Tony Chong

Happy Smiles

2012-01-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

Before we move on to other things (like airplane pictures), let's take one last look at Eoin and Evie. I'm afraid the boy got short shrift in the last couple of posts, but that's because Evie is older and more interactive at this moment.

That doesn't mean Eoin is a wallflower. As I mentioned yesterday his personality is coming out and he is indeed a (mostly) happy boy. This shot of him playing on his fire engine is ample evidence of that.

On the subject of toys, it absolutely amazes me the amount of stuff middle-class kids get these days! And Mike and Evie are relatively modest in what they buy their children. Tina and I lean toward clothes, movies, books and donations to their respective college funds, so it's not us. It's Christie' mom and her side of the family that really goes to town in the toy department. If I was a kid I'd be in hog heaven.

The upside is they have plenty of neat things to keep them occupied. The down side is where on earth do you store all those things? And what they got was not small. Many of the toys had multiple parts and pieces, too. Walking around the living room proved to be a real challenge at times.

I am happy to say that neither child seems overwhelmed or adversely affected by the mass of presents. Indeed, Evie finds joy in simple things, too, like paper cutout penguins and felt reindeer antlers. It's fun to watch her revel in the small as well as the big.

I think as long as her parents are well grounded - and they seem to be - then it's a good chance she and Eoin will be, too. She certainly appears that way to me.

We can only hope.

Helping Hand

2012-01-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

One of the most enjoyable parts of watching Evie and Eoin at this stage in their lives is seeing their interaction as siblings. Evie, who likes to tell everyone that she's all grown up now, seems to really like helping out with taking care of little brother. She has been known to give Nana careful instructions on how to change Eoin - even to the point of bossiness!

Eoin, on the other hand, is developing his personality and his playfulness. But you have to watch carefully to notice as he can be a sly little devil. For instance, the above photo was taken at our favorite sushi restaurant in Colorado Springs (yes, I know that sounds weird, but it really is good!). Eoin was fussing because he was hungry. Evie, who has never met a carb she didn't like, was eating steamed rice while we were waiting for our sushi to arrive.

Being the ever helpful girl she is, Evie tried to supplement the Cheerios and yogurt his parents had been feeding Eoin with some of her rice. He gladly accepted the spoonfuls, even as both parents and grandparents belatedly reached for their cameras.

The photos turned out pretty good, but the video was classic. Since Eoin was getting sated by now, he turned playful. Notice how he teases his sister by pretending to take a bite, then turning his head away. Normally you'd think he was fussing, but then he turns back to face her and starts to grin and laugh. It was a game, and both were having fun!

It was truly delightful to watch, albeit a bit messy. The arguments and tears will follow as they always seem to do between siblings, but for now all is happiness and peace. And are we ever thankful for that!

In the Kitchen With Evie

2012-01-29T20:02:00.000-08:00

Tina enjoys baking. Whether because of that or from other influences, Christie and Mike also enjoy baking. Personally I enjoy eating their baking, but beyond that I'm pleased to report that Evie seems to be following the family tradition.

While we were back there for the holidays Mike, Christie and Tina decided sugar cookies would be nice to have for New Year's Eve. Tina and Mike made the dough and let it chill. I ended up rolling out the dough and Evie helped me use the cookie cutters to make a large quantity of festive shapes. As can be seen in the first photo, Tina then showed Evie how to make the frosting.

Evie wanted color sprinkles on the cookies, so she took charge and began the decorating process.

"Sprinkling" consisted of pouring a bunch into her hand and dumping them onto the cookies.

As can be expected, she went through quite a bit of sprinkles. A lot ended up on the cookies, but a lot ended up on the counter.

Those, of course, were free for the sampling. I'm not sure if that was the ultimate plan or not, but it worked out that way. She was a happy camper and buzzed around the house for hours afterwords. The final product can be seen below. Not a bad looking batch, and they tasted pretty good, too, for sugar cookies. The fun and memories were priceless!

This was my first use of the new flash I bought for my Canon camera. I'd been unhappy with my old one as I found that it tended to blow out images with the light, even if used in a fill mode. A piece of tissue really helped, but looked really cheesy. Not exactly a professional-looking solution. The new flash has a flip-down diffuser panel that softens the light. I was quite happy with the results of both the cookies and the photos.

Pas de Deux

2012-01-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

December was a very busy month. End of the year orders as various persons of note retired made for very, very long work days. It also made it imperative that I take two weeks off at the end of the year just to recover from the 12-14 hour shifts, not including travel time.

While we did get some rest, we also spent ten days in Colorado Springs visiting Christie and Mike and the grandkids. It was tons of fun, but not totally restful as you can imagine. We did have a few days to relax at home before work started up again, but then it was another mad rush as the lingering retirees-to-be had their parties in January. As before, the bulk of the farewell gifts were made by our shop.

Needless to say I've not had much time to write. But I have had some time to reflect on the visit and the rapidly growing Miss Evelyn.

I have always been struck by the similarity between Christie and her daughter in their physical appearances at the same relative ages. It is unnerving to me, sometimes, to see how close they are. Genetics will do that for you, I know, but it is truly a case of deja' vu all over again for me.

Case in point is the two photos in this post, the first a screen capture from a video I shot of Evie, the other from an unknown pro doing Christie's class pictures. Both were about the same age when the images were taken, and both involve dance. Yes, the hair styles are different and Evie is in practice garb and Christie is in performance costume, but the likeness in their faces and forms is staggering. It never ceases to amaze me.

Evie has also become much more confident in her speech and attitude in the last few months. She will also tell you that she is now all grown up and is going to marry one of her classmates. Interestingly enough, the boy in question knows about these plans and so far has not distanced himself from the arrangement. Since neither one of them has gone through the "girls/boys are icky" stage, I'm reasonably confident we'll not be attending nuptials anytime soon.

Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary Reflections

2011-12-07T23:21:00.000-08:00

How quickly life can change. With the quiet of that December morning a now long forgotten memory, a young sailor stands over a comrade and watches the USS Shaw explode in the distance amid the shattered remains of naval aircraft at NAS Ford Island. The young sailor, assigned to a PBY Catalina flying boat squadron as a mechanic, is now a stunned survivor witnessing the fiery aftermath of Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred 70 years ago today.

The sailor in question is in all probability my ex-father-in-law, Robert Grommett. While he can't say with 100% certainty that the man in the iconic U.S. Navy image above is him, he knows he was there around that spot at about that time. Moreover, the stance and posture are very much his, even today. The family and I are more than willing to bet it is indeed him.

Bob is in very frail health now, but remains a symbol to me of the quiet fortitude that is the hallmark of the common man. When unimaginable disasters occur, invariably the response from people around the world is to somehow persevere and survive. Life goes on and so do they. And so did Bob.

Many have called his generation the "Greatest." While they were indeed remarkable, I find it hard to believe they were greater than the generation that marched off to Valley Forge or Gettysburg or Belleau Wood. And the young men and women since World War II, at the Chosin Reservoir, Khe Sanh, Baghdad and Kandahar, are no less deserving of praise for their sacrifice and service.

Nevertheless, the generation that grew up in the Great Depression and fought in World War II deserve the highest respect. They survived the trials of peace and the horrors of a terrible war, with many returning to live a normal life full of dignity and quiet accomplishments. They were not perfect - what generation is? But they did the best they could with what they had, and that is an epitaph we should all aspire to.

Bob's generation is quickly leaving us, becoming memories to those who knew them and legends to those that didn't. But oh, what memories and legends they leave! Here's to you, Bob, seventy years after that infamous date, when the world seemed so stunningly bleak; here's to the life you forged in spite of it! It's an honor to know you.

Tightening the View

2011-11-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

Usually when I am at events like the C-17A 20th anniversary gig, I find myself looking for the unusual shot. This happens for a couple of reasons: First, you can only shoot so many side views, nose views, hero shots and people-crowded-around-the-really-big-airplane shots before you have more than you'll ever need or want to see again. Fortunately, in this digital age, you're only killing electrons, so the material damage - as in expensive film costs - are virtually nonexistent if you wish.

The second reason is unusual shots intrigue me. They show the commonplace in a not so common way. Sometimes its the lines that draw me; sometimes the light. More often than not its both. In any event I let my mind float until I see an angle that sings to me.

If you've ever had a chance to peruse old photo archives of newspapers, aerospace companies or other image-heavy institutions, the art of cropping becomes very apparent. It was a limitation of the fixed lens used by most company photographers, especially in the day of 4x5 Speedgraphic cameras. But while fixed lenses have their definite advantages, what I like about modern zoom lenses is their ability to allow me to "crop" in camera as a means of capturing the composition I want the first time.

The two images in this post are a good example. I liked the angle in the above shot and thought the orange Edwards AFB tail band made a good anchor for the composition. It was a tightly cropped picture compared to the normal, wider-angle style usually taken, and it made for a nice, pleasing image.

However, by going in tighter with the zoom from a slight different angle, I got the shot below. The orange band is hidden and the American flag takes center stage in a much more abstract and dramatic composition than in the first image. Because it was done in camera there is no loss of image quality or enlargement potential, which is a decided plus.

At the same time, the option of post-image cropping is still available if needed, which I have indeed used on occasion. They are, after all, tools and techniques to use in achieving what we see in our mind. In the end it's the result that counts - at least for photography.

Tail Lights

2011-11-16T21:26:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to cover the 20th anniversary of the first flight of the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III at Edwards AFB this past September. The CTF (combined test force) essentially recreated the flight from Long Beach to Edwards by having the number one aircraft (91-0003, also known as T-1) take off from Edwards, fly over the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) facility where it was built and then return and land at Edwards.

After watching the landing out by the runway we were taken to the hangar where the official ceremony was to take place. There were quite a few people there from the test force and a lot of dignitaries, including the original first flight crew.

After several speeches, and a great deal of sober reflection on how close the C-17 came to cancellation after only 40 aircraft were built due to poor design and quality issues, the program could finally reflect on the success of its remarkable turnaround and the delivery of over 230 Globemaster IIIs to the Air Force.

The airplane is now a very critical cog in this country's ability to transport troops and their supplies overseas. It truly has become a feel-good story and a great lesson in perseverance and teamwork. One could say that hopefully the lessons aren't lost in today's environment, but personally I'd prefer not to see those problems occur at all. Hardship may build character, but it also makes one very old and tired from all the stress.

Be that as it may, after the ceremony we were allowed to wander around the hangar and go inside the airplane. I found this shot to be rather neat in its design with the ceiling lights and glowing windows of the hangar straddling the towering line of the C-17's tail. It produced a rather pleasing image to me - and hopefully to you as well.

Sand Reflections

2011-11-11T23:26:00.001-08:00

While there are times I feel that color detracts from the image, there are also times when it becomes the main focal point. The above is one such case.

The broad beach fanning north from Morro Rock was incredible as the tide receded. The sand retained enough water to reflect the light as the setting sun cast its deepening hues off the golden coastal hills.

It was amazing to see how long that reflectiveness lasted, especially since it was happening more and more beyond the edge of the waves. Regardless, the wet, rippled sand made for a rather abstract image as it contrasted with the drier portions of the beach with their still discernible undulations upon them. Adding to the contrast, the lengthening shadow from the rock loomed over the near portion of beach while the upper part was still in sunlight.

The mirror effect was captivating. It is not as captivating to me in black and white, as the adjusted image below shows.

In my mind this merely reinforces the lesson that whether color or black and white, it's the final product that matters.

Just for grins, I've included a wide-angle shot of the beach below. I am standing near the foot of Morro Rock looking north. You can see how far to the left the active wave action was occurring. They did not go beyond the middle of the image, so the sand was indeed very, very saturated.

Dock on the Bay

2011-11-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

We managed to get away for a long weekend to Cambria and the Central Coast. It's apple season deep in See Canyon near Avila Beach and they sang their crunchy siren song to Tina, so we had to go.

Part of the trip was so Tina could paint and I could take photos. We left very early Friday morning and got to San Luis Obispo by about 9:30. After breakfast at the Apple Farm we spent the rest of the midday scouting locations in Los Osos, Baywood and Morro Bay. We found a nice spot, but decided to come back when the light was better.

When we came back later that afternoon, we discovered to our horror that the tide had gone out and the lovely estuary was now more a mudflat than waterway. So we came back the next day.

The spot we decided upon was at the foot of Doris Avenue where it crosses Mitchell Drive in Los Osos. Crosses is a bit of a misnomer as the other side is a small parking space between two houses and a footpath with "coastal access" trailing between them. That leads to two benches between two private yards, a foot path disappearing into the water's edge and a view of the estuary and bay from that spot along the shore.

But it was enough for Tina to set up and paint the estuary and tree-lined shore to the east and for me to shoot the private docks jutting northward into the shallow water. Morro Rock could be seen across the way.

I liked the look of the small docks. I used black and white film in my Mamiya 645 in a more formal setup, but took some grab shots with the Canon Eos 40D. Since my intent was a black and white image, I modified the above shot in Photoshop and tweaked the contrast. I really like the look of the structure and its reflection in the water. It has a more classical appeal than the original color image below - at least I think so. It's one of those cases where the color distracts from the overall effect.

The nice thing about shooting in digital is the ability to take a color image and convert it to black and white. That's a bit harder to do with film, although in this day and age I suppose I could shoot in color transparency and then do a high resolution scan and convert to black and white if I desire. That way I'd have more options.

I may do that in the future, but for this day, it was black and white film. I'm anxious to see how the shots turned out. Hopefully as good as the digital image!

Crankin' Osprey

2011-10-27T23:56:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the MV-22s participated in the MCAS Miramar Open House MAGTF demonstration. While their ability to take-off, hover, rotate around and land like a helicopter is impressive, watching them crank by in a high-speed pass is equally impressive. Mainly it's those humongous prop blades that amaze me.

The one thing that bothers me about the Osprey, though, is the size and vulnerability of those props. That's a lot of real estate whirling about out there like a big flashing target. A couple of rounds fired into the propeller arc would make for a bad situation really fast. I don't care how well the MV-22 can fly in a simulated engine-out emergency, it's another story when one side is shot up and the damaged blades cause huge vibration problems that will violently shake the nacelle and vehicle. Think of an improperly loaded washing machine in spin cycle. I'm sure a lot of survivability studies have been done and my worries are overblown, but I can't help but feel really nervous about that.

It's a Blast

2011-10-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

The MV-22 did a hover demo at NAS North Island during the opening CONA event this year. While the main action was away from the media tower and on the other side of the public and display ramp, it was front and center for the VIPs on USS Stennis. What impressed me the most was the amount of downwash from the big rotors and the exhaust blast. You can see how far up the Osprey is above the water and how much spray it kicks up. Note that the aircraft was in mid-sideslip to the right as the exhaust plume bends under the aircraft. When it ceased translating to starboard the spray was even larger.

Pity the poor groundcrew and grunts who are under the Osprey in a dirty, dusty environment like Iraq or Afghanistan. They all earn their pay every day.

Osprey Launch

2011-10-24T20:33:00.001-07:00

The V-22 Osprey is a unique bird. The tiltrotor concept has been proposed and built as experimental and prototype aircraft many times before. Each attempt failed to make it into production.

The Osprey seemed doomed to follow that pattern, but the persistence of the Marine Corps saw the aircraft through a 25 year development period, with a major expenditure in dollars and three accidents with many lives lost.

But in the end the Corps got the vehicle it wanted. With the ability to take-off, hover and land like a helicopter, but fly at speeds much faster than a rotary-wing aircraft, it began combat operations in 2007.

