Yoda Fountain
The Yoda Fountain outside the Lucas Film Building in The Presidio, San Francisco
Images
The National Parks Service turns 100 years old today. National Parks are one of America’s great ideas. Preserving our natural treasures in perpetuity as publicly owned parks was a brilliant and revolutionary idea in the late 1800s and it changed the world. Countries all the world have adopted the concept and in doing so have created an amazing legacy for future generations.
I treasure the time I’ve been fortunate enough to spend in our National Parks. A huge thank you to all the members of the National Park Service. They take care of our parks. It’s a vocation that people choose because of their love and reverence for the parks and we all owe you a debt gratitude for your hard work and dedication to our parks.
Happy 100th Birthday National Parks Service!
Here’s another image of the Lockheed 10-E Electra at the Museum of Flight. I’m a huge fan of the design of this aircraft.
Lockheed Model 10-E Electra Redux
This Lockheed 10-E Electra was my favorite aircraft at the Museum of Flight. Its gleaming metal radiates the glamor of the early days of aviation. The pilots from that era were larger-than-life heroes who were constantly achieving new firsts. Aviation has tremendously matured from those early days. Twenty years after the 10-E was the jet age where the jet-setting passengers became glamorous. Today, air travel is safe, cheap and mundane but no modern airplane is as beautiful as an Electra. Today’s king of skies of is the A380 which may be a technological marvel but looks ugly and ungainly.
Lockheed Model 10-E Electra, Museum of Flight
On our way back to the airport from the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, we made a quick stop at Kerry Park to see the Seattle skyline. Kerry Park has a fantastic view of the Space Needle and rest of the downtown skyline.
Seattle Skyline
I took my new lens out to the Palo Alto Baylands to try it out and my favorite image was this duck, which I think is a female Northern Pintail. I was unpleasantly surprised about the number of mosquitos who were more than happy to turn me into their next meal. Next time I will bring insect repellant.
Duck at Palo Alto Baylands
Every winter mustard plants sprout up in the vineyards in Napa Valley.
Silverado Trail Mustard
Another image created on my new year’s day excursion to the coast. For me, this image captures the feel the winter on the coast: cloudy, cold and shrouded in veil of mystery.