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World War II Pinup Nose Art
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World War II Pinup Nose Art

This is my fourth post for the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge. Hopefully this offends nobody, but it’s a historical reflection of attitudes regarding wartime nose art about 70 years ago.

Thanks to Terri at Perspectives On… for nominating me for this challenge. I had been planning to try some photo challenge blogging events recently, but hadn’t quite to started yet so this little nudge helps.

It has pleasantly surprised me that I have received responses for all my challenge invitations. Julia at Julia’s Odyssey accepted my challenge in my Day One post on Lake Texas Water Levels. Elizabeth at Tea and Paper accepted my Day Two challenge in my post on SXSW @ The Dogwood. Yesterday, Kay at Sky Blue Daze responded to my invitation in my post on Becker Vineyards – Feb; she said her participation would be later since she’s going on vacation where there is no internet for blogging access.

Hal Olsen

Hal Olsen was the last World War II Nose Artist who lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is my wife’s first cousin once removed – the son of her maternal grandfather’s brother (or her mother’s uncle’s son). He was a U.S. Navy aviation mechanic for autopilots who also worked at Los Alamos National Lab as an artist for official bomb designs.

He painted over 100 nose art pin-up ladies on various planes in the Pacific Theater of Operations during his stint with the US Navy during World War II on Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, now a U.S. territorial commonwealth. He charged $50 per painting and it because so popular that he made enough money for a honeymoon when he got married, as well as paying for art school. He was doing about two a day during the period from June – August 1945 (right around the time that I was born).

He painted his nose art on over 100 PB4Y-1 (Navy version of B-24) and B-29 Superfortress bombers while stationed on Tinian island; they appeared in the first color issue of the National Geographic magazine. Some of his most famous paintings were on the Enola Gay and Bochscar, which were the B-29 bombers involved in the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 that ended the war six days later after the Japanese surrendered. The final painting he made was Enola Gay because the Air Force “wanted her done right”. He had also painted a B-29 bomber named “Up-an-Atom” that became the title of his book.

Up an’ Atom

Up an' Atom by Hal_Olsen - Amazon book cover

My oldest son wanted Hal’s book “Up an’ Atom” (2012) for Christmas. It’s an autobiography which covers the golden age of nose art in World War. We had Hal autograph it for him. There was no color film at that time, so photos were black and white. However, the fifteen best photos were recreated on canvas for the book. Although he painted most of the women in the nude, he requested that they be modified and clothed for inclusion in the book. The originals can be seen in their original state at the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Airpower Museum in Midland, Texas.

You can find his Up an’ Atom book at the Amazon web  site.

Portraits of War

The Portraits of War Wordpress blog shows several autographed photos that Hal sent to Brennan Gauthier for his WWII Nose Art – Hal Olsen, the Last Living WWII Nose Artist post, including Lady Luck II, Green Cherries, Accentuate the Positive, and Gear Down.

Also, there is an interesting picture of him painting one of the planes, as well as a brief description in the index of nose artists at the US Army Air Force (USAAF) Nose Art Research Project web site.

Commemorative Air Force

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) was founded to acquire, restore and preserve in flying condition a complete collection of combat aircraft which were flown by all military services of the United States, and selected aircraft of other nations, for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations of Americans. More than just a collection of airworthy warplanes from the past, the CAF’s fleet of historic aircraft, known as the CAF Ghost Squadron, recreate, remind and reinforce the lessons learned from the defining moments in American military aviation history. It now contains over 160 aircraft.

CAF Airpower Museum

The CAF Airpower Museum, formerly American Airpower Heritage Museum, at the Commemorative Air Force headquarters is located at 9600 Wright Drive in Midland, Texas. Besides restoring and preserving World War II-era combat airplanes, it’s preserving the complete history of World War II military aviation and the memory of the men and women who built, serviced and flew the historic military aircraft of World War II. It is recognized for its collection of authentic World War II artifacts and memorabilia including uniforms of Allied and Axis countries, armament, photographs, weapons, and equipment. It is affiliated with the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

Its exhibits tell the complete story of World War II military aviation, from the prelude of World War II to the Atomic Bomb. The exhibits cover the war in the Pacific, strategic bombing, D-Day, and the atomic age. They also feature the American Combat Airman Hall of Fame, 507th Fighter Group gallery, and Nose Art Gallery..