According to reports, the pilots and crews love it. But it is maintenance heavy, so the follow-on order may be cancelled for budgetary reasons. This is also hand-in-hand with a major reevaluation of the purpose of the Marines since amphibious operations in contested environments are seemingly less likely than in the past.

The Corps would argue that elevates the need for the MV-22s, but we'll see if that angle carries any weight.

Nevertheless, it is a fascinating aircraft to watch. This shot, taken from the hangar at MCAS Miramar during this year's ISAP convention in San Diego, shows the CAG bird from HMM-166 "Sea Elks" hovering after take-off from the squadron ramp. Notice the heat exhaust blowing down from the engine nacelles. That's a lot of blast to deal with, but deal with it they do. It's an odd looking thing in the air, as we shall see in a subsequent post, but it is here, it is operational and it is performing as advertised.

Viper in the Lead, Yankee Close Behind

2011-10-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Media Day and MCAS Miramar also saw the arrival of several aircraft for static display. Fixed wing aircraft tended to stay on the taxiway and head east to other spots on the ramp. Fortunately, the rotary wing aircraft chose to park near the press site.

These two Bell-made helicopters from MCAS Camp Pendleton were among them. Leading the way was an AH-1Z Viper (also known as a Zulu Cobra) from HMLAT-303. Close behind was a UH-1Y Venom (also called Yankee Huey) from the same training squadron.

In a neat coincidental juxtaposition, a pre-World War II era Ryan PT-22 has just landed and can be seen in the background.

I particularly enjoyed taking these shots, especially being able to get in tight with the telephoto and the resulting compression. It makes for a nicely dramatic image. Fortunately I had it slow enough to get some rotor blur. There is just enough motion to make the photo dynamic and alive.

From the Cockpit - An-2

2011-10-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I'd try something new and see if I can get videos to work on the blog, too. As you can see, the day was gorgeous once the clouds burned off enough from MCAS Miramar and we were allowed to take-off. A lot of low clouds remained, which added a lot of neat texture to the landscape as we flew over. It was slow, leisurely and wonderful!

Yellow Colt and Uncle Joe

2011-10-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

In case you were curious as to what an An-2 looked like from the outside, here's a shot of the beast during the overcast morning hours while we waited for the clouds to burn off. Bob Cable is giving the press a briefing on the airplane during the interlude.

As can be seen, the Colt was short on beauty. But she made up for it in her superb low speed handling and rough field capabilities. Indeed, the An-2 was called the DC-3 of the Eastern Block, a rather apt comparison, all things considered.

An interesting note is that the wings, horizontal tailplanes and vertical tail are fabric covered. The fuselage and narrow walk panels on top of the wing are metal (the fuel tanks are filled from the top of the wing).

Below is the photo of Stalin that so bemused the young woman. His moustache is rather grand. The AK-47 mounted to the wall was a nice interior decorating touch.

In retrospect, it is ironic that during World War II, at least during the period the Soviet Union was on our side (they did start off allied with Germany and rather coldly bisected Poland), Stalin was viewed rather benignly here in the States, so perhaps the young woman can be forgiven. He was cheerfully known as "Uncle Joe" and we sent an incredible amount of planes and war material to the USSR to keep it going during the war. The purges of the 1930s and the treachery of Poland were conveniently forgotten in the need to keep a united front against the Nazis. That, of course, would change after Germany was defeated, but at least the primary objective was met.

War and politics do indeed make for strange bedfellows.

Right-Seat Jockey - A Good Day at Work

2011-09-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Some days it's good to go to work. I was on assignment today doing photo coverage of the pre-Open House media event at MCAS Miramar and several of us were given a ride in a Polish-built, 1947-era Russian transport/passenger aircraft.

The An-2, NATO code name Colt, is the world's largest single-engine bi-plane. Not only did I get to ride in it, but the pilot, Bob Cable, let us all rotate through and sit in the right seat during part of our flight around the San Diego area.

Not very luxurious on the inside, ungainly looking on the outside and very noisy and very, very slow, the Colt was a blast nonetheless! I'd ride in it again in a New York minute.

On a side note, some photographers seek out and get the fast jet rides. I must be trying to corner the market on the slow movers. I've ridden the Goodyear blimp (and got to pilot it for a few minutes), the Stout Bushmaster 2000 (the 1950s updated version of the Ford Trimotor) and now the An-2. A speed demon I'm not, although those who ride with me in my car may beg to differ.

An An-2 used to frequent the early days of the Hawthorne Air Faire. The amazing thing about the Colt was there seemed to be very little difference between its high-speed pass and low-speed pass. And it took forever to fly the pattern. We all swore the Goodyear blimp was faster.

In reality the top speed is about 160 mph and landing speed (stall speed) is around 35-40 mph. But is sure seemed like there was no difference in top and bottom performance when it did its routine. It just flew S-L-O-W.

A semi-humorous side note occurred when we were crawling through the airplane while we were on the ground waiting for the weather to clear so we could fly: a young woman - she looked like a mid-twenty-something - was doing a running commentary while her friend filmed her. There was a portrait of an old man in the cabin and she found his big moustache fascinating. She jokingly referred to the portrait as a photo of her grandfather. She was somewhat chagrined when she was told it was a photo of Josef Stalin.

At least she knew who Stalin was, even if she'd never seen a picture of him. Ah, youth.

The Dread Pirate Tina

2011-09-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have a late addition to the Pirate oeuvre for Talk Like a Pirate Day: this dandy portrait of Tina trying out a Cap'n Jack Sparrow hat and dreadlocks at one of the shops in New Orleans Square in Disneyland.

The look, of course, is Tina's perfected and patented "The GLARE." You know you are in deep linguini when she gives you that evil eye.

The deep scratch is another, very interesting story, though. Just before the kids and grandkids came out for their visit, we were quietly sleeping in bed one night when Nikki, who was stretched out on the headboard above us, rolled over and fell off his perch at about 3:00 AM. Cats, of course, land on their feet (usually), but he must've realized he was falling on Tina's head so he spread his paws out to try to avoid her. Instead, he got his claws snagged on both of her shoulders and one toe raked her face.

As can be expected, Tina awoke with a scream. The cat, knowing he'd done a very bad thing, beat feet into the other room and hid for over an hour. Tina staggered to the bathroom to do emergency first aid. The best I could muster was "are you bleeding?" in my most groggy voice, which she was, and quite profusely, but I didn't know it. Her reply was, "I look like a pirate," which made me laugh, until she said, "that's not funny!" At that point I figured I was making the situation worse and could do no more, so I went back to sleep. Yeah, I know - typical guy.

When I got up to get ready for work I finally could see the damage and saw the scratch was quite deep. By this time the cat came back and I've never seen a more remorseful, groveling feline in my life. He was mortified! The fact that he was made it easier for Tina to forgive him, but she still had the wound and a long healing process to endure ahead of her.

It's getting better, but it will likely scar. How visible it will be remains to be seen. Fortunately it didn't get infected, so we'll hope for the best. She's taking it in good stride, as the photo above attests, but it's no fun, to be sure.

It makes for a great story, though, and a cool pirate picture!

I am the Pirate King!

2011-09-19T22:56:00.001-07:00

In honor of "Speak Like a Pirate Day," I present this lovey portrait of Eoin and Evie in cool piratical splendor, with hats that also pass as kids' menus at the Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland. They make a rather rakish pair, me thinks, even if the hat is a bit too big for the boy. An' believe you me, matey, we had to be movin' pretty quick on the shutter to catch even that little bit, what with that blasted time delay on the Point'n'Shoot! As can be seen in the followin' photo, he'd rather be eatin' his Cheerios and starin' at big sister than be stylin' with Cap'n Jack Sparrow. Arrrgh.

Eoin's Pacific Plunge

2011-09-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Christie, Mike and Evie brought Eoin out for his first West Coast visit. Naturally that meant a day at the beach and introducing Eoin to the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. As you can see, it was an overcast day at Zuma and the surf was large and intense from a storm surge coming from New Zealand way. No one was allowed too far out, but that didn't stop Christie from dipping Eoin's toes in the water, much to his delight - a distinct difference from his sister's response a few years ago.

Interestingly enough, the visit was more for my daughter than her kids, for however much Christie loves Colorado, she does miss the ocean. It's one of those indefinable longings, although I suppose it's logical upon examination. She was born out here and the ocean was part of her early memories, even though she never went to the beach much. Neither did I, but I have the same feelings. I would miss the ocean if it wasn't within an hour's drive.

Even more than that, I suspect it wouldn't be the same for me if it wasn't the California coast, too. My uncle once told me that he didn't like the East coast because the ocean was on the wrong side of the shore. I know what he meant, although ironically he was born in Oklahoma and moved out here when he was six or seven.

In the end I guess some people adjust easily to new surroundings and feel at home quickly. Others, like me, don't and long for familiarity. It's not that I don't like other places. I love Colorado, too, and have found that many areas around the country have great cities and/or places to visit, all with their own special appeals to my soul. But I feel at home here, in California, and especially in Burbank.

There is some irony in that, too, because I grew up in north Redondo Beach. I really loved it there and missed it when I moved away. But after not living there for so many years, it changed - so much I hardly recognize some parts of it, even though there are many parts that have remained essentially the same. But I find that it's not what it was to me. So my ties there are tenuous now.

Burbank is now my home and I feel very, very comfortable here. And the ocean, which still calls, is within easy reach. As are the mountains and the golden, oak-studded rolling hills that I also love. I'm just glad Tina likes it here, too. Then again, unlike living in Arlington Heights, near Chicago, she doesn't have to turn blue from the cold seven months out the the year, so what's not to like, eh?

One last parting shot of the day at the beach, with Evie showing her little brother how to play in the sand. It was a fun day! More to come from their wonderful visit, which ended today.

Bridalveil Mist

2011-09-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite was incredible this year. Even for a fall famous for its mists, I've not quite seen it so heavy in any previous visit.

The view from the far side of the Merced River offered a really good view at one break in the route that was breath-taking. The crash of water on the rocks at the base and the winds whipping the plume up like a backwards letter "J" was impressive. What I especially liked was how the trees were silhouetted by the mists. It looked so much like a Japanese or Chinese painting to me. I did a few shots trying to balance the white of the water with the dark green of the trees. I was quite happy with this shot.

The Art Show Cometh

2011-09-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it is that time of year again and our second home garden art show is approaching. This year we are scheduled to have potter Tim Whitcomb join our merry band. For those able we invite you to join us and see our art. We will have some new pieces for you to view and perhaps buy.

Breaking in the New Filters

2011-08-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

After the borrowed filter incident on the bridge I bought a set of graduated neutral density filters at the Ansel Adams Gallery the next day in Yosemite Village. I got a chance to try them out after we got back from Glacier Point that day in the valley North of the bridge in the meadow area near Yosemite Fall.

As you can see the contrast between the shadowed foreground and the brightly lit face of Half Dome was pretty severe. This was one of the best balanced images I got during that sunset.

I was switching between the digital and the film cameras - literally switching as I was using the same tripod. It was quite the fire drill, but I was glad to get the practice and some hands-on experience with the holder and new filters. All in all, I was quite satisfied with the end results.

Tunnel Lights

2011-08-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

I've long been fascinated by the tunnel entering the Yosemite Valley on Hwy 41. Stretching over a mile and hewn out of the solid rock of a mountain on the South side of the Merced River, the Wawona Tunnel emerges at Inspiration Point and dumps the unwary tourist amid the splendor of that magnificent valley view. It is truly awesome.

Faced with that scenery, the flocks of photographers at Inspiration Point usually look to the valley. But a few of us also look back at the tunnel and ponder the opportunities for neat images there.

This is one of a handful of shots I did that evening. As you can see, the ambient light was essentially gone, leaving only the artificial tunnel lights and the car tail lights. But it captured what I wanted to get.

The next image was shot a bit earlier and you can see there was still some ambient light left, but not much. While I like the atmosphere of the previous image, I do find having the on-coming lights in the shot below makes it a more dynamic photo. The slight cropping I did helped, too. Either way, I find both appealing and I was very happy with the results.

Half Dome Sunset, Sentinel Bridge

2011-08-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

One of the more iconic images of Yosemite is Half Dome, and one of the most popular spots to photograph Half Dome is Sentinel Bridge. Like Tunnel View (Inspiration Point) and Glacier Point, this becomes a camera magnet, especially at sunset.

This was a bit of a challenge. I realized I needed a graduated neutral density filter to bring out the details of the trees in the mid-ground as the sun had set on them but was very intense on the face of Half Dome. Unfortunately, the holder that I had that fit the lens was too big for the filters. I tried hand-holding the filters in front of the camera with pretty poor results. Fortunately a fellow photographer next to me - who coincidentally was holding a small seminar for some folks - let me borrow his filter that fit my holder. That worked much better as the above photo shows. I purchased a new set of larger filters in a range of densities at the Ansel Adams Gallery the next day.

I'll show you the results of those filters another day.

Late Spring Storm, High Sierras

2011-08-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

Further to the South from Glacier Point a storm seemed to be brewing over the Sierras. As can be seen, there was still plenty of snow on the mountains feeding the streams and rivers flowing into the Yosemite Valley. Fortunately, the vast quantity of water hadn't crested the banks of the Merced River while we were there. It was very close, though, and the meadows were saturated and pooling in many places. The warming trend would make the area more tenuous the following week.

On this day, though, the clouds provided a dramatic display. The elemental forces that produce such towering formations are both incredibly beautiful and terrifying in turn. It is easy to forget the barely cloaked power and destructive potential hidden inside. That is until the lightning fire and flooding rains appear. Then the full appreciation of the awesome power of Nature comes back with a rush.

Self-deception and denial of that power are very human traits and we never seem to learn from our tragedies. Perhaps it is just as well...otherwise we'd never rebuild or press forward. There may be dangers in remembering too well.

Half Dome's Chapeau

2011-08-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yosemite was phenomenal the four days we were there. We missed the cold snap and snow by a couple of days and the week after we left saw a heat wave. The Merced River was near flood stage even so as the huge snowfall this past year created a lot of spring run-off. The falls were as full as I've ever seen them.

Glacier Point, while a bit of a drive to get there, is always amazing. The overview of the valley below affords some stunning views. This is one of them, a quarter-front shot of Half Dome that is almost level with its crown. The extra-dark staining on the face of the rock is the result of it being continually wet with the running snow melt.

The weather was cooperative that day with some clouds to bring interest to the sky. The view further to the right (South) was even more amazing with a spring storm brewing over the Sierra Nevada range. We'll see that another day.

Morro Bay Sunset

2011-08-03T21:58:00.001-07:00

Well, that was a long hiatus. In the past two months we've been to Colorado Springs to see the kids and grandkids, I went to San Diego immediately after for the International Society for Aviation Photographers convention, we followed that a week later with a long weekend in Yosemite and then we spent a few days in Cambria during 4th of July week. We also entertained Lin for a great five days and had lots of BBQs and other adventures along the way. In between I managed to write three articles for work and we went to the Hollywood Bowl a couple of times. Oh, yeah, we also prepped for the release of the last Harry Potter movie by having a marathon viewing of all the previous Potter movies the week before release. It's a wonder we found any time to sleep.

Having said that, we've now committed to the gym again. Yes, I got tired of seeing Jabba the Hutt every time I looked into the mirror in the morning. A truly scary thing if you've never experienced it a 0-dark thirty.

The upshot is I'll have even less time than before, so irregularity may be the continuing hallmark of this blog. For that I apologize, but life, as they say, goes on.

I did manage to capture some nice images while we were on our adventures. Part of the reason we went to Yosemite and Cambria was to let Tina get some plein-aire time. She did well. For a sample of some of her recent work check out her website (see link on this page).

