great time except Mommee.

44_764 Happy Grammie

44_764 Happy Grammie

We made it up to her by “selflessly” hoarding Baybee by bribing Daddee and Mommee with free movie tickets. While they had a date night we got to enjoy strolling this pond near home with our delightful Grand-Daughter. 🙂

0303 All About Ducks

0303 All About Ducks

I told her everything she needs to know about ducks, as she listened in rapt attention and researched their every sound and movement.

0299 Geese For Dummies

0299 Geese For Dummies

She tried to educate me about Canada Geese, but since it was mostly in an excitedly random polysyllabic language I don’t yet understand my close attention availed me little.

I’ve heard that not everyone gets all gaga over adorable children and Perfect Families. So for those rare few, here are more pix from our flight thru the Banff and Jasper area. First up in this batch, entering the Rockies near the Canadian border.

1983 Clouds & Mountains

1983 Clouds & Mountains

My enduring fascination with ponds is reflected in this next one. I like how it resembles a dilated pupil, and the effect of great depth in the dark center.

1985 Looking In

1985 Looking In

Last, another in my collection of contemplations on the ribbons of river that enchant the valleys beneath a dwindling assortment of glaciers.

1989 Dappled Drainage

1989 Dappled Drainage

2012/08/15

Memories

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 06:22

Today overflowed with more memories, most of them without pix. I also took a moment just now to review some memories that are associated with pix from our flight thru Jasper. First, here are a few attempts to capture a fun grandparent game. After brushing her hair, as Anne put the brush back in her purse it was grabbed by an admiring grand-daughter who did her own hair.

2166 Angel

2166 Li’l Angel

So angelic she looked. Then in a moment, she flashed an impish grin and taunted Anne with the brush as if to say, “Want it back? Try to catch me!”

2164 Devil

2164 Li’l Devil

It became quite a game, repeated many times. Anne would walk into the next room as if uninterested, the imp would whine for attention and hold the brush out to Anne, then Anne would wheel around and “chase” her producing squeals of delight.

0288 The Chase

0288 The Chase

When she reached the shelter of our daughter’s arms, Grammy would tickle her to complete a cycle of the game.

0288 Payoff

0288 Payoff

This went on for quite a while. Until the next game was invented by her and/or one of us. Such a delightful child. 🙂

So looking back at the flying pix just now, the first thing that strikes me is how smokey it was in the valley from Banff toward Jasper. I like how it emphasized beams of light coming through the broken clouds. I was also fascinated by the woven river patterns.

2023 Rays & River

2023 Rays & River

Here’s another shot that captures more of the river pattern. I have plenty more. 🙂

2024 Water Weave

2024 Water Weave

The next major memory evoked by the pix is how many of the glaciers are obviously shrunken or gone completely in recent years.

2025 Glacial Pace

2025 Glacial Pace

Time was, we’d say something had a “glacial pace” meaning relatively no movement in a year. From the lack of growth in the upper canyon, it’s clear that there was a glacier covering it only a few years ago. That’s a lot of change in a short time. It seems the glacial pace is quickening.

2061 Lonely Giant

2061 Lonely Giant

In this last pic you can also see how the lower valley is newly bare. But up top, at perhaps 9,000 feet above sea level where the air is still cool much of the year, a thick glacial cap survives for now. That green at the base of the mountain is tall conifers. The ice cap on top has to be at least 200′ thick. What will happen when it melts, we leave our precious grand-children to discover.

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