Here’s a very brief video overview of the CAF Airpower Museum.

“CAF Airpower Museum – Overview” – 1 min 48 sec

Nose Art Gallery

The Aviation Nose Art Gallery is the largest collection in the world, recognized by the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It includes 34 very rare original Nose Art panels that represent the artistic expressions of young men at war. They cut the panels from fuselages of World War II aircraft as they were being scrapped after the war.

Easy Maid is easily one of the most recognizable pieces in the collection and was painted by the world’s last nose art artist, Hal Olsen.

Hear Hal’s story of how and why he painted this and many other Nose Art images during World War II.

CAF Airpower Museum – Hal Olsen (2013) – 2 min

Easy Maid

The Save the Girls project website was established to preserve, restore, and display the world’s largest collection of World War II aircraft nose art.

Hal’s Easy Maid image on a PB4Y-1 Navy bomber is included in the Nose Art Gallery. Click on the thumbnail for background information or the larger image.

Summary

He’s a very nice, talented guy, and I wanted to share his unique story. We have several watercolor paintings hanging on walls in our house that he graciously gave us (not nose art nudes, but landscape and beach scenes). I hope you found this interesting and liked the photos and information about nose art.

The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge rules require you to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or simply a brief paragraph—it’s entirely up to you.

Then each day, nominate another blogger to carry on this challenge. Accepting the challenge is entirely up to the person nominated, it is not a command. And actually everyone can join in, and you can too if you like the idea.

I would like to invite Sandi at Sappy as a Tree to join the party. I have known her since Blogging 101 and Photography 101, and she has been a frequent commenter on my blog. I’ve enjoyed following her blog, and she follows me as well. Although not as active, I thought she might be a good candidate to join this challenge, anyway. As mentioned before, it is totally up to you to accept this challenge.

Becker Vineyards – Feb
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Becker Vineyards – Feb

This is my third post for the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge.

Thanks to Terri at Perspectives On… for nominating me for this challenge. I had been planning to try some photo challenge blogging events recently, but hadn’t quite to started yet so this little nudge helps. Julia at Julia’s Odyssey accepted my challenge in my Day One post on Lake Texas Water Levels. Yesterday, Elizabeth at Tea and Paper also responded to my Day Two challenge from my post on SXSW @ The Dogwood.

In February, we picked up our wine club package from Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, Texas. We get 3 bottles quarterly in February, May, September, and December. This time it contained a Zinfindel, “Inverno” (Merlot/Cabernet), and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.

We also enjoyed a free wine tasting with Chenin Blanc, Prairie Rotie, Malbec Reserve, Tempranillo Reserve, Raven, and Zinfandel, as well as a complimentary Merlot Reserve. These pickup parties include live music as well as snacks such as crackers, cheeses, meatball in marinara, green olives, black olive bread chunks, nuts, etc.

There was also handmade chocolate truffles and barks from Delysia Chocolatier in Austin, as well as nuts from Al’s Gourmet Nuts in San Antonio. I had a free sample of the Raspberry Chocolate Truffle, and there were lots more available to purchase.

Out trip down to the Fredericksburg area is always pleasant. It’s so nice to take drives out in the hill country, and we usually enjoy getting German food at one of the many restaurants in Fredericksburg too.

It’s interesting that in February there are skunks splattered all of the highways which have been hit by cars (and you can smell them too). Apparently, it’s their mating season and coming out at night on 70 mph roads ends their search for a mate rather quickly. Also, you often see the large turkey vultures scavenging for the dead animals like skunks (or deer).

I captured several photos during out visit. There is building with all the windows on the side which houses the barrel room where they sometimes also have had tastings. However this year they have it in the main tasting room of the main building, where I have some inside shots (but didn’t get the outside). They have a lavender farm behind the winery where they have a Lavender Festival every year in May. You can see lots of lavender products displays on the wall near the tasting bar.