We had one really nice sunset while on the Central Coast. Morro Bay was quite nicely lit and the egrets were wading along the shallows looking for targets of opportunity. This is one of the more striking shots from that evening. It was a very peaceful moment - unless you were a fish.

More to come, hopefully soon.

More Huntington Green

2011-05-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a more colorfully green image shot the same day. It's slightly cropped as I couldn't get as close as I would've liked, but that's why they invented cropping, eh?

That's known as channeling your inner Canadian. It's something worth doing every now and then.

Agave Original

2011-05-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Lin requested that I post the original color image, too, so here it is. In actuality the result is not much different from the other in terms of tonal changes. Instead of black and white, it's a greenish-gray and white, with the whole range of variations incorporated into that shade.

It is rather calming, as greens tend to be, but I think the pure black and white is more striking, or at least culturally carries more gravitas. I don't know...what do you all think?

I have other images that are a bit more vibrant in the greens than this one. I will post them at a later time.

Agave Conversion

2011-05-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

We had actually been to the Huntington in February as well when Tina's sister, Lin, came for a visit. While wandering the cactus garden, something we don't usually do, I took a shot of this Agave plant. We liked the look, but Tina suggested I convert the original color image to black and white.

This is the result. I'm rather pleased with it myself. There's something very sensual and flowing about the Agave that makes it endlessly fascinating to capture.

Koi Frenzy

2011-05-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Koi, but I am. I guess it's the way they come up to be fed, like little hungry baby birds. It's their mouths that really crack me up, truth be told.

So naturally I gravitate to the ponds where the hungry Koi swirl and splash in wistful longing for someone to please feed them, da*n it! Invariably someone does (no, not me) and they go crazy with delight.

Here is one such swirl. Or perhaps we could call it "a gaping of Koi?"

Water Lily, eh?!

2011-05-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

I thought it was especially appropriate that while we were at the Huntington Gardens to met our Canadian friends, two Canadian Geese were frolicking in the pond in the Chinese garden. They were particularly attached to the root system of this water lily and spent several minutes nibbling happily away. It made for a very pretty picture, eh?!

Huntington roses

2011-05-02T21:53:00.001-07:00

My, how time flies when you get busy. I did not realize a month had passed since I last wrote, but there it is. Between getting Tina ready for her inaugural Art-in-the-Park foray and my articles for work, it seems there is very little time left for blogging.

Nevertheless, I am going to try to post more frequently, even if the verbiage is minimal. I'm assuming people would rather look at pictures than read my blather. So here we go.

We had two good friends come down from Canada for a surprise visit. The Huntington Library and Gardens was chosen as a mutual place to meet them and a couple of their other friends. Before lunch in the Rose Tea Room (a must!), we wandered the grounds. The rose garden was in full bloom. This bunch caught my eye and smelled wonderful, too!

Ah, Spring in the Huntington! There's nothing quite like it!

CONA Retros Part 3

2011-04-01T22:33:00.001-07:00

The beautiful color schemes of the 1930s, the so-called "Golden Age" of aviation (and not just for those Chrome Yellow wings, either), gave way to the realities of impending war. Gray/Blue topsides and Gray bottoms became the first iteration of the many World War II schemes that we saw in the first CONA post. The difference here is the "Neutrality" markings that theoretically identified U.S. aircraft as off-limits to combat (unless it was to protect U.S. shores and waters). To that end the pre-War national insignia of a blue roundel with a white star and a red center remained on the aircraft, but now in six positions (upper left wing, upper right wing, lower left wing, lower right wing, left and right fuselage sides) for greater visibility. Thus the eternal dilemma was revisited: how to have enough camouflage so your opponents can't see you too quickly, but with enough visibility that your own side won't shoot you down by mistake.

To aid in that visibility red and white stripes (eventually standardized at seven red, six white like the U.S. flag) were painted on the rudder of the vertical tail. It still added a dash of color to the very subdued war camouflage. The Northrop (now Northrop Grumman) EA-6B Prowler (the first photo) and this Beech TC-12B (above) are really nice recreations of that early 1940s scheme. Alas, it was not to last as the attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 plunged the nation into war.

The red and white stripes went fairly quickly. But so, too, did the national insignia with the red center. It seems that nervous gunners on ships and ground units, and even in bomber aircraft as well as fighter pilots, took to shooting at anything with red in it as being automatically Japanese. After a series of "friendly fire" incidents, all red was removed from national markings on all U.S. aircraft, and any other markings period in the Pacific Theater. By the Battle of Midway, in early June 1942, the red was gone. This Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) S-3B Viking is a nice representation of that Midway era scheme.

And yes - there will be more to come....

CONA Retros Part 2

2011-03-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Though not as glamorous as the fast jets (read: fighters), the trainers got a retro make-over, too. Ironically they got the really classic "Golden Age" schemes, which were the colors and markings of the 1930s.

In another touch of irony, the era that produced the most colorful of schemes also had one of the most structured regulations dictating the meaning and placement of markings of any era as well.

This Beech T-34C Mentor of VT-27 / CTW-4 is a good example. By 1930 the Navy started assigning solid color tails to the various bases and aircraft carrier air wings as a form of visual recognition. In this case, the Willow Green tail was the color given to aircraft attached to the carrier USS Ranger (CV 4) around 1935.

Along with the basic gray paint on metal and aluminum dope on the fabric control surfaces, the upper surface of the wing(s) were painted Orange Yellow (also called Chrome Yellow). All that made for a very colorful airplane.

But it gets better.

In the 1930s, Navy squadrons were comprised of eighteen airplanes, subdivided into two Divisions. Each Division had three Sections of three airplanes each. Each Section had its own color code. Each plane in the Section had its own markings protocols and each plane had a squadron number.

In this case, the front of the nose is black and there is a black band around the aft fuselage. There is also a black chevron on the upper surface of the wing and on the lower surface as well.

A full color band on the nose signified the Section Leader's airplane, as did the band on the aft fuselage. If the nose was only colored on the upper hemisphere it was the second plane in the Section. If it only had the lower hemisphere colored, it was the third plane in the Section. Neither the second or third airplane had the aft fuselage band.

They did have the colored chevron as this was a formation alignment aid.

Still with me? That means the T-34C above represented the Division 2, Section 4 Leader, the tenth plane in the squadron of the Air Wing of USS Ranger.

The alpha-numeric code on the side of the airplane tells you as much, too: 4-TW-10, or 4th Section of Training Wing (4), tenth airplane in squadron. The squadron Commanding Officer (CO) would fly the Division 1, Section 1, 1st plane in the squadron; the squadron Executive Officer (XO) would fly the Division 2, Section 2, 10th plane in the squadron.

See: easy!
This airplane doesn't have the aft band, which means it was probably circa 1940 as official color schemes were undergoing various changes in anticipation of wartime camouflage requirements. This McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45C Goshawk of TW-2 does have the full nose color, thus making it the Division 2 Section 4, 10th airplane in squadron, but it doesn't have the corresponding black aft fuselage band. The black tail indicates it was assigned to USS Wasp (CV 7) at that time.

Incidentally, the alpha-numeric code on this airplane (2-TW-200) is a combination of 1930s styling mixed with modern numbering. In this case, instead of 2nd Division, the 2 reflects the fact this is a TW-2 airplane. Instead of 10 for the Leader, 200 is used, which is the current Modex (nose number) of the airplane in question. In modern usage Modex numbers ending in 00 (or "double-nuts") signify the CAG's airplane. CAG, of Commander Air Group, is the leader of the Air Wing. Each squadron assigns an airplane for the CAG to fly, and that airplane has a 00 number.

The second T-45C at the show, from VT-9 / TW-1, had the True Blue tail of USS Enterprise (CV 6) circa 1940. The full red nose shows it is the Division 1, Section 1 Leader, first airplane in the squadron, even though it, too, is missing the aft color band. Red was always assigned to Section 1; Black was always assigned to Section 4. 1-TW-101 is for Training Wing 1, with 101 symbolizing the first airplane in the squadron. (100 would actually be the CAG's airplane, but the 101 Modex is a nice combination of old and new.)

Incidentally, U.S. Navy is on the opposite side (port side) of both Goshawks, while U.S. Marines is on the starboard side.

A view of the upper wing surface of the True Blue tailed T-45C shows the right part of the red chevron. It also shows the early national marking consisting of a blue roundel with white star with red circle inside. Once we were at war with Japan, all traces of red were removed from U.S. and allied aircraft markings as too many gunners and pilots were shooting at anything red, resulting in a lot of friendly fire incidents.

Anyway, that's an abbreviated history of a very complex period. It actually gets more complicated and convoluted than what I've shared tonight, which makes it really fascinating to study. Regardless, it is a really colorful period in U.S. Navy history and a popular subject for modelers and enthusiasts. It certainly jazzes up a flight line full of dull gray airplanes!

More CONA colors later.

CONA Retros Part 1

2011-03-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

Certainly one of the highlights of the current Centennial of Naval Aviation year-long celebration is the painting of modern aircraft in the historical color schemes of past Navy aircraft. Over the next couple of posts we'll look at some of those schemes.

The first one is on a new Boeing EA-18G Growler - called Grizzly on the carrier to avoid confusion with the Grumman EA-6B Prowler. It's painted in the 1943 "three-color blue" scheme, which had a dark blue on the upper surfaces, intermediate blue on the sides and white on the bottom surfaces. You can't see it here, but the bottom of the outer wing panels are the intermediate blue color as the wings fold and the bottoms go vertical. If the wings had gone past the vertical so they faced upward, they would have been painted the dark blue.

By 1944 carrier-based aircraft became overall glossy Sea Blue. Moreover, Carrier Air Wings (CVW) became so numerous that a complex set of geometric markings were applied to the verticals and wings to denote their home carrier. This Boeing F/A-18C Hornet has a white tail with three horizontal Glossy Sea Blue stripes. This was the markings for aircraft belonging to CV 15 USS Randolph.

Navy aircraft in the immediate post-war period continued in overall Glossy Sea Blue. However, reserve aircraft were denoted by an International Orange band on the aft fuselage. This Boeing F/A-18A Hornet looks rather stylish in that scheme.

Starting in 1955 the color scheme changed again. This time the colors were Light Gull Gray on top, with Glossy Insignia White on the bottom and on the upper surface of the control surfaces. Much later it came out that the white was to reflect the heat of a nuclear blast from damaging the more fragile control surfaces of the aircraft.

Shore-based squadrons had the option of adding high-visibility markings at the discretion of the base commander. This F/A-18C Hornet from NAWS (Naval Air Weapons Station) China Lake has a striking International Orange scheme applied to its wings, nose, belly and tails. It really catches your eye!

The final scheme for tonight is a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet (called Rhino on the boat so as not to be confused with the smaller and lighter Hornet) in the contemporary standard Tactical Gray scheme consisting of Light Compass Ghost Gray on the bottom and outer vertical surfaces and Dark Compass Ghost Gray on the top and inner verticals. The tail markings are the neat heritage scheme of VX-5 from the late 1960s to early 1970s. In a bit of Navy humor, VX-5 joined with VX-4 in 1993 to become VX-9. No kidding - 4 plus 5 equals 9.

Ya' gotta love it.

ADDENDUM: Added 26 March 2011 - the underwing colors on the EA-18G would have been Intermediate Blue even if the wing folded past the vertical. My error. Also, the lightning bolt marking on the tail was for an airplane assigned to USS Shangri La (CV 38) during World War II.

Also, the "X" on the tail of the Reserve F/A-18A was the actual letter tail code for aircraft assigned to the Naval Reserve Squadron in New Orleans in the late 1940s, the same station where the Hornet's squadron is currently located (VFA-204 River Rattlers). It's nice to see how well they matched airplanes with their retro schemes.

Finally, a data search shows that the F/A-18C in the very colorful China Lake markings is not currently stationed at China Lake but attached to the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) located at North Island. Since that's where the West coast retro schemes were applied, it makes sense. I'm glad they chose the China Lake markings, though, as they are especially striking.

Snow in Burbank

2011-02-27T01:09:00.000-08:00

We interrupt our CONA coverage to proclaim "Snow in Burbank"...well, sort of. It mainly hailed and sleeted. If there was snow, and I think there probably was somewhere in the Valley, it was brief. But memorable.

The upper shot was taken at Camera Craft in North Hollywood, where I was when it hit. That's Kevin's car and you can see a nice accumulation building up. Some cars passing on the street looked positively wintery.

This shot was the door to the Camera Craft. Slushy ice was building up.

This was the scene a couple hours earlier along Victory Blvd near Alameda in Burbank (right in from of Burbank House of Hobbies). I grabbed a quick snap with my small Pentax that I keep in the car. The two shots at Camera Craft were with the same camera.

I got this shot on the way home from Camera Craft. It's along Olive about two blocks West of Buena Vista and looking to the Northeast at the Verdugo Mountains. You can see the snow reaches nearly to the base of the Verdugos.

When I got home I grabbed by Canon 40D and shot the Verdugos from our front yard. That's them peeking through the trees.

A telephoto of the Verdugos from our front yard.

The sun was setting but I thought I'd grab a quick shot of the grass in our lawn. The remnants of slushy snow can be seen.

It was certainly a memorable day. Ironically Tina is in Colorado Springs visiting the kids and grandkids. It was sunny and warmer there than here. She will be back before the storm here gets there. Some people have all the timing. Still, I'm glad I got to see it once. Now it can warm up. It's flippin' cold outside!

Blues Moon

2011-02-22T23:06:00.001-08:00

The Blue Angels opened the Parade of Flight during the CONA celebrations at NAS North Island on February 12. They did a simple six-ship formation pass as they are still training up at NAS El Centro and their season doesn't start for a few more weeks. Nevertheless, the Blues were a de rigueur component of this event.

As they made their single pass around the island following the bay and channel, they crossed in front of the Moon. I knew it was rising and so I had hoped to catch it in some of the shots that day. And indeed, I got one on this pass.

This is actually a crop of the 12x8 format to a 10x8. It looks pretty good in that size as all the elements balance each other out pretty good. No Photoshop work was done other than the cropping.

This is a shot of the full image. It's still not bad.

The last photo is a full height crop into a portrait format. I wanted to see what a cover shot might look like. (Well, we can dream, can't we?) Not quite as satisfying as the first shot, but still a decent image. A little PhotoShop tweaking could maybe bring this home. I may have to play around with it and see what happens.

CONA Sundowner

2011-02-20T22:34:00.001-08:00

I had the good fortune to get media access to the opening event in the year-long Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) celebration. The kick-off occurred February 12th at NAS North Island. Not only did we get to shoot from a very advantageous spot on Saturday during the show, but we were able to acquire ramp access to MCAS Miramar, where most of the military aircraft participating in the Parade of Flight and CVW-9 flyover were staging from, and Brown Field, where the vintage warbirds were based.

I will post photos from those various venues over the next few days. This will include the specially marked "retro-camouflage" painted aircraft. Many of those were in attendance at North Island and were a thrill to see. Fortunately most were there on the Friday media-only day. The rest we were able to catch on Saturday before the public was allowed onto the ramp.

This Northrop (now Northrop Grumman) F-5N Tiger II is from VFC-111 "Sundowners." I was excited to see the full-color tail CAG (Commander Air Group) bird. Usually one airplane per squadron (maybe two) gets the full color treatment as it is reserved for the CAG to fly, if he chooses. It is also the squadron show bird, which is why some go all out on the schemes. In this day and age of gray airplanes it is a refreshing throwback to the Golden Ages of Naval aviation - the 1930s yellow wings and the 1960s vibrant colors in the squadrons.

