John & Anne Wiley

2014/11/05

Anne’s Window

Despite my coaxing, Anne seldom posts here. The view is of course quite different from her window on Tripp’s right side. But what really excites me is looking at the world through her heart and eye, because we see even an identical scene so differently. So since I love seeing what she sees, here are a few of her pix from the first leg of our flight back home from Seattle. Taking off from Renton, ATC cleared me North for a tour of the city before turning South toward home.

2386 Her Seattle

2386 Her Seattle

As we approached, she got the first clear view when I turned West to cross the lake. Having lived for years in the Seattle area, what was kindled in her heart when she took in this spectacular new view of it now? Was she also recalling the enchanted walk we’d enjoyed with a dear longtime friend near the lakeshore at bottom-right a few days before?

Tomorrow I’ll probably share a few of my pix as we jogged North and West again to pass North of the city. Today though, another of Anne’s pix as we later flew across nearby Vashon Island for a look at their grass strip and the home of friends from the past whom we recently reconnected with. Near the airport, she noticed this intriguing junkyard.

2453 Plane's End

2453 Plane’s End

Often a once free ranging airplane ends up in the weeds mingling with old vehicles and equipment like this. Even more than the lovely derelict house with turret and each of the items scattered about, for me the plane (possibly a Beech 23 named N2382Q) triggers story fantasies. I’d have missed this scene and the reverie it triggers from my side of Tripp.

Back on course toward home as we crossed the channel nearing Tacoma, she snapped these strange patterns in the water.

2479 Weird Waters

2479 Weird Waters

We wondered aloud what could make for such unusual streaks of color. Then she snapped this that I couldn’t see at all.

2485 Mixing

2485 Mixing

Looks to me like a pulp plant might be involved in the color difference, where brown and green mingle to create those subtle currents of color out in the channel. After a brief fun stop in Aurora, OR to see my sister and her hubby, Anne spotted what looks like a tree nursery. Each row of saplings has responded differently to the approach of Winter. By cropping it thinly like this, I can easily lose the context of what it “is” to allow a magical nameless impression of color and texture.

2524 Differences.

2524 Differences

To me there is deep beauty in differences. Diversity in all its forms intrigues me, and is surely one aspect of Anne’s pix that evokes an emotional enjoyment for me.

2014/11/04

PNW, Continued…

I’m finally reviewing pix from our Pacific NorthWest (PNW) Adventure, and decided to share a few more memories. So as I was saying, we reached Seattle nearly 24 hours after climbing through a hole in the SB clouds  to begin our moonlight flight. Mount Rainier welcomed us to this rainier climate.

6468 Rainy Welcome

6468 Rainy Welcome

Among the many iconic places we visited with friends and relatives, was Snoqualmie Falls near where we once had a cottage in the woods.

6560 Water World

6560 Water World

In this climate there’s water everywhere. Even when they had an extreme drought several years ago, to us it was a land of water. Once familiar sights, smells and sounds permeate the coastal region. Lichen adds a lush cushion to the trees.

6571 Rain Forest

6571 Rain Forest

We also braved the legendary traffic for a visit to the city, and found ourselves going in the same direction as the majority jammed to a stop on this bridge. Looking across empty lanes the other direction, I snapped the skyline.

100207 Seattle Sky

100207 Seattle Sky

Of course, a stop at Pike Place was required to pick up fresh salmon, snacks, and a few souvenirs for friends.

6621 Pike Place

6621 Pike Place

I’ll keep reviewing, and probably post more memories in coming days…

2014/11/02

First Storm

Santa Barbarians are celebrating. Not just a great Halloween, but just after the first wave of young families with small kids went home after sunset shadowy clouds crept silently down the mountains.

7695 First Wave

7695 First Wave

Before long the rain started, and dampened the later waves of teens and college kids who mostly went indoors for their fun. It rained so hard overnight and Saturday it set a new rainfall record. But before friends came in the evening we dashed out to the airport for a quick sunset flight, and were rewarded with scenes like this.

7800 Mock Volcano

7800 Mock Volcano

Clouds clinging to Broadcast Peak were lit so brightly it looked like a small eruption. Out over the Channel rain squalls were skittering and one tall cloud lit the water.

7806 Cloud Islands

7806 Cloud Islands

Our familiar Tooth Rock and La Cumbre Peak were dancing with the last shreds of mist rushing in the fleeting wind.

7831 Peak Experience

7831 Peak Experience

To the East some clouds clumped together making one last blustery show before the mountains shooed them away into the clearing dusk.

7845 Last Puffs

7845 Last Puffs

As we returned to land from this few minutes of heaven, puddle rings in the drive-in theater mingled with parked vehicles.

7849 Reflections

7849 Reflections

Water shining where dust had been only a day before, and everyone smiling in the moist evening air.

2014/10/24

Castles & Sand

“And so castles made of sand, fall in the sea, eventually.”

There’s something so lyrical about Hearst Castle. Every time we fly past it catches the eye and the heart, dancing somewhere between Rosebud about “damaged childhood” and Castles Made of Sand about “the temporary nature of existence, of time slipping away, how nothing can be taken for granted – love, loyalty, family bonds, [and] friendship.”

Tonight as we begin to assimilate and recover from easily our most unusual flying Adventure, today’s unusually high flight past the Castle evokes some unclear theme.

7004 High Hearst

7004 High Hearst

I decided to stay high so that ATC could follow us on radar, so it gave a detached overview different from the more intimate glimpses we’ve enjoyed on past flights. This added to a contemplative air we were breathing from this trip that touched so many castles. The homes of people we love, each so different in setting and construction.

Each of us lives in a Home that is our Castle, and within these walls we build a culture that can define us and keep out the variety of life out there. We have been enriched and stretched by this Castle tour. While we cherish the warm welcome bestowed upon us in each of these realms we’ve just traversed, there’s no place like Home back here in our castle. 🙂

2014/10/21

Colorful Stop

Filed under: Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,People,PNW Adventure,Random — John @ 05:53

As we make hops toward home during breaks in Pacific Northwest weather, we’ve stopped for visits with relatives and friends. Today we’re in Grant’s Pass, where Fall colors are striking.

124201 Color Break

124201 Color Break

Though still raining along our route, the clouds parted for a while this afternoon so we enjoyed a walk in the colors. After more rain there was another clearing period before sunset that added a rainbow to the forest colors touched by the last rays of sun.

173204 Color Caress

173204 Color Caress

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