Posted on by Anne Sandler · 32 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #215: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Memories, looking back at past trips and the fun they were. John is encouraging us to do just that, including how we got there.

When the kids were young we camped. We started with a small truck and camper, then graduated to a larger camper, then an 18′ trailer and then this 31′ 5th wheel.

This 5th wheel morphed us from camping to RVing. My most pleasant memories are of our travels in a small camper, cot set up for the baby over the dinette, the older kids out in tents, and totally enjoying a shower when one was available. RVing came when we were empty nesters. I will admit having the ability to shower whenever, having a full kitchen and not having to climb up into bed had it’s advantages. This trailer took us across the U.S. and many other places. I enjoyed the freedom RVing offered. Now we have an 18′ trailer that Richard uses for his astronomy trips.

Planes. In 1959 my mom and I traveled from NYC to LA, non-stop, on a prop ( Not sure if it was a prop jet?) plane in just 5 1/2 hours! (We were seated on the wing and as a teen, I watched the propellers.) But remember, we’ve made progress with our jet aircraft. It now takes maybe 12 hours to get across the U.S.! Sorry, just had to gripe!!

The most memorable plane trip was in 2014. It was the first plane trip for my younger set of grandkids. We were on our way to Disney World in Orlando with them and my son and daughter-in-law. It was great to experience the trip through the wonderment of their young eyes.

It was also their first trip to a Disney park. We had them by ourselves for a day. They are now 14 and 12 years old.

One type of transportation John left out of his title are ships. When I got my first camera, we took a cruise to Mexico with our friends, Sandy and Ken, on the Carnival line. Talk about a photo wonderland. That ship was so glitzy and I had so much fun.

A bonus to this cruise was spotting the Queen Mary, now a tourist attraction and hotel, docked nearby. What a great ship with an amazing history.

In less than 2 weeks, I’ll be joining my friends again for a New England Cruise. Richard has chosen to stay home, so I’ll be bunking with Sandy’s sister Peg. I can’t wait. I haven’t been away since 2014.

Thanks John for this trip down memory lane. Sometimes I think those are the best trips because we can keep reliving them over and over. When you respond to John’s post remember to link to his and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Also thanks for sharing all your favorite finds with us. It’s always fun to see other’s treasures. Next week Sofia will be presenting the challenge, so look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 19 Comments

Another early morning outing: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

I was out lensed as usual. Laura and I went for a tour around the Yolo
Bypass Wildlife Area before it got too hot for us and the birds. Laura is a
great nature photographer and uses a zoom that extends to 600 mm lens. I use my
trusty 300 mm lens. You can understand what I mean by out lensed! But, we have
great fun and lots of laughs. I’m happy when a bird is spotted close enough for
me to get a good picture.

This big bird did get close enough; almost too close. We couldn’t figure out what he was doing since he wasn’t spraying crops. I just kept thinking of Sesame Street’s Big Bird. That’s what happens when you’ve raised kids!

This Great Blue Heron was just about close enough for me. He was still and watching his prey.

 

The Great Egret is easy to spot!

The Mourning Dove was posing for us.

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Here are some non-wildlife images I was able to capture.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

Almost escaping the heat: The California Aerospace Museum

It’s not going to be a pleasant summer here in California. We’ve had more triple digit days in June than I remember during the entire summer in past years. So, we went to another museum. I’ve posted images from the Aerospace Museum of California before, but the exhibits change. I’m hoping I won’t be repetitive.

Our Tuesday group got there when the museum opened at 10 a.m., giving us an hour outside before the heat drove us inside. I did a lot of HDR outside in the planes and was happy with the results. Inside proved to be more of a challenge. I took the camera off the tripod and tried close ups and long angles.

Most of the planes are from the WWII and Vietnam wars. Although the docents are wonderful with their knowledge, I was busy shooting what I could before the heat became unbearable. Inside is mostly engines and smaller planes. Some of these planes are on loan and will be rotated with others as they come in.

It was a fun morning and somewhat challenging in the heat.