This one has it all - brilliant tail and sharkmouth to boot: just like the F-14s and F-4s before them. It is one beautiful plane, and a Northrop one at that!

The Open Curtain

2011-02-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

A parting shot of the Lockheed C-40 Electra Jr. presents a wonderfully abstract blend of reflections and shadows. The passenger window with the barely discernible curtains brings a touch of realism to the image. Again, not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. The dash of color in the mirrored surface of the engine nacelle and cowl adds a nice element, too.

Sometimes I can see myself in the pictures I take as a distorted self-portrait on the polished metal, but I must have angled myself in such a way that I seemingly have disapparated away from the scene in this shot. Perhaps a trace of me remains; perhaps not. Either way, I am gone like a fleeting memory.

Something like life itself.

Electra Reflections

2011-02-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

I was asked if I was in my Darth Vader period, much like Picasso had his "Blue Period." I suppose that is one way of looking at it. I find the dark shadows and rich reflections compelling. Understandably others may find them too murky and moody for their taste.

For those who feel that way, I did shoot a variety of exposures. Here is a lighter one. It's still a nice image, but I prefer the first one. But that's the beauty of art and photography: it speaks to each of us differently; and it speaks to the artist differently at different times in their life.

One of the most interesting exhibits we attended was the Ansel Adams' 100th anniversary show at the L.A. County Museum of Art. They had several examples of his work developed at different times of his life. The older he got, the more dramatic his prints became. The art was truly in the dark room as he managed to turn some of the earlier great photos into incredible iconic images. Moon Over Hernandez is one example; New Mexico Aspens is another.

Unfortunately photography as an art doesn't get much respect. Hopefully that is changing, but the proliferation of digital and cell phone cameras is flooding the world with a sea of images that range from the awful to the inspired. It's just a lot more work to wade through the mass of material.

But there are some really great images out there and a lot of very talented people doing fantastic work. I hope to be one of them someday.

Here is a more full-bodied shot of the C-40 (military version of the Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior) in case anyone was interested in seeing it. Unfortunately the space was cramped and I couldn't get the whole tail in the picture. Another reason to do tightly cropped artsy shots.

Sabre Dance

2011-01-27T23:06:00.001-08:00

Like their Mustang, North American Aviation's F-86 Sabre was a classic beauty with gorgeous lines. One can get lost in the curves and flows of the body and canopy as the light plays off the polished metal surfaces. It is a dance of white on a silver body; a pas de deux that I find endlessly entrancing.

Here is an overall shot of the Sabre, below. Even simple documentary shots cannot fail to show the beauty of the design. They are even more striking in the air.

Mustang Sally

2011-01-23T15:02:00.001-08:00

I have this love/hate relationship with aviation museums. On the one hand, it's nice to have aircraft preserved for current and future generations to see and appreciate. On the other hand, many times the aircraft are in a wretched state of preservation and stored or exhibited in less than ideal conditions. Ideally, they should be restored to as near pristine condition as possible and as close to the markings of their real service career, then displayed indoors in a climate-controlled environment.

That, of course, is far from what happens in many places, especially in small, financially-strapped local museums.

Southern California is fortunate in that many such places do have the ability to preserve and display a large part of their collections in great venues. Some friends and I went to two of those museums last weekend: the Yanks Air Museum and the Planes of Fame Museum, both in Chino, CA.

Yanks is the newer of the two at the Chino Airport. The airport has long been the home of Planes of Fame and a whole subsidiary industry dedicated to the restoration and preservation of old warbirds and contemporary air racing craft. Both museums now sport beautiful interior hangar displays and a large collection of flyable and flying articles.

We went to Yanks first because there was a kit collector's show being held inside the facility that day - the reason for our excursion.

While it's great to see such beautifully restored aircraft, the one complaint I have with every such venue is it's a royal pain to get good over-all shots of the individual vehicles. I much prefer to get clean shots outside in nice light. But if they were outside in nice light, they would not be in such great shape for long. Such is the dilemma of museum aircraft.

Nevertheless, neat shots can be had with a little creativity. The image below is an overall view of the legendary North American Aviation P-51D Mustang. The kit show is to the left of the airplane, outside the framing of the shot. It's amazing how much you can hide with careful composition.

It's a decent shot, but not a great one. Good enough for documentary purposes, though.

However, with a bit of careful positioning and composition, a much more dramatic shot is possible, as is shown in the image that opens today's entry. The Mustang was built with beautiful curves and this angle shows some of those classic lines to good effect. The lighting helps set the mood with dark shadows and bright highlights that accentuate the shape of the airplane. It is a much more expressive shot than the overall picture, but than it should be. After all, that is the difference between art and documentation as each have different objectives in mind. While those objectives are not necessarily exclusive of each other, it is a much more difficult challenge to combine the two - especially in a museum setting.

And that's why I shoot both ways, if possible.

We will explore more such images in the next few entries.

Evie and Eoin

2011-01-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

It is so cute to watch Evie interact with her little brother at this age. She is really quite protective of him. If he gets fussy she'll try to cheer him up. When we were visiting this Christmas she discovered a snowman toy that had a recording of Jimmy Durante singing "Frosty the Snowman." She thought it was the funniest thing, so she had to share with Eoin.

And share she did...over and over and over...and over again. The adults were ready to slit their wrists, but Evie would laugh and stick the snowman in front of Eoin and watch him smile and give his little gasp-y laugh. It cracked her up.

In truth it was pretty funny. And much better to have her wanting to make him laugh than cry. I hope that continues for a long while.

Back in the Saddle Again

2011-01-14T23:14:00.000-08:00

Well...that was longer than I expected. I did not plan for a hiatus of this duration, but having the computer go out on me and with it being down for over a month did not help the situation. Between that and the crunch of year-end events, work and outside jobs, blogging became an expendable option. The first month I was too busy to miss it; the second month I found I did miss it.

As far as the computer problem, the nearest thing that we could figure out was that my security program downloaded an update which affected our 64 bit Windows 7 operating system. In short, it turned my "C" drive into a "D" drive; meaning my computer would not even turn on.

Before they figured that out, however, they brought in Tina's computer and our external hard drive to check for viruses. None were on the external, and a minor and inconsequential amount were found on Tina's. Which was good, but not as helpful for getting back into doing work on the computer as I'd hoped.

At least the personal data on the C drive was fully backed up. However, I requested that they try to save my favorites and Outlook emails rather than wipe the C drive and simply reinstall the OP. That complicated matters; that and requesting that they back-up the external on a second external as an additional back-up. You can never have enough redundancy. Unfortunately, that took a couple more weeks of time.

By then we were in Colorado Springs for a nice 8 day visit with the kids and grandkids. Needless to say nothing much got done computer-wise, except barely keep up with the emails. Which wasn't totally bad.

Once we got back there were more complications as my external had to be removed from its case and put in a new one. Then there was reloading the printers and other software in my software-reinstalled C drive. And time passed...and passed...and passed.

But the trip to Colorado was fun! Tiring, but fun. Evie really seems to enjoy her little brother a lot, as seen in the above photo with Tina. And that little girl is chattering up a storm! We played and watched movies and went to tea and watched the snow (ugh) and watched more movies. She is very energetic.

Christie and Mike were mostly fine, except for the bout of 24 (or so) hour flu that cycled throughout the family. I'm happy to say my round only lasted half a day and was more a feeling of nausea than real sickness. A good helping of lamb Vindaloo curry for dinner cured that felling; it burned those bugs right out!

Anyway, I'm back, and looking forward to sharing many more photos and thoughts in the coming days.

Home Art Show - the Inauguration

2010-10-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

We had our inaugural home art show this past Sunday. Called "Light, Paint & Ink," it featured my photography, Tina's oils and watercolors and Ellen Shipley's monotypes and wood prints. It turned out pretty well. The weather cooperated and we had a nice day. The rain held off until we were all finished and everything was put away.

This is the view down our driveway as we were nearly ready to start. As you can see I had a lot of rather large aircraft prints and one giclee. Our friend, Tom Hacker, is in the background helping us set up.

Tina had some rather large paintings as well. This is the view further down the driveway opposite the tent above.

This is the view from the tent. As it turned out I was asked to take detailed photos of a sculpture. Since it is a limited series, we decided to display it in case anyone was interested in purchasing a piece as the artist is a good friend.

The figure is a highly detailed rendering of an Imperial Japanese Navy pilot from World War II. Sculpted by Don Lynch, now living in Canada, it was commissioned by another friend, Gary Nila, who is an avid collector of Japanese World War II uniforms and accouterments. Gary has done a couple of monographs on the subject, which I had the honor of doing the contemporary photography. More on that in a later post.
We also had a table set up to display the Invenature Cookbook, of which Tina and I contributed, and flyers for Kindle books by another good friend, Mel Gilden.

The idea behind the show, besides trying to sell our art, was to provide a dry run for a potential art-in-the-park venture. The Pro-Panel walls were newly purchased by Tina for that future endeavor and this was the learning phase on how to set them up. The art looked quite good on the walls. Aida King and Mel Gilden are looking at art.

Another view of the panels, this time with my photography hung on the panels. Karen Hilb is checking out the layout. Karen was our cashier and was a tremendous help.

Another view. Mel is skillfully avoiding my camera. Tina is in the background.

We were blessed to have plenty of help. Gary Charpentier is to the right of Mel's shoulder. Tom is checking out the loose art bin. Some of my black and white photos are on the left wall.

Ellen took a different route. She already had a sun shade, so she and her husband Bill decided to fabricate her walls. It turned out pretty well. This view shows some of her Paleo-Mythos prints. They are quite good.

Some more views of her set up. As you can see we had lots of chairs set out so people could come and relax and chat.

More views of our panels. We were quite pleased with how the worked out.

We set up the snacks in the Secret Garden. A funky red and white checkerboard tablecloth was used and the drinks were chilled in the ice chest. We also had some wine. Ellen, Laurie Perry, Tina and Karen provided cookies, cheeseballs and crackers, fruit and especially pumpkin bars (thanks Laurie!). We also had sandwiches, which made the rounds.

The back edge of the yard was lined with chairs. It was a very pleasant setting and people enjoyed being able to lounge about.

Steph Grush manned the snacks area and did a fabulous job!

Craig Kaston (right) and Chris Eisner share a conversation. Chris' husband, Steve, is behind Craig. Knowing them, they were discussing airplanes in general and the F-4 Phantom II in particular.

Lynn and Maryanne Jenson peruse the loose art bin. I had my smaller airplane photos in a couple of tubs on the other side.

Ellen holding down the fort at her tent while folks relax in the chairs. We were quite pleased to have Tina's dad, Bill, show up for the event. My cousin Bob Chang chats with Steph.

Fortunately, we did sell some art. Tom was particularly generous. He's getting his purchase from Karen and Roy King looks on.

More views of the art on our walls. As we started to sell pieces Tina went into a seller's frenzy and started filling empty spots with more of our art, some of which were hanging on our own walls! If somebody wanted to by one she was game. We could always replace the pieces with more of our art. But it was pretty funny anyway.

The sky grew overcast the later in the afternoon it became. Karen is now wearing her jacket. The rain started shortly after we closed down. It was a case of great timing. I don't know who Tina had to bribe to get the good weather for the show, but we lucked out.

Through it all our male cat Nicky (short for Nikolai) guarded the back door. He was a very good cat and did not try to go outdoors. I think he like being the king of Bubblewrap. He seemed to enjoy being snuggled up in it.

All in all, we all did well. We all sold some art, and two cookbooks as well! We're looking forward to doing our first art-in-the-park sometime in the Spring, as well as doing another backyard show around this time next year. We had a great time! Hope you all can join us then.

Sky Shadows

2010-10-19T21:40:00.001-07:00

I try to pick my window seats by how I think the sun angle will light the clouds and ground features. Sometimes I guess wrong and it still works out.

The starboard (right) side is usually a good place on a West-bound flight. It works really well on the Denver-Las Vegas route. However, I forgot we were going Denver to Phoenix on this trip. That meant a more Southwesterly direction, with the nose a little to the left of the sun's position in the sky.

When that happens the features usually get washed out by the harsh light. Fortunately this time there was a lot of cloud activity. Big, billowy clouds get a dramatic look when heavily backlit, especially towards the golden hour of the late-afternoon. I really like the shadows cast by the clouds.

These two shots, taken moments apart, give a hint of the ever-changing vista just outside the aircraft. I love it - it's the only thing worthwhile (aside from the faster travel time) about flying these days. If I didn't have a view I would go crazy wondering what I had missed.

Evie Swings and Bubbles

2010-10-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

Evie seems to have adjusted really well to the arrival of her baby brother. It also helps to have two grandparents around to entertain you while Daddy is at work and Mommy is going to the doctor with Eoin. There is nothing like undivided attention to perk up a four-year old.

So on that particular day we picked Evie up from pre-school and took her to the park. The swing was about the first thing she went to. Note that she is still using the smaller child safety swing with the bucket seat. There was another set with the regular style seats, but she did not want to use them as she was afraid of falling out if pushed too high. A reasonable fear, to me. I think she inherited her excess caution from her grampa. I was not known as a dare-devil then or now.

Nevertheless, once safely ensconced in the bucket, she wanted to go really high. With Nana T pushing from behind and Grampa Tony pushing from the front she attained a good deal of height - and loved it!

And in case you hadn't noticed, she picked out on her own and wore to school that day her Dodger t-shirt that we got her on their visit to L.A. this past June. All is right with the universe, even if they did have a suckee season and the Giants (shudder) finished first. Oh, well....

The park adventure concluded with a bit of bubble blowing with her new toy that we bought her on our trip to the Central Coast over Labor Day. We wanted to bring her a gift so she wouldn't feel left out with everyone cooing over Eoin, so we got at battery-powered, trigger-activated fan-blown bubble blower. Say that fast five times. Despite the unwieldy description it worked great and made a prodigious amount of bubbles. Even the homeless woman under an adjacent tree was impressed.

Needless to say Evie loved it. And we loved it because it wasn't as messy as hand-blown bubbles! We were using a rental van, after all. :-)

Meeting Eoin

2010-10-14T23:17:00.001-07:00

Well, that was another extended break that went on longer than intended. Several events conspired to occupy my time. One of them was the 8 day visit to Colorado Springs to greet the new grandson, Eoin Michael Cotter. As you can see, he and I got along famously.
Even Nana T got into the act, although once again she did her famous party trick by managing to evade every diaper change opportunity. Grampa, on the other hand, had lots of practice learning to change baby boys - something that I've had very, very little experience at in life. I consider myself experienced now.

Evie continues to enjoy her new baby brother. Just wait until he gets into her stuff; then we'll see how happy she is.

Actually, I much prefer this state of contentment. Siblings have enough problems living with each other. Getting started on the right foot is very important. So far so good.

Lightning Strikes Twice

2010-09-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to go to the F-35A media event at Edwards AFB on August 27th. They took us out to the intersection of taxiway Bravo and the main runway and we watched AF-01 land after a test flight. Once the plane landed we climbed into the Air Force bus and they took us to hangar 1820 for the official briefing and interviews.

Media events are always interesting. They are, of course, designed to put the best foot forward for that particular program, but hopefully what you hear is said with good justification. Some are more successful at it than others.

I won't comment on my thoughts on that aspect (we are teammates on the program, after all, and subject to bias), but I will make an observation on how things are presented to the media. The Air Force did a great job for the most part. There were glitches, but flight test is used to that and so are flight test PR events. Regardless, the media had great access and good quotes and soundbites.