Out in front of the veranda and patio there is a cute old small house that once was used for guests to stay (but not any longer). There is interesting tall windmill right near there too. There are also photos of the package, bottles, and wine club newsletter descriptions below., including a windmill, House, Tasting Room, and Goodies.

It was a fun day, and I their wine is very good. I also hope you liked the photos.

The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge rules require you to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or simply a short paragraph – it’s entirely up to you.

Then each day, nominate another blogger to carry on this challenge. Accepting the challenge is entirely up to the person nominated, it is not a command. And actually everyone can join in. So feel free to if you like the idea.

I would like to invite Kay at Sky Blue Daze to join the party. She was another participant in Photography 101 during November 2014. I’ve enjoyed following her blog, and I thought she might be a good candidate to join this challenge. As mentioned before, it is totally up to you to accept this challenge.

SXSW @ The Dogwood
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SXSW @ The Dogwood

This is my second post for the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge.

Thanks to Terri at Perspectives On… for nominating me for this challenge. I had been planning to try some photo challenge blogging events recently, but hadn’t quite to started yet so this little nudge helps. Yesterday Julia at Julia’s Odyssey accepted my challenge in my Day One post on Lake Texas Water Levels.

Last Wednesday I went to a day party at The Dogwood for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival here in Austin, Texas. These are some photos I took for several bands I watched perform there. I will also be creating some music posts for the bands that I heard over the next several days, and then I will update this post with those links too.

The weather was lovely that day in the mid-70’s so it was a great day to be out enjoying the music downtown (with thousands of others). Since it was also Spring Break for my grandkids, we agreed to have them at our house for a sleepover from Friday – Sunday. It was supposed to rain then anyway, although we did get some breaks in the rain to play some tennis with them and go to the park for a while. I didn’t want to go listen to more music and leave my wife alone with them for several days. I also decided to skip going on Thursday for a break before the kids arrived.

The Dogwood

This was the Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff 2015 Party at The Dogwood on 6th Street. It featured alt-country and Americana music all day, but I only stayed for about 3 hours. There were two stages available, where the bands performed in alternate half-hour sets. After watching outside on the patio, you could go inside (which was air conditioned) for the next band, etc. Right next to the outdoor stage was all this cactus that I thought might make an interesting shot, although it didn’t really turn out that good after cropping out all the heads in front of me.

IMG_3562 Cactus at The Belmont

I didn’t get going earlier like I had planned after getting a call from the assisted living facility where my mom lives. I needed to stop at Walmart to pick up some more underwear since she was out and they were borrowing from other residents. When I dropped them off, I noticed that she was sleeping in a chair in the living room (right after lunch) so I decided not to wake her up to visit that day since I didn’t want be even later than I was. It takes me about an hour to drive to downtown Austin, so I didn’t get there until about 2:30 pm. Luckily I was able to find a parking space on the street not too far from the venue which had a 5-hour time limit.

Day Party

I saw singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard from Wimberley, Texas at 3:00 outside, Aaron Lee Tasjan from New Albany, Ohio at 3:30 inside, American Aquarium from Raleigh, North Carolina at 4:00 outside, The Mastersons from Brooklyn, New York at 4:30 inside, and Bill Carter & Will Sexton from Austin at 5:00 outside. Here are several photos that I took during their performances.

Ray Wylie Hubbard
Aaron Lee Tasjan
American Aquarium
The Mastersons
Bill Carter & Will Sexton

Street Scene

I walked down 6th Street to take in the unique “music everywhere” atmosphere. Lots of interesting people watching with so many different people (and styles) from all over the world. I started receiving low battery warnings from my iPhone 5 so unfortunately I had to give up the idea of taking more photos since it was completely drained before dinner, and I didn’t have any place to use my charger. I guess I need to figure out what’s draining my battery so quickly or else get some battery booster so I can at least get through the day, especially while traveling.

