Well, we ended up flying down to San Diego and picking up Anne’s Dad to bring him back for a visit. I’m a bit tired, so it might be tomorrow at the earliest before I post more pix. This sunset shot on the approach to SBA sums up how I’m feeling now: quiet with a warm glow, and fuzzy on top.
6714 Sunset into SBA
Today was idyllic in the Rose Garden. Families at rest and at play, with raging colors and aromas all around.
6670 Running In Roses
Is it because of all the rains and crazy winds this Spring, or is the start of Summer always so intoxicating here where the seasons all overlap?
6671 Catch
How many generations have played here, and how many more will follow?
A tall tree stands guard as if to keep the low clouds off the distant shore from engulfing this garden of delights, but will allow the mists to approach in the night to nourish and refresh.
6667 Sentinel
So often when we fly the ethereal permeates us. This seems to happen most often when flying the SB area, so close to the center of things. Today the weather forecast was a little discouraging, so we talked about waiting for a better day. It couldn’t have been. Immediately after takeoff, once we climbed above the haze, puffy white clouds added notes of paradise along the coast or clinging to hills. The stuff of dreams.
6635 Cloud Shroud
We did keep close to home in case clouds moved over the airport again forcing us to land at Santa Ynez and take a bus or cab home. Also, the winds were pretty strong at the ridge line though turbulence was mild when we stayed high enough.
6645 Shapes & Textures
Over in the valley it was clear, and we enjoyed the timeless symmetry of the dance between agriculture and ranching.
6646 Gaviota Gloom
Turning back toward home, what was probably a close and somewhat gloomy day at Gaviota Beach was for us a glorious soft work of art.
6659 Toward the Gate
Minutes later, looking back along the coast toward Point Conception, the magic of it all was nearly unbelievable. We could well imagine how the Chumash people believed this to be the “Western Gate” where souls pass to the paradise of Similaqsa. To fly is to dream. To dream is to live.
Today we had a short flight that seemed much longer, flying slowly out to Carpinteria and back. Not much more than half an hour on the clock, but it feels like a journey of several days in dreamtime. I’ve sent some words & pix from the outbound flight to Edhat (I might add a link to the page, but you could also use this) and also put two more on my Photo Page. Coming back, we had a look at the demolition of St. Francis Hospital where so many people entered and left the community of Santa Barbara.
6619 St. Francis Demolition
I hope our medical care won’t suffer from the lack of competition, and it’s strange watching from above as this landmark vanishes at the same time as Cottage Hospital nearby is getting a major expansion.
Another large construction project is going on at our home airport of SBA. The new long terminal will still have much of the short charm we’ve long enjoyed here, but things will be much more comfortable for everyone who works there and hopefully more streamlined for the passers through.
6625 KSBA Expansion
After leaving Tripp, we drove to SB Mission and it had an especially magical feel. People were quietly talking, almost reverent strolling quietly amid the amazing chalk art works of “i Maddonari” as an early summer frisbee toss coexisted with people lying and sitting on the grass out front.
6626 Mission Moment
The people-watching there is almost as remarkable as the chalk art, and will be for weeks as the crowds ebb and flow with vacations and weekend visitors.
6634 People & Art As Art
We enjoyed a quiet Sunday, puttering around the house and entertaining a friend. That fits the quiet mood of some pix from Friday’s flight to Lompoc. According to a comment on my first Edhat post from the flight, the Knapp’s “castle” ruin now has caretakers. I imagine the silence up there must be powerful. Especially at night, when the coyotes aren’t singing and you can hear every little sound of nature around you, looking over sleepy Paradise Valley to the Sierra Madre beneath silent stars beyond.
6543 Knapp's Castle
There’s a different sort of quiet around the mansion at Michael Jackson’s former Neverland Ranch. It had been unkempt after he moved out, but since his passing it has been restored. The massive oaks stand quietly as if contemplating the people and activities from past times. There’s something so forlorn to me about this place, and it will be interesting to see what will happen there next. See our photo page for other aerials, including the train depot, zoo and rides.
6561 Neverland Mansion
Another study in celebrity retreats we “visited” again was Brad Pitt’s place on the beach near El Capitan. I wonder if he visits there or will sell now that he’s mostly in New Orleans, and what the white open tent is used for (and how it has survived the freaky ferocious winds we’ve had this year!). I imagine him sitting with loved ones quietly sipping some cool drink and listening to the waves lapping on his beach.
6590 Brad Pitt's Beachhouse
As we tied Tripp’s tail to the ground back at her home airport, we heard a bumblebee busily browsing little yellow flowers. Darting so quickly even this 1/800 second exposure is blurred, it still evoked a lazy summer mood in us.
6607 Browsing Bee
Perhaps our languid flight, glimpses of quiet homes, and the enchanting weaving of the bee all fit somehow with the quiet mood of our holiday weekend. Shall we go untie Tripp today and have a new adventure?
John & Anne Wiley 
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