Lockheed Martin does an outstanding job with media events. Having gone head-to-head against them and being on the same team with them on different occasions, it is still an amazing thing to watch. Nobody else in aerospace - and I mean nobody else - does PR as well as those guys! I've seen them blow away Boeing and us many times. In that regard, my hat is off to them.

This event was no different, even though it was the Air Force's gig. Lockheed Martin provided top-notch images and background information to the media with DVDs and thumbdrives so deadlines could be quickly met. From the media side it is always fun going to one of their events.

And the plane was fun to shoot, too. I just wish the sun had been to our backs, but it was so high up in the sky it was probably a moot issue. Nevertheless I think I got some neat images. I even got artsy! That one I submitted to the 2010 Aviation Week photo contest. I will post that shot at a later date.

Eoin Meets the Family

2010-09-16T22:20:00.001-07:00

Christie sent out a bunch of photos on Snapfish, from which I shamelessly downloaded some of my favorites to show and share. I assume Mike was the photographer on most of them, with Christie taking a hand in the last one here. I have no idea who shot the group photo...maybe Mike's mom Jeanne.

Regardless, here are "official" photos of Eoin meeting his immediate family for the first time. Evie, as I mentioned before, declared herself satisfied with her baby brother. She certainly does look pleased in these several shots.

I'd say the whole family looks pretty pleased here. We are, too!

"Welcome home, baby Eoin!"
Some have commented on Eoin's features and how well-formed his face looks. I agree, he does look handsome. As I also mentioned before, his hair and skin tone is lighter than Evie's, so I think his Celtic side is going to be prominent in him. I wonder how much red he'll have in his hair when he is grown?

It's never too early to start reading to your kids! Good on you, daddy!

Farewells & Welcomes - The Circle of Life

2010-09-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

Photo by Mike Cotter

Photo by Wayne Pittman

This has been a roller-coaster of a week. On 30 August Tina's mom, Jean, passed away after a long, debilitating illness. It was a pretty stressful last few years for all involved.

And yet, a few short days later, we welcomed to the world our new grandson, Eoin Michael Cotter, born today, 8 September 2010, in Colorado Springs, CO.

The cliche' about the "Circle of Life" was indeed at work here. From sorrow and relief to joy and wonder. The end of one life and the beginning of another. And so it goes, generation upon generation. It's pretty amazing sometimes.

For those who care, Eoin weighed in at 7 lbs, 12 oz and was 20 inches long. He has big feet, lots of hair (although not as much as his sister when she was born) and a lighter complexion than Evie. The Celtic genes won out this round.

Eoin is pronounced "Oh-in." A fascinating look at the origin of the name is found at this site: http://medievalscotland.org/problem/names/iain.shtml

Eoin's cousins Josh and Nicole Pittman delivered Pooh and Eeyore to his bassinet.

Evie visited today and declared that she was happy with her new baby brother. Christie and Mike are breathing easier at the news. :-)

That's it for tonight; I'm pooped. More later.

"Lady Be Good"

2010-08-26T22:53:00.001-07:00

It is the nature of war that the cessation of hostilities seldom means resolution for many of the participants or their survivors. What we now call "post-traumatic stress disorder" dogs many veterans of every war long after the shooting stops, and those MIA - "Missing In Action" - haunt their families as long as a memory remains to remember those lost.

"Closure" is a peculiar trait in the human species. Burial rituals exist to provide closure to survivors, reassuring them that their loved ones are really dead and have gone on to a better place. In the absence of tangible remains, uncertainty and hope battle in its place; gnawing uncertainty that the missing will ever be found alive and undying hope that they will indeed be found alive.

Occasionally that hope, against all odds and rational sense, prevails. Thirty, forty and even fifty years after the end of World War II, a ragged Japanese soldier would emerge out of the jungle like a living wraith to remind the world that fervently wished for miracles do occur.

But that result is so very rare. Typically any resolution is a confirmation of the worst fears a family can have.

The "Lady Be Good" was one such example. An American B-24D Liberator heavy bomber flying with the 514th Bomb Squadron, 576th Bomb Group - known as the "Liberandos" - the Lady flew from her base in Libya on 4 April 1943 to bomb targets in Naples, Italy. She never returned. Assumed lost in the Mediterranean Sea, the crew was classified as MIA and the families left to wonder and hope against all hope.

In 1958 the Lady was spotted from an airborne petroleum company survey aircraft nearly intact and 440 miles inland in the Libyan desert. When a recovery crew from Wheelus Air Force Base, then an American installation on the coast of Libya, reached the wreckage they found that the radio still worked, food and water were on board and drinkable tea was found in a thermos. But there was no sign of the crew.

A search was later initiated and eventually the remains of five of the crew were found in 1960 eighty miles north of the wreck site. Additional searches recovered two more crew remains, also in 1960, one 20 miles and another 27 miles further north. An eighth crew member was never formally found or identified, although it's possible his remains could have discovered in 1953 by a British patrol and buried in the desert. The ninth and last crewman was never accounted for.

The resulting investigation concluded the plane's Automatic Direction Finder broke during the mission. The crew asked for a heading back to base, missed the flares and other attempts to guide planes back home and overshot the coast by over 400 miles. The crew, seeing the sand dunes at night, thought they were still over the Med and bailed out. The Lady flew on for another 16 miles by herself and landed in the desert.

Eight of the nine crew members were able to regroup and, thinking they were near the coast, decided to walk out. They shared a single canteen of water for eight days, making a trek of eighty miles in 100 degree-plus heat, before five could not continue. Three pressed on, the last dying alone 27 miles beyond his comrades.

The last days of the crew of Lady Be Good were recounted in the journal of the co-pilot. The tragic end suffered by the men could not have brought comfort to the families, but it did bring closure.

For those of us of a certain age - or those who study the history of World War II aviation, the saga of Lady Be Good is well known and of near-mythological status. It is no surprise that someone would take up the challenge of capturing that incident in a diorama.

This presentation was extremely well done. I have seen several photos of the crash site and this is a remarkable accurate representation of the remains.

This is not the first diorama of the Lady Be Good, nor will it likely be the last. And rightly so. As long as someone remembers their sacrifice, the crew of the Lady will live on in the memories of a new generation. War has severe consequences and should not be undertaken lightly. It is the lesson we must continually learn, it seems, but it is the least we can do for those who serve and die, and the families who are left behind with uncertainty and impossible hope.

Caproni Madness

2010-08-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

My mother always wanted me to build a sailing ship model. When I was in high school she bought me the big Revell kit of the USS Constitution. At one point I even started it, and did pretty good with the hull, captain's quarters and gun decks. What did me in was the sails and rigging. To me it was as tedious and mind-numbing a job as there was. I finally gave it up and retreated to my first love, airplanes.

In the world of airplane modeling, biplanes and other multi-winged aircraft probably come the closest to the trauma of sailing ships with their plethora of wing wires. Early aircraft were fragile things and boasted a host of struts and wires that helped give the wings rigidity. But they are a bear to put on.

I've never tried rigging a biplane before. Fortunately my interests are primarily from 1930 onwards, but at some point I probably will try my hand at it. There are some early multi-winged types that I do want to build someday.

With that in mind, it is always instructive and awe inspiring to me to view a well-rigged airplane model. This is one of them.
The Caproni Ca-3 was one of the world's first heavy bombers, making its combat debut on 20 August 1915 with the Italian air force in World War I, almost exactly 95 years ago. Like its contemporaries, it featured open cockpits, fabric surfaces and lots and lots of struts and wires.

There was a limited run kit of the Ca-3 by Miekraft. I'm not sure if this is it, but it certainly could be. Even so it looks like there were several enhancements made to the model during construction. It is one fine job and many people there thought for sure it would take Best of Show. It's one of those showstopper type models that some people do to vie for the top award.
But as I mentioned in an earlier post, I voted for the Kraken. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful job and well worth winning whatever awards it could garner. It's almost enough to make one try World War I aircraft...almost.

Round Up the Usual Suspects - 1

2010-08-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

I will close out the figures part of the IPMS Nationals with a few of the many excellent pieces that caught my eye. Certainly this bust of Wolverine from Marvel Comics' X-Men is a stellar example of the quality of craftsmanship out there. I don't know if this is a kit, but the sculptor did a magnificent job of capturing Wolverine's ferocity. The modeler's finishing job of painting, coloring and shadowing was equally outstanding. I thought the glare of the ceiling light on the other side of the curtain made for a cool image. I was very happy with the resulting photo.

I particularly liked the finish on the werewolf's tongue in the above piece! It looked so real. And the drool was nicely disgusting, too. Again, I don't know if this was a kit and how much was the original sculptor or how much was the modeler, but the end result is amazing.

King Kong was another nicely finished figure. The little Fay Wray was well done, too.

Every convention has to have the perquisite "Chick-in-Chain-Mail" entry in the figures contest. It's a Science-Fiction/Fantasy staple and since the majority of modelers are male, models of scantily clad Amazon women are a staple, too. While there is something totally illogical about going into combat in a metal bikini, it is nice to look at. In retrospect I suppose it makes about as much sense as the Picts painting themselves blue and fight naked. I know what I'd prefer to look at....

Historical figures are very much a staple of IPMS conventions. There are lots and lots of plastic, resin or metal figures available (one of the few exceptions to the "majority plastic composition" rule IPMS) covering virtually the entire range of human history. The Spartan Hoplite (above) and the armored knight (below) are but two examples.

I hope you all enjoyed the figure round-up. Next we'll look at some aircraft models.

Gampf-a-Lot

2010-08-20T20:43:00.001-07:00

The sub-genre of fantastical war machines and their alien pilots is a fertile ground for modelers inclined to that aspect of the hobby. Science Fiction and Fantasy are huge draws, especially for the folks that specialize in figures. It's not hard to see why.

This vignette was done by the same young man that did the Kraken. Obviously the quality of the Kraken was no fluke: the guy is an extremely talented and imaginative modeler. As you may note in some of the photos this effort caught the fancy of a magazine who offered him a chance to write an article about his creation for publication - and payment. Not too shabby.

I thought the use of lights was particularly well done in this piece. Note the translucent frontal areas of the alien which seem to suggest fluid-filled cavities swimming with weird internal organs. The glowing exhaust spheres of the hovering body/vehicle are well done as well. Again, like the Kraken, the stance of the figure is very natural looking. I think a sub-title of this entry could be "stopping to smell the (alien) flowers."

It will be most interesting to see what actually won in this competition and how close I came to picking the winning entries.

Let's Get Kraken!

2010-08-18T22:51:00.001-07:00

Once again I took a longer hiatus than I intended. I was off to the IPMS (International Plastic Modelers Society) 2010 National Convention held in Phoenix, AZ in early August. When I returned I had an article I had to write for the Engineering Department's internal magazine and so that occupied more of my time. Then I needed a break from all the activity!

But I am back and loaded with photos from the model contest. I will not bore you with too many images from that contest, I hope, but some models do stand out and I will cover them in the next few installments.

Oddly enough, it wasn't an aircraft that I thought deserved Best of Show. It was this figures diorama that to me encompassed not only the consummate skills of a superb modeler, but the creativity of a mad scientist and the imagination of an artist.

Unfortunately the model covered up the title of the piece - assuming it even had a one - and the modeler's name was not written down either (of course not - it was a contest). I do know the modeler was a young Asian kid from Berkeley, CA, and I had a chance to briefly talk to him. I'll post his name when I find out who he is, hopefully when IPMS/USA posts the contest results on their webpage.

Nevertheless I do know the central element of his diorama is the Kraken (Octopus). The arms are sculpted and were carefully placed in position to dry. The other figures were modified and mounted on an "oil rig platform." It is also lit with battery-powered LEDs.

The whole scene has a strong "steam-punk" element to it and he confirmed that the genre was an influence, but not wholly so. Take a look at the following images and marvel, like I did, at his inventiveness and incredible modeling ability. Capturing a natural-looking human posture, with all it's subtle nuances, is extremely difficult, as is realistic figure painting and weathering. And the Kraken ain't bad, too (note the eyes in the last photo)! That young kid did it all with this vignette and it held me in awe. I hope you enjoy his work, as well.

Ode to Grandma; Requiem for a Possum

2010-08-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today would have been my grandmother Viola Crawford's 105th birthday. She is the woman sitting on the couch next to my grandfather Charles, who is holding me when I was about 6 months old. My mother Mary is on the floor, my aunt Lena is on the far left. I think that's my aunt Pearl and her husband Claude between Lena and grandma.

I had reason to think about her today, not just because it was her birthday, but because of an incident I witnessed this afternoon. It is sad and perhaps morbid, but as I get older in life the press of mortality begins to make its presence known and so I think about such things more often.

I had to go to our Sector office today to give a new hire briefing. I do this every week with another fellow. He's the unofficial TRW historian; I'm the unofficial Northrop historian. In any event, I was stopped in the left turn lane at the corner of Aviation and Marine. The turn signal had just gone red for me, so oncoming traffic was still waiting for the green.

I noticed something very small and white running in the crosswalk in front of the waiting cars. It was a baby opossum. The little thing just managed to get to the center line when the light turned green and the cars began to move. It's retreat was cut off. The possum tried to continue across the street, but traffic on my side was still moving and it spooked the baby back to the median stripe.

I knew this would not turn out well, but there was little I could do but watch and hope a miracle would happen. None came.

The poor creature was terrified. It couldn't go back; it shouldn't have gone forward. But it did.

It made it part way across the first lane before it was hit. Unfortunately it was not killed. The pain was palpable and the poor creature writhed in agony. The light changed and the cross traffic turn lane began its transit. The third vehicle around the turn rolled over the possum and the writhing stopped. The possum was dead and I began to tear up and cry.

I became aware of death at an early age. I don't know why; no one I really knew died when I was five, or at least that I can remember. But I do know I was terrified of it. I remember asking my mom why people had to die. She told me that if people didn't die they would grow so old they would shrivel up and turn to stone.

That wasn't very helpful, but what else could she say to a five year old that would've made them feel any better? The heaven option didn't sit well with me, either, for some reason, but it was better than nothing, I suppose.

The reason I bring this all up is because many times I've thought about what it is people think and feel before death. There are so many unpleasant ways to die. That poor possum showed me one way. There was fear. There was pain. There was blessed release. And I mourned.

My grandmother on the other hand....

I watched my grandmother, who was strong and willful and a force of nature, become a hollow shell. It was a long, lingering illness that took four years to kill her. As she neared the end it became unbearable to watch. What I remember most is the vacant, thousand yard stare and the look of what I perceived - rightly or wrongly - as fear: fear of the unknown.

There is a line in the song "Old Man River" that goes, "I'm tired of living and scared of dying...." I know I heard her say she was tired of living; I'm guessing she was afraid of dying. There was fear there and I could see it.

As a result, she lingered and withered and became a ghost of her former self. In the end, she needed permission to die, to know it was okay. I suspect she's not alone. Once my mom told her it was all right, she passed that night.

I wonder if people are the only creatures that need "closure?" We lament the lost and wonder if they will ever return. We need the burial rituals to assure us our loved ones are really gone and hopefully to a better place.

Will the mama possum miss her baby? Or was it weaned and out of sight, out of mind? I guess it depends. If no one comes back when they are expected to then they are missed, at least for a bit. But life goes on and so do they. But do they mourn and need closure?

I have seen cats go into mourning and wail for a lost companion. Some recover; some never seem the same. So it is with people. Circumstances and personalities will drive responses, and so will emotions. It all depends.

In the end it was a relief when grandma passed. She was no longer suffering. In the end it was a relief when the last car rolled over the crippled possum. It was no longer suffering. They showed me that there are some things worse than dying. It is the process I'm scared of now, not the result.

But it is no use fretting about it as the end result is unavoidable. We all will face the great unknown at some point and plunge into the darkness to who knows what. I don't want to be scared and I don't want to be in pain. And I don't want to die abandoned and alone. But I can't control any of that. All I can control is what I do now. And that's okay. In the end it's how you live that counts.

The Gee Bee Hee Bees

2010-07-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is one of the more fascinating aircraft at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. The Gee Bee R1 Super Sportster was a 1930's era racer, part of the so-called Golden Age of Aviation. Built by the Granville Brothers (hence the name Gee Bee), the R1 won the 1932 Thompson Trophy air race with legendary pilot Jimmy Doolittle at the controls. That was his last air race as Doolittle felt he had used up all of his luck, but apparently he had a reserve as the famous Tokyo Raid in 1942 proved.

This replica was built by the SDASM using the actual plans supplied by the Granville family under the proviso the plane would never be flown or sold. It is probably the most accurate reproduction of an R1 in existence today.

I have seen Delmar Benjamin fly his replica R2 Super Sportster (a longer version of the R1) and it looks really cool! A replica Gee Bee Z was used in the movie "The Rocketeer" and gave the movie a kick in the opening sequence.

While the original R1 and R2 had reputations as dangerous machines to all but the most skilled of pilots, the airplanes were hot fliers. The replicas are grand reminders of those glamorous years of aviation.

This photo was shot last month during our trip to Balboa Park. I love the moody shadows in this shot.

Horten 229 Just Hanging Around

2010-07-25T23:12:00.001-07:00

We were in San Diego last month and while there I took the opportunity to visit the Air & Space Museum there in Balboa Park. Part of the reason was to see what was new and part of it was to commune with the airplanes.

This is one in particular that I was anxious to see: the full-scale mock-up of the Horten Ho-229, the world's first pure-wing turbo-jet fighter. While Jack Northrop and his company were becoming synonymous with pure flying wings in the United States, the Horten brothers were quietly pushing the design in Germany.

Ironically, it was Northrop's success with the pure-winged N-1M, which flew 70 years ago this month, that allowed the Hortens the opportunity to build the 229. Interavia magazine published an article on the N-1M that was read by the German Luftwaffe high command. They immediately requested similar designs from their industry and a whole slew of flying wing proposals appeared from every company in Germany. The Hortens, who had been experimenting with pure-wing gliders, saw their opportunity and developed their airplane. Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering liked what he saw and gave them the go-ahead to build the vehicle. The first prototype flew in December 1944. It crashed in around February 1945. The Hortens were captured by the Americans in April and Germany surrendered in May.

I actually had a hand (literally) in the construction of this full-sized mock-up. Northrop was contracted by the producers of a documentary on the Ho-229 to build and test the airplane on our radar test range. The Engineering Labs model shop built the airplane, but our department made the stencils for the markings. My hands can be briefly seen in the documentary pulling the masking from the wing crosses. I can also be glimpsed in the background while the build leader was interviewed on camera.

I think I got 15 nanoseconds of my allotted 15 minutes of fame. Oh, well...it was interesting and fun.

It was shown on the National Geographic Channel and is available on DVD from the producers. If anyone is interested, here's a link: http://www.mythmerchantfilms.com/?p=hitlers_stealth_fighter&t=library

They did a really good job and I'm proud of my association, however limited, with the project. In any event, the mock-up was Northrop property after the shoot as our sector funded part of the project. It was donated to San Diego and hung there last year.

It looks fabulous there and they have a small theater right by the 229's location showing the DVD on a continuous loop.

My hands are famous! Life is good.

Life of Riley - Part Deux

2010-07-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

Some animals really know how to relax. Cats, for instance. Or dogs. Let's add kangaroos to the list.

It was warm that day at the L.A. Zoo, but not a real scorcher like we can get in the middle of summer. Nevertheless, warmth and nothing much to do except look at tourists gets...tiring. So what's a reasonable 'Roo to do? Why, catch some 'zees' of course. Wouldn't you?
There are some advantages to being near the top of the food chain, having no serious predators in your home habitat or being in a decent zoo and that is the ability to totally relax and let your guard down. Humans, for the most part, are terribly spoiled in this regard. There was a time when all-night watches were posted to keep the small clans and family units safe. We tend to forget that these days as our watchers are more removed from us.

But they are there. Police patrols and firemen on ready alert are the most local of those defenses. The military is the more distant, but still critical protector. At least in this country. Some countries are not as fortunate.

Something to remember in the dog days and hot nights of summer as we try to relax and beat the heat. There are always watchers - sometimes for better or worse - but there are always watchers.

Life of Riley

2010-07-05T22:47:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite animals is the Koala. When I was very young a relative passed through Australia on the way to the States and bought my sister and me each a koala bear stuffed toy. The toy was unique in that is was a very realistic representation of the koala, not a stylized, cutesy version of one. Between that and the Qantas Airlines commercials with the grumpy spokesbear saying, "I haaate Qantas...," I fell in love with the beast.

The real creature is difficult to shoot. Fortunately the L.A. Zoo has the enclosure set up in a way that you at least have a prayer of seeing one. This is mainly because they live in Eucalyptus trees and sleep about 18 hours a day. That doesn't leave a lot of room for photogenic closeups.

I got lucky, sort of, this visit. The shot above is one of the better ones, although I did managed to get a few that I liked. Most, like the above, had branches blocking part of the body, or the Koala had its head down as it was napping. I did get a couple with eyes wide open, like this one, but overall this pose seemed the epitome of Koala behavior. We should all be so lucky.

I have a couple more zoo pictures to show then I'll get back to some airplanes. It's been too long without - I'm going through withdrawal!

Eye on the Sky

2010-06-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

Humans have given the meerkat a "cute" persona. It's not hard to see why. Intelligent-looking, playful and adept at sitting and standing upright (which tends to make people go "awww"), they are real crowd-pleasers at any zoo.

The reality is a bit different. Like most social animals there are pecking orders, infighting and intrigues within the community that makes Peyton Place look tame. But it is the upright stance that is the darker-tinged characteristic. Instead of the quizzical-looking gaze of a cuddly, carefree creature it is the alert watchfulness of the group's early warning system. Small, furry creatures make tasty meals for larger predators.

As if to drive this point home, while I was shooting portraits of this meerkat, a red-tailed hawk drifted overhead, buoyed by the thermals off the hills of Griffith Park. In short order the alarm was given and the colony scattered for cover in the nooks and crannies of their compound, emerging a short time later when the coast was clear.

Situational awarness wins again.

"Tyger! Tyger! Burning Bright..."

2010-06-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Immortalized by William Blake's poem, the tiger is one of the most beautiful creatures on Earth. Powerful, stealthy and fierce, tigers have been elevated to near mythological status by humans even as their physical existence is threatened by humans.

One of the more colorful of the big cats, tigers have inspired fantastical color schemes in military aircraft, especially during the special "Tiger Meet" air shows which are held annually for all units around the world who have the tiger as a part of their name or heraldry (more on Tiger Meets can be found at this link: http://www.natotigers.org/tigermeet/index.php ). Tiger-striped aircraft are some of the most sought-after images by slide collectors and airplane aficionados and can be incredible works of art.

This regal tiger seems perfectly unaware of the mystic surrounding him. I'm sure he'd be just as happy without all the people staring at him. But perhaps he's used to it by now. A good nap and a nice haunch to gnaw on will make it bearable, I'm sure.

I had to pull out the 75-300mm lens to get this shot. I think it turned out quite well.

Rhinoplasty

2010-06-26T00:20:00.001-07:00

I don't mean to be rude, but that is one sorry looking Rhino at the L.A. Zoo. In truth, Randa is probably lucky to be alive. A little research revealed she had cancer in her horn, which was removed. Hence the stump. In short, she had a real, honest-to-goodness Rhinoplasty.

All joking aside, cancer is no fun. Having seen several friends, co-workers and even family pets battle that disease both successfully and unsuccessfully, the thought of the subject makes the me wince. No, it is not fun at all.

But life goes on whether we like it or not, and so we do the best we can. Some days are especially tough, even for those of us not fighting cancer. By the end of the week it's easy to feel like she looks: tired, saggy and with our tongue hanging out.

On the other hand, she could be the poster child for a TGIF ad campaign. Indeed, that is a pose ripe for immortality, almost as good as the cat hanging by its front paws from a branch or the guy listening to the speakers and being blown away. That is definitely end-of-the-week weary, no doubt about it.

Maybe I should start a line of cards?

Third Wheel

2010-06-24T23:09:00.001-07:00

If we could project human emotions and responses on our ape cousins this image might well invoke the old adage, "Two's company; three's a crowd." At one time or another we've all felt like the odd-man out. It's not a comfortable feeling nor a happy one.

One wonders if this chimp is feeling similar emotions. The body language certainly leans in that direction. Then again, it just might be another boring day at the office as he watches the zoo visitors ogling him.

The romantic in me wants it to be the former. I know animals can feel jealousy and loss. Any pet owner can tell you that. But do they "feel" it on more than a primal level? That may seem like a bizarre question as many would equate emotions with the most basic and non-intellectual of functions, barely above instinct. But humans have the capacity to understand why they are feeling in that state. Do apes, chimps or cats?

Most of us can say "I feel hurt" and know why we hurt. We can rationalize it and talk ourselves out of a purely emotional response or we can immerse ourselves in our primal misery - our choice (assuming we are not clinically depressed or suffering from some mental disorder). Can they? Can a chimp say "I feel bad because my best buddy is grooming the most desirable female in the troop and they are both ignoring me" and jolly himself out of his funk? As much as I'd like to think so, I don't really know. And how would we ever find out for sure?

Watching the Watchers

2010-06-23T22:56:00.001-07:00

If the eyes are the windows into the soul, then the great apes can certainly make a claim to possessing one themselves. While it's easy to anthropomorphize the actions and looks of gorillas as they go about their day in full view of dozens of gawking humans, it is in their eyes that we see something closer to us than many care to admit. There is certainly awareness in those eyes. What do they think of us, I wonder, we who snap their pictures incessantly while our children bang on the windows of their enclosure with wild abandon? Suspicion? Contempt? Resignation? Do they perceive us as dangerous and uncontrollable, like many people see them?

I don't know; but they should.

Patterns in Motion

2010-06-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

The zebras were particularly lively that day at the L.A. Zoo. Something must have been up - hormones perhaps - but they were feisty and combative and anxious to exert dominance on each other. It was spring, after all, and a male's gotta do what a male always does: bully and show off.

Regardless, the constant milling and moving and nipping and butting produced some interesting images as stripes merged and parted in wild abandon. Getting tight in with the big lens really helped convey that sense of restlessness so evident that day.

I did get some nice overall shots of the zebras, which I may post another day, but I found the tight shots much more compelling in their abstraction. I'm hoping Tina finds something to inspire her as her last zebra picture was really, really good. You can find it on her blog posted on February 25, 2008.

Really pink flamingo

2010-06-20T23:19:00.001-07:00

Evie likes going to the zoo in Colorado Springs so we thought it would be nice to show her the L.A. zoo. It's been a while since I've been there, too. It seemed like a good opportunity to see how the digital and big lenses would work and to get good shots for me while getting nice reference material for Tina's art.

For some reason I've always liked flamingos. Not enough to put plastic ones in my yard, like Tina's sister Lin, but I do find them fascinating creatures. There is a large flock at the L.A. Zoo and in an obstruction-free zone within good range of the camera. This is one of my favorites. I will show more later, plus some really cool zebra shots.

This one is especially pink. I suspect it had something to do with the garish pink liquidy concoction they were feeding the birds. Probably like salmon they need some mineral or nutrient to turn them the "right" color. Ah, we are what we eat.

Doin' the Papyrus Poke

2010-06-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

To steal a line from Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that kids will gravitate to water like bees to honey when you don't want them to get wet, but will scream bloody murder and fight like the Dickens (pun intended) when it's time to take a bath.

The Huntington Library's Children's Garden is a virtual pot of honey. Fortunately Christie and Mike are well aware of its lure so they come with a change of cloths for Evie whenever we visit. This trip was no exception.

Do not be fooled by the delicate stance and the use of a Papyrus stalk to poke the fountain: Evie is thoroughly wet at this point and only got wetter. But she had a blast and that is the ultimate point, after all.

For those who have never been to the Huntington, it is well worth the time and money. It is one of those neat places where I always find something to photograph every time we go. More of those shots later.

And the formal tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room is the best around. It is a very civilized way to spend a beautiful afternoon. Between the art, the gardens, the food and the company, you can't go wrong.

Lend Me Your Ears

2010-06-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Another 5-generational tradition in our family is Disneyland. I was less than a year old when it opened. Some of my earliest memories are of visiting that new park. The spooky trees in the Snow White ride scared me. I loved the Jungle Cruise, and still do. I think I know most of the bad puns by heart.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, we started taking Christie to Disneyland when she was about two or three. She has loved the place ever since and has made it her mission to imbue that love into her own daughter.

It seems to be working. Evie is getting much better about the rides. The first time was very difficult. Last Christmas was better - she loved the teacups and carousels. This trip was the best so far. She actually let us take her on many of our favorite rides, but seemed to have an issue with the noise levels. She spent most of Buzz Lightyear and Pirates with her hands over her ears. She spent nearly all of the Jungle Cruise with her ears covered and crouched below the gunwales of the boat. She really didn't see much of anything on that ride, not even the backside of water.

But she did have a good time and Christie and she decided to celebrate by showing off their mouse ears. They make a lovely pair. Evie was so enamored of hers that she insisted on sleeping with them many times during their stay. Christie got a great shot of her curled up on her futon, one hand rubbing her bare tummy and clutching her stuffed sleepy bear while sucking on her other thumb - all the while wearing the ears. It was very cute.

A Righting of the Universe

2010-06-15T22:57:00.001-07:00

Well...that was a longer hiatus than I intended. As you may have guessed, life, as they say, happened. But in a good sense. The kids and granddaughter came out for a long visit and then we had several busy days after they left. Then San Diego beckoned when Yosemite fell through, so more days were spent enjoying life and away from the blog.

But we are back and full of new photos, so hopefully I'll have some time to post a few of them for your viewing pleasure.

One of the great things about watching kids grow up is introducing them to new adventures. Taking Evie to her first major league baseball game was one of them.

It was also a time to put the universe back in alignment - at least from my perspective. Christie posted a photo of Evie a while back showing her in a Red Sox tee shirt. Being a life-long Dodgers fan, that was a rude shock - although it could've been worse: it could've been a Giants or Yankees shirt!

Be that as it may, I vowed to get that girl a proper baseball shirt, namely an L.A. Dodgers one. I'm happy to say Mission Accomplished.

Of course, we'll see how long or how often she gets to wear it - clearly someone related to her in Colorado Springs is a Red Sox fan.

Actually, she'll end up wearing a Broncos jersey more than the Dodgers or Red Sox, or so I believe. Which is okay with me. As L.A. has no current pro football team she can root for the locals. But at least for one brief moment the torch has been passed. My grandfather used to listen to the Dodgers all the time, so I grew up with Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett on the radio every summer for years. My first attended Dodgers game was at Dodgers Stadium in 1962. I had just turned 8. Ironically, Don Drysdale beat the Milwaukee Braves 8-0. I remember it well.

And so I introduced Christie to Dodgers baseball when she was young and now I've passed the tradition on to Evie. In many ways, the line from Field of Dreams is so true: "The one constant through all the years...has been baseball." And so it has.

It's nice to keep some traditions alive.

And yes, the Dodgers won - 6-4 over the Detroit Tigers. Go Blue!