SXSW 6th Street Crowd

SXSW 6th Street Crowd

SXSW 2015 Banner

SXSW 2015 Banner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moonshine

I had dinner at the Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill where I had Green Chili Macaroni with grilled chicken, corn bisque, and bacon gratin (shown below), along with complimentary jalapeño corn bread, and a glass of wine. Check out their photo gallery slideshow which highlights their menu and atmosphere, which features “an innovative take on classic American comfort food”.

Moonshine_Patio_Bar_and_Grill_Green-Chile-Mac

Evening Showcases

Also I went to the official SXSW evening showcases at 18th Over Austin on the top floor of the Hilton Garden Inn with table seating and large windows behind the musicians and all around the room for great views at sunset and nighttime of the city.

At 8:00 I saw Alice Phoebe Lou from South Africa and now Berlin, Germany. See my folk music post for Alice Phoebe Lou which includes her music, videos, and links. Then at 9:00 folk singer/songwriter Joan Shelley from Louisville, Kentucky performed, and finally at 10:00 folk pop singer/songwriter Jenn Grant from Prince Edward Island, Canada and now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia came on. I decided it was probably my time to leave so I could get home by midnight.

It was a fun day, and I enjoyed the music. I also hope you liked the photos.

The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge rules require you to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or simply a short paragraph – it’s entirely up to you.

Then each day, nominate another blogger to carry on this challenge. Accepting the challenge is entirely up to the person nominated, it is not a command. And actually everyone can join in. So feel free to if you like the idea.

I would like to invite Elizabeth at Tea and Paper to join the party. She was another participant in Photography 101 during November 2014 when I received comments on my photos from her. I also notice she likes poetry, which I have tried recently during Poetry 101. Since she seems to like photography too, I thought that she might be a good candidate to join this challenge. Also, I appreciate that she mentioned that my blog gave her inspiration. As mentioned before, it is totally up to you to accept this challenge.

Lake Travis Water Level
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Lake Travis Water Level

This is my first post for the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge.

Thanks to Terri at Perspectives On… for nominating me for this challenge. I had been planning to try some photo challenge blogging events recently, but hadn’t quite to started yet so this little nudge helps.

I live on the north shore of Lake Travis, which is a large reservoir lake that was created as part of a chain of seven Highland Lakes on the Colorado River in central Texas.

We have been in a drought for the past six years, and the lake is about 53 feet below full (37% full), and about 42 feet below monthly historical averages; of course, it will drop further during the summer months (maybe another 10 feet or so). Even though we have actually had quite a bit of rain recently, it has hardly raised the lakes much at all since the ground is so dry and everything gets absorbed rather than running off.

Recently, I took some photos with my iPhone 5 to capture what it looks like, especially since it’s fairly dramatic in places with high cliffs or large dry areas normally covered. For example, down by the Mansfield Dam there are the “Sometimes Islands” that have risen out of the water, or actually the water dropped and  shows them “sometimes” when the water gets very low.

When you walk down to the end of my street, you can look out over the lake where it bends around the Pace Bend Park peninsula visible across from my house. You can see how far on the left side in the brown area where the water used to be, with the limestone cliffs on the right side.

I went over to Arrowpoint Park, one of the many parks available to property owners, for some additional photos since the cliffs on the far side are closer and easier to see there. You can walk on the near side of the lake for quite a ways which used to covered with water, so you see a lot of interesting rocks, etc. Also, the marinas for boats have had to relocate multiple times further out into the lake so that they are still in the water.

Finally, I drove over to Cody Park, which is another park that we have often gone to swim in the lake, but it’s now much lower and you can walk way out further before coming to the water. It’s amazing how much stuff there was under the water, like tree stumps, etc and how much has already grown in since the drought.

The first several photos here who an inlet that really illustrates how low the water is now, and all that area was previously covered with water (including where I was standing and way up further). The other photos show how high some of the cliffs are on the other side.

The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge rules require you to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or simply a short paragraph – it’s entirely up to you.

Then each day, nominate another blogger to carry on this challenge. Accepting the challenge is entirely up to the person nominated, it is not a command. And actually everyone can join in. So feel free to