Classic ST-A

2010-05-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the last post, the PT-22 was derived from the Ryan ST-3KR, which itself was a derivative of the classic ST/ST-A. Designed by T. Claude Ryan in 1934, the ST (Sport Trainer) was a sleek, stylish airplane with an in-line, air-cooled engine. Five were built with the Menasco B-4 95 h.p. engine before it was uprated to a 125 h.p. C-4 in-line engine, also by Menasco. This version was called the ST-A (Sport Trainer - Aerobatic).

This particular subject was shot at the Sonoma Valley Airport, (also called "Schnellville) in 2000 while we were on a Northern California vacation with the kids around the time of their 1-year wedding anniversary. We were passing by and I saw a derelict Lockheed Harpoon in the field, so I had to stop. This was a time when you could actually go prowling around airports with a camera without people getting hysterical.

In any event, I happened across this gorgeous ST-A being repaired in a hangar. Apparently the owner of the Ryan was flying at an vintage aircraft fly-in and a piece of something broke off in the cockpit and got sucked out into the slipstream, where upon it punched a hole in the fabric-covered port horizontal elevator. It was in the process of being repaired when I found it.

The fellow working on the Ryan graciously allowed me inside the hangar to shoot the aircraft, which I did. As I've mentioned before, I love the look of polished natural metal. The above shot captures the quality of that look rather well.

The bottom photo also makes for a striking image with the sun highlighting the front of the aircraft, showing off the spats on the wheels and the elliptical nose cowling over the Menasco engine. For some reason this shot of the Ryan always strikes me as looking like an alien grasshopper emerging from the shadows. The bizarre creatures from that rather campy science-fiction movie "5 Millions Years to Earth," also known as "Quatermass and the Pit," always come to mind whenever I see this. Really, they do. I have no idea why.

It kind of makes you wonder how I would do on a Rorschach Test, doesn't it?

Classic PT

2010-05-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

Derived from the Ryan ST-3KR, the PT-22 was a classic pre-World War II primary trainer design. While not as sleek looking as the original Ryan ST and ST-A, those with their in-line Menasco engines and streamline pants and spats on the landing gear and wheels, the PT-22 still made for a very pretty image.

That was also a very colorful era for U.S. military aircraft, as this example shows. Some schemes in that time frame included a bright blue fuselage to go with the chrome yellow wings, or a deep Army green fuselage.

I happen to like polished metal as it provides ample opportunity for artsy reflections and close-ups, as seen below. Reflections are fun to shoot and the resulting abstractions make for some cool images, especially when attached to attractive 1930s "streamline moderne" designs. There is something about the sensuous curves and lines of the planes, trains and cars of the era that really appeals to me.

More on that later.

This PT-22 was shot at the 2010 March ARB open house.

Snow-Capped Talon

2010-05-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post how clear the air was that Saturday during the March ARB open house. This shot of a Whiteman AFB T-38A Talon proves it. The beautiful snow-capped San Bernardino Mountains loom in the distance behind Northrop's classically sleek and glossy-gray trainer.

Usually the smog from Los Angeles chokes the Inland Empire where March ARB sits and you can't see diddly but brown haze. But not that day. The angle is to the Northeast from the ramp at March, in Riverside, looking towards Big Bear and Mt. San Gorgonio.

I had a couple of adventures as a boy scout trying to climb San Gorgonio, which at 11,499 feet, is pretty tall if you're coming from near sea level in Redondo Beach, where I was living at the time. Unfortunately, both of them involved cramps and nausea, so I never actually made it to the top. The guys that did said it was pretty rugged. I'm just as glad I stopped at Dollar Lake.

That's one of the things I love about Southern California, though: you can surf in the ocean in the morning and two or three hours later ski at 8,000 feet or climb to 11,000 feet or more. Not that I ever surfed or skied, but you could if you wanted to. Regardless, that's a dramatic elevation change, equal to or greater than the one from Colorado Springs to the top of Pike's Peak. Of course, you're starting at about 6,500 feet at Colorado Springs, so that would make breathing at the top of Pike's Peak - at 14,115 feet - a bit interesting for us sea-level dwellers. Still, the elevation differential is greater here than in Colorado.

One of these days we'll have to go up to the top of Pike's Peak on the cog rail from Manitou Springs. It looks like fun.

DC-10 Fire-Bomber - The Big Stick

2010-05-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Wild fires are a fact of life in Southern California. With the expansion of homes and housing tracts into the hills and mountain areas around Los Angeles the threat to life and property is a seasonal worry.

One of the tools in the firefighter's arsenal is the aerial water tanker. For many years they were surplus World War II aircraft. Then it was 1950s and 1960s aircraft. Lately it has included specially built aircraft supplemented by modified helicopters.

The most intriguing recent development was the conversion of commercial jumbo jets to the fire fighting role. This is one of them, the Douglas DC-10 tri-jet. It is big, it is impressive and it can carry a heck of a lot of water. Plus it can make multiple drops in one mission before landing to refill its tanks.

The DC-10 made an appearance at this year's March ARB open house on May 1. The day was spectacularly clear and the sun angle was gorgeous. Watching a DC-10 that low and dropping that much water was simply awesome.

Reflections on a Knife

2010-04-29T22:40:00.001-07:00

One of the nice things about being employed full-time is I don't have to do photo jobs to make a living. Wedding photography is probably one of the most underestimated and difficult shoots in the profession. It's like herding cats by a factor of ten; large, unwieldy, sometimes boisterous and sometimes surly herds of really big cats made up of old and new relatives. Sometimes they even like each other.

I don't envy the folks that do weddings shoots. It's a lot of work. But I do like hovering on the fringes shooting what I think will make neat images as a supplement to the usual staple of photos the pros do - and are expected to do.

The above photo is a case in point. I was doing black and white photography for a friend's wedding. The woman above was one of the bridesmaids. The wedding party had been eating at the reception when the pro announced it was time to do some formal portraits outside at a fountain. Of course, it was time to fix the make-up and check the lipstick, but she had no mirror.

Necessity being the mother of invention, she used the blade of her dinner knife. I was seated a couple of tables away and noticed her primping by the blade and quickly snapped a couple of candid shots. This is the cropped image, which focuses the viewer's attention on the blade and lipstick. I thought it made a wonderfully humorous photo and is one of my favorites.

Red Bell

2010-04-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

A few degrees to the left of yesterday's image was a formation called "the Bell." The green vegetation is quite striking amid the red rock. Again, no cloud activity, but the bright blue sets off the Bell nicely. The sun angle was really nice at this time, too.

Sedona Whirlwind Visit

2010-04-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Phoenix a couple of weeks ago for a wedding. While there we took a day trip up to Sedona with Tina's sister, Lin, who had never been there before.

It was a very pleasant jaunt. I had not realized that day passes were required to stop in the Red Rock park areas nowadays, but they are. A quick look at the view made the decision to buy one easy.

We had not entered Sedona via hwy 179 before. It's a very easy route and the scenery was neat. This shot is from one of the viewing areas inside the passes required area. I'm actually standing in the parking lot. It would have been more spectacular with some cloud activity, but since this was a lightning strike sortie I'll take it.

Thunderbird Tweaker

2010-04-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

Nellis AFB is the home of the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team. While I've always felt the Navy Blue Angels were more exciting and a tighter team, there is no denying the Thunderbirds are excellent at what they do, too.

As with any high performance machine, the real heroes are the tweakers, fixers and maintainers - the unsung members of the ground crew.

Modern military aircraft are complex, and while maintenance shots are not as sexy as flybys and aerobatics, there is a certain beauty in that quiet science. This shot, taken during the 2010 ISAP visit to Nellis, captures the essence of that quality for me: a sleek and shiny F-16 tucked into a hanger, looking out into the bright light while being opened up for routine work, as if anticipating its next performance before a packed ramp of excited enthusiasts.

Even a machine could feel the energy of a crowd like that and look forward to the next showtime.

I Have You Now!

2010-04-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most colorful aircraft certainly in today's U.S. military are the CAG birds of the Navy. CAG stands for Commander Air Group. He is the boss man of the Carrier Air Wing, composed of the various squadrons embarked aboard a typical American aircraft carrier.

Since the standard battle colors of contemporary military aircraft are various shades of gray (or as one friend puts it, "yuck gray"), colorful aircraft are a rarity. Fortunately Navy rules allow each squadron to paint up two aircraft in CAG markings - ostensibly because its the airplane (and the spare) that the CAG gets to fly should he choose to do so (or is qualified to do so).

Regardless, the squadrons usually try to out-do each other, hence the very colorful, sometimes gaudy markings that are sought after by slide and image collectors.

This EA-6B Prowler of VAQ-209 is heading down the taxiway to the runway at Nellis AFB during the recent ISAP event there. Activated, or "stood up," in 1977, VAQ-209 is a reserve squadron that calls itself the "Star Warriors." Yes, that is Darth Vader's head adorning the vertical tail of the Prowler.

I have to admit to some mixed feelings about these markings. While a wonderful piece of graphic art, and while Darth Vader is an iconic American image, he is, after all, a bad guy. At least he was in Star Wars (yes, I know it's called A New Hope" now, but to me it'll always be just Star Wars) and in The Empire Strikes Back. It wasn't until The Return of the Jedi that he redeemed himself - which I never really bought dramatically.

Regardless, in his incarnation as Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker was the villain. Even more bluntly, he was evil personified! So why on Earth would clean-cut American aviators - the Good Guys - want to take as their squadron symbol something perceived as evil personified? On top of that he was the front man for the spread of an evil empire! Is that the message we want to spread?

I suppose in the business of war the psychological trumps questions like that. Various squadrons have the grim reaper as their mascot. Some have werewolves, some have Vikings and other fierce warriors while one famously has Felix the Cat. It's whatever makes your morale strong and melds you into a cohesive fighting unit. If Darth Vader's mask is too cool for words, then the symbolism behind it takes a back seat.

I just wonder what the other side thinks and if irony is lost in war?

Warthog Staredown

2010-03-31T23:06:00.000-07:00

The A-10 Thunderbolt II, aka the Warthog, is not long on beauty, but it's a pistol-packin' mama the ground-pounders love. The business end of the beast is the GAU-8 30mm cannon in the chin of the airplane. Like the proverbial iceberg, the majority of the 7-barrel rotating cannon's bulk is hidden in the body of the airplane. In truth the whole package, including ammo drum, is the size of an old Volkswagen Beetle.

This A-10 was shot at the 2010 ISAP visit to Nellis AFB. The plane is ready to taxi out to the runway after being cleared at the Last Chance station where all systems are given a final check and all Remove Before Flight pins and flags are pulled. The nose gear is off-set to one side while the cannon is shifted slightly to the other. This is so the firing of each barrel can be at the 9:00 position relative to the barrel's face, but located on the centerline of the aircraft. Centerline firing is important as having asymmetric recoil of that magnitude would not be a good thing.

Two other factoids, the GAU-8 fires ammunition containing a core of depleted Uranium which allows it to penetrate tank armor with devastating effect, and the rate of fire is 3,900 rounds per minute. Since the drum only holds 1,075 rounds, short bursts are necessary.

There is a story of an A-10 shooting down an Iraqi helicopter with its gun during Operation Desert Storm. Since air-to-air kills are rare for most strike aircraft, especially an A-10, the pilot must have gotten excited and unloaded a longer than normal burst on the chopper. It literally shredded the vehicle into lots of little, tiny pieces of metal. Ouch.

Raptor Heat

2010-03-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

It was very interesting watching the F-22s take-off from Nellis AFB during the recent ISAP visit to the base. This, of course, was in the midst of the recent Red Flag exercises. To begin with, we had no restrictions from shooting the airplanes on the ramp, taxi way, last chance or End of Runway (EOR). That meant we could take pictures from the rear quarter, which is unusual. They get very twitchy about that at Edwards AFB.

Secondly, the Edwards take-offs we've seen involves the use of afterburner. This is because it's usually during an Open House and they want to do a maximum performance routine to wow the crowd. Plus, it's a lot more spectacular than a standard, non-afterburner take-off. The two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines put out 35,000 lbs thrust each in afterburner, but only 23,500 each without, so there is a big difference.

In any event, the Nellis launches were without afterburner. The result was predictably not as impressive (no flame out the nozzles) nor as loud, but it was impressive and loud enough. The angle above did provide a nice visual with the hot exhaust gases blurring the Nellis tower in shimmering ripples of heat. Note also the narrowing of the nozzle lips to constrict the opening to create more thrust. Ah, physics; 'ya gotta love it!

Raptor Eye

2010-03-25T22:01:00.001-07:00

The Head's Up Display (HUD) is a staple of modern fighter aircraft. Designed so a pilot can monitor instruments, flight conditions and targeting solutions while keeping his eyes outside of the cockpit is a major element in maintaining what is called "situational awareness," e.g. knowing what's going on around you and your wingman.

The HUD projects all the important data onto a flat pane of glass with a ghostly green light. Seen on the F-22 above, it is quite visible in daylight. What I like about this shot is that it reminds me of a Cylon from the original "Battlestar Galactica" tv series, except the eye beam is green instead of red. I can almost hear the plane say, "by your command!"

The mood is enhanced by the tight shot on the canopy. The plane really looks otherworldly at this point.

The shot was taken during the recent ISAP convention outing to Nellis AFB and the Red Flag exercise in operation at the time.

Talon Roost

2010-03-24T23:22:00.001-07:00

We're slowly but surely getting the new computer up to speed. I finally managed to get the email contacts and folders transferred over, along with my Firefox favorites. Life is getting better.

I shot this T-38 in the (relatively) new sunshades at Edwards AFB during the recent ISAP convention. Normally I don't like sunshades because aircraft look better in sunlight. But I can certainly understand the desire of the maintenance crews to avoid working in the hot sun of the high desert.

So, like photographers the world over, you make do. Or as one person said, if life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

There is an interesting quality to the light and reflections in the series of photos I did that day. Even the shades themselves produce interesting patterns and shapes that add texture to the images. But it seems to work better in tight shots like this. While not the best for documentary work, they do give the creative juices a stir. All in all, it was fun and worthwhile.

Down Unna Hornet Burn

2010-03-13T00:07:00.000-08:00

So much for increased regularity. The computers are still temperamental and not talking to each other well. We'll need to call the geek out again. Oh, well....

At least I have my airplanes. The neat thing about a Red Flag is the opportunity to shoot foreign air forces on U.S. soil. Not just the occasional one or two that may pop up at a local open house, but a squadron's strength worth of airplanes. In this case airplanes from three RAAF squadrons were mixed together to form the travel unit. This one has just lit his afterburner (reheat in British parlance) and is starting his take-off roll. It was another "Aaaaahhh!" moment at the Nellis EOR.

I love the smell of JP-5 in the morning...it smells like - airplanes!

Red Flag Eagle

2010-03-08T22:22:00.001-08:00

Well, that was a long haitus. Sorry about that, but we got a new computer and the connectivity issues between the old machine and the new were many and are not quite resolved yet...but we're getting there. Add to that my five days in Las Vegas for the International Society of Aviation Photography convention and I'm really behind in posting. But the good thing is I have lots of new airplane photos, of which I'll be posting several over the next few days - I hope. The computer geek comes by tomorrow to finish the job - again, I hope - so I should be good to go after that.

Regardless, this is a shot of a 65th Aggressor Squadron F-15 Eagle in a beautiful sand and brown camouflage. I normally don't get that excited about Eagles, but this scheme and the blue one worn by the 65th birds look so cool!

Yes, we got to shoot a Red Flag as part of the convention. As I've mentioned before, a Flag encompasses the most intense action outside of an actual war zone. The Aggressors, including the Eagle here, were getting ready to launch during the exercise, along with the multitudes of Blue Forces that would fly against them. It was almost a solid two hours of choreographed movement punctuated by fire and thunder. Yes, it was heaven.

Like Mother, Like Son

2010-02-16T22:33:00.001-08:00

Continuing down the road of retrospection, I scanned this image of my mother when she was six years old. She and her family had just moved to California from the Dust Bowl stricken state of Oklahoma. Yes, my mother was an Okie, and she and her brothers got a good deal of grief about it from school bullies. Okies were seen as less than desirable in those days, to put it mildly.

I once mentioned some of my early childhood photos reminded me of a Dust Bowl refugee. Here's the proof below. Except for the houses in the background and the new wagon, it could be back in the 1930s.
Which brings up an interesting observation: The images of kids from the 1920s through the 1950s don't seem to show that much change in appearance, at least in my mind. But I feel that the changes between what I looked like and what Christie looked like are quite a bit different; and I suspect it's not an isolated instance. The amount of personal wealth in middle-class America changed dramatically in those two decades. The change in the subsequent two or three decades - from Christie's childhood to Evie's - is just as remarkable, too. The advent of computers, ipods and iphones had radically changed what childhood is like. Expectations of what is a "normal" childhood nowadays makes me feel positively quaint and antidiluvian when peering at photos of my own past.

Who would've thought the world would change so much; and how much more different will it be when Evie has kids? It really is a brave, new world.

Comparisons - Part 2

2010-02-12T23:21:00.001-08:00

It seems to be a universal truth that parents find Mohawk hairstyles cute on their kids. After all, there's not all that much one can do with short, baby-fine hair. Plus it is a time honored way of getting really good blackmail pictures to keep unruly teens in line or embarrass them in front of their dates. Whatever the impetus, it keeps recurring down through the generations.

The photo above was taken of me back in early 1955. Mom seems pleased with her bouncing baby boy, but I don't look particularly happy in that shot. I probably saw my reflection in the mirror and was horrified by the hair style that graced my dome.

But of course, I blithely helped perpetuate the injustice in 1975 on my poor, unsuspecting daughter, below. Christie was probably a couple of months older than I was in the first photo. She was a very happy baby, too, as can be seen here. Actually, her mother loved the Kewpie-doll hair more that I did, but I have to confess, Christie was pretty darn cute in it.

And now we come to 2007 and a new generation of incriminating photos. Christie decided Evie needed to try the style out in turn. Unfortunately, she looks like a punk rocker more than a Kewpie Doll - and not at all convinced this was a very good idea. Still, you gotta love it. I'm looking forward to seeing my next grandchild sporting a Mohawk, at least for a picture or two.

Angela's Flight

2010-02-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

As pretty as the B-17 looks on the ground, she appears even more graceful in the air. In her prime, the tail wheel would be retracted, making her sleeker still. Rugged, dependable, forgiving, the Flying Fortress became synonymous with American air power over World War II Europe - much to the chagrin of B-24 Liberator crews, as the Fortress overshadowed their considerable contributions to the war effort.

Nevertheless, it was the B-17 that captured the imagination of the press and public. When the T.V. series Twelve O'clock High came out it cemented that hold on me as well.

I remember quite well being entranced by all the combat footage the show used as stock scene filler. Being all of 10 years old when it first aired (it ran from 1964 to mid-season 1967 when it was canceled) I wanted desperately to see all the airplanes in color, not knowing that much of the original combat footage was shot in black and white and tinted blue-ish in later seasons (the show was in black and white its first season).

Regardless, when we got our first color T.V. (1966, I think), I eagerly awaited the show that week so I could watch the B-17s in glorious color. I was utterly disappointed when the first episode shown was the one where Col Gallagher flies his silver P-51 on a mission and gets shot down over France. He then spends the next hour evading capture while finding his way back to England. No B-17s...no combat footage...just ersatz Southern California countryside and studio shots standing in for France. *Sigh*

It's amazing how impatient pre-teens can be. I thought the next week's episode would never come. Despite the tinted stock footage, the live shots with "Piccadilly Lily" were in color and I did enjoy that immensely.

I might consider buying the series on DVD, but I'm not ready to drop $260.00 for the complete set when I'm not sure it would hold up on adult viewing. Perhaps I should view it again on the Internet and decide what to do then....

I shot "Miss Angela" in flight over the Hawthorne Air Faire in August 2005.

Miss Angela

2010-02-06T00:56:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, along with Betty Grable, the classic nose art icons of World War II came from Alberto Vargas and his Esquire Magazine collection of pinups called "Varga Girls." The art on this B-17G "Miss Angela" is one of the most famous and reproduced of those images, the flying girl with the Star and Bar on her billowing lingerie. Richard Branson still uses this image on his fleet of Virgin Atlantic aircraft. A variation appears on Virgin Galactic vehicles, including White Knight Two.

There used to be a gallery in San Francisco that specialized in Vargas prints and originals. I saw this particular piece for sale there. Unfortunately it was too expensive for us to even consider buying. I've regretted that somewhat ever since, but there are some things you can't do no matter how much you want it.

I still think of it, though. At least I got to see it in person. That will have to suffice.

Betty Grable Legs

2010-02-02T23:26:00.001-08:00

This is a better shot of the Betty Grable nose art on Sentimental Journey from the other side of the B-17. Between Betty and the Vargas girls from Esquire Magazine, the metal canvases of American warplanes had a plethora of beauties to base their art upon.

With this pose, Betty Grable came to symbolize the idealized woman of the 1940s for many American men, at least as far as pin-ups and cheesecake were concerned. Another Bettie, Bettie Page, became an icon of the 1950s, along with Marilyn Monroe. Indeed, each decade produces its own visions of beauty, shaping the attitude of that generation.

But it was Betty Grable who became immortalized in a time of world war. Service to one's country comes in many ways; keeping up the morale of lonely young men in harm's way is one of them. All in all, it's not a bad way to be remembered.

Sentimental Journey

2010-01-31T23:39:00.000-08:00

For those of you who weren't fans of "Twelve O'clock High," either the T.V. series or the movie, and have no idea what a Boeing B-17 looks like, here it is. The "G" model was the last mass produced version of the Flying Fortress. You can see the chin, belly and top gun turrets quite easily. It also had a tail gun position, plus two waist gun positions and two cheek gun installations. Some also had another gun sticking up from the radioman's position aft of the top turret where the dorsal spine fairs into the fuselage. All in all the later versions of the airplane carried thirteen .50 caliber machine guns.

And it still wasn't enough, even when flying in large formations with other B-17s covering you. German fighter pilots were bold and daring and the toll they took on our planes and crews was immense. Some raids in late 1943 saw 50 to 60 or more bombers lost out of the attacking force per raid, losses that approached 20% per mission. Considering each B-17 and B-24 carried a crew of 10, the crew attrition was tremendous as well. And this didn't include the damaged planes with killed or wounded crews that made it back to their bases in Britain. It wasn't until U.S. fighters started escorting bombers throughout the entire mission profile that our losses came down to an "acceptable" level. We really have no idea what casualties are these days.

I don't know if that American generation was the "greatest" of all, but they certainly can make a valid claim to it in my book - right next to the generation that fought the Civil War.

Old Shakey III

2010-01-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

The C-17 Globemaster III is a surprisingly agile beast for something so big. When it does a tight circling take-off or landing, tactics utilized in areas with MANPADS (MAN-Portable Air-Defense Systems) threats, you wonder at how it manages to stay in the air. But it does so quite well, which makes for an impressive aerial and ground display. It's short-field landing capability and the fact it can back up using engine thrust-reversal are both show-stopping performances.

The name itself is from a long line of Douglas / McDonnell Douglas / Boeing military transports. From the C-74 Globemaster to the C-124 Globemaster II to the C-17 Globemaster III, the three types from the various iterations of the company have provided the U.S. Air Force with a large percentage of its heavy lift transports for over 60 years.

But along with the name comes the nickname: Old Shakey - so applied because the C-74 and especially the C-124 rattled and shook with great abandon while in flight. But they held together and flew for many years in front line service. Reportedly the C-17 exhibited some of the same characteristics early in it's test flight and operational career, although some tweaks have apparently lessened the shake. But the nickname remains.

And you thought genetics only applied to living organisms....

This shot was taken at last October's Edwards AFB open house.

Betty Grable Eyes

2010-01-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up my favorite airplane was the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. I don't know if it was because it was bristling with turrets and guns, but the plane captured my imagination. The TV show "Twelve O'Clock High," based on the outstanding movie of the same name, probably helped foster that enthusiasm as I watched it religiously.

That period of youthful romanticizing of aerial exploits was soon replaced by the hard realization of the horrors of war at 30,000 feet in freezing temperatures, black flak and deadly fighters. The documentary "The World at War," with its shocking German gun camera footage of our planes and men being shot down forever changed my perception of war. It's easy to score kills against machines; it's harder when you figure out people are inside them, no matter how necessary it seems at the time. But, as Robert E. Lee once said, "it is good war is so terrible, lest we become too fond of it."

Despite that, aircraft of all types, but especially warplanes, exert a pull on me that I can't explain. They have been a vocation and an avocation my whole life and I'm pleased and proud to be a part of the industry, despite it's flaws and shortcomings.

The bottom line for me has always been the machines. The B-17 remains a favorite, though not my absolute favorite anymore, to this day. This example, a B-17G in it's gleaming, polished natural metal finish, sports a wonderful piece of nose art of the legendary Betty Grable - she of the million dollar legs.

Nose art was especially prevalent among American aircrews and one could spend a lifetime collection images of that genre. Young men being what they are, women in various stages of dress and undress are well represented.

Peacetime nose art is less risque as the generals exert more influence over their commands and try to contain the excesses of youthful exuberance so as not to embarrass the service. But when in a war zone, all checks are usually removed as it is seen as a morale booster for the guys putting their lives on the line. With the advent of female combat pilots and crews, I'm waiting to see if beefcake joins cheesecake on the nose of warplanes. I'm not aware of any so far, but it's only fair and probably only a matter of time. C'est la guerre.

I shot "Sentimental Journey" last October at the 2009 Edwards AFB open house.

Riding on a Comet

2010-01-24T22:39:00.001-08:00

I'm going through withdrawal...it's time for another airplane picture again.

This is one of the first aviation photos I ever took. It was Saturday, 14 February 1965 and this B.O.A.C. (British Overseas Airways Corp) De Havilland Comet 4 flew us from Hong Kong to Singapore and then on to Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now Malaysia).

I was 10 years old and my sister and I were on at trip with my uncle to see our Chinese grandfather, who was seriously ill in Malaya. It was my first plane trip, my first (and so far only) overseas trip to a foreign country and my first trip to a non-Western-looking culture - at least parts of it were non-Western looking. And it was my first use of a camera. My mother showed me how to use a Kodak Brownie Box Camera just days before we left.

How do I know the exact date? As part of my being allowed to take three weeks off from school, I was required to keep a journal and to make notes of the differences between life in the United States and of that in Malaya and Singapore. I still have that journal and it makes for some interesting reading today - considering it was written by a reluctant 10 year old.

I did manage to note the registration numbers on the first two airplanes we flew on: 817 and "1." I later extrapolated those to Pan American N817PA and N801PA, both Douglas DC-8 jetliners. Ironically I was sure one of them was a Boeing 707, but it did not prove to be so.

I did manage to note the BOAC aircraft, but not by name. I was quite shocked to discover much later I had ridden on a Comet. Wow!

I also remarked on the Malaysian Airlines plane we flew on a few days later. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I drew a picture of it in my journal. Later I was able to determine that the twin-engined, shoulder-high winged airplane was a Fairchild-Fokker F-27, another nice surprise.

The Cathay Pacific jet was just mention by company name; my only guess is was either a Convair CV-880 or CV-990, even though at the time I thought it was a Boeing 707, like I thought the DC-8s were. Later research showed that the Cathay Pacific jet was more likely one of the Convairs. Both were in service at the time, so it's a reasonable guess it was one of those.

If, by some miracle I managed to get a 707 on one of the return legs, either from Hong Kong to Tokyo or Tokyo to Honolulu or Honolulu to L.A., then I would have pulled off the neat feat of riding each of the four major Western overseas jet transports types of the era! Unfortunately that's not certain, but it's nice to fantasize about.

Comparisons - Part 1

2010-01-21T22:08:00.001-08:00

The sense of Deja' Vu that I mentioned previously is heightened by the inevitable pull of genetics. There is a reason I feel as if I've been there, done that before. The natural comparisons between parent and child are more magical for me now as a grandparent because I can see the lines and appreciate them more than when I was a child or a parent myself.

I keep telling Mike that Evie looks so much like Christie at about the same age. While I've shown that previously, it is interesting to follow Evie's growth to see how much she remains in that image. At certain angles I see Mike's traits, but more often than not I see Christie's, probably because I'm more attuned to her features and more willing to see them in Evie. But I don't think it's all wishful thinking - the resemblance is unnerving at times.

The shot below of Christie was taken at about the same age as Evie in the top photo this past December. It's there, and I continue to marvel at it.

On the other hand, I'm seeing a departure from what I looked like. I do see flashes of me in Evie occasionally, but they are becoming less apparent to me the older she gets. She is definitely her mother's child, and her daddy's as well. Grampa's traits are starting to fade rapidly, but not unhappily so.

The photo below is of me at about the same age as Evie, perhaps a couple of months older. Maybe it's the black and white photo combined with the costume, but I look more Asian in this shot than I think I've ever looked before or since. I wonder if that trend made my dad sad? He was the parent, after all, and not the grandparent.

That is Dorlinda beside me. Didn't we clean up well? It's especially interesting when compared to some of the other photos of me from that age where I look like a refugee from the 1930s Dust Bowl. I'll post those sometime later.

Deja' Vu Dancing

2010-01-19T22:46:00.001-08:00

There is a tremendous joy in playing with small children or grandchildren. When they are happy and giggly, the world just blurs away. Mike or Christie (probably Mike) shot these two pictures of me playing with Evie during their recent visit. It almost looks like we were dancing, and in fact, we may have been imitating some of the moves.

Lest you think I'm getting too carried away, I do realize that this is indeed a common pose taken by parents and grandparents. It's just a natural act given the exuberance of kids. But it doesn't stop me from getting that old deja' vu feeling, all over again. Christie had it, too, but from a more interesting perspective. Whereas I remember holding Christie just like I was holding Evie, Christie remembered herself being in Evie's place.

Again, this is standard behavior in countless families world-wide. What is less common is to have similar photos taken generations apart. I remembered the shot below, snapped by my dad or step-mother, at a Chinese restaurant in L.A.'s Chinatown district. Christie was probably about four or five at the time, just a year or two older than Evie is now. Ironically, all of us were right across the street from that restaurant a couple of weeks ago having Dim Sum at the Empress Pavilion. How's that for coincidence? Regardless, the similarity between the three photos is enough to give me goosebumps. But then again, I'm a sentimental kind of guy, so you get what you pay for.

Austere Bridge - Huntington Library

2010-01-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

I thought this made a nice image. The bare winter branches of the tree next to the sun-bleached wood of the bridge in the Japanese garden at the Huntington Library was just too striking to pass up. I love the contrasts. I'll have to see how it looks as a black and white image.

Huntington vines

2010-01-13T23:28:00.000-08:00

We were walking to the Rose Tea Room for tea at the Huntington Library and gardens when we passed the arbor where the grape vines entwine the arch. The leaves looked so beautiful with the sunlight glowing through them. I'm hoping Tina gets inspired and makes a painting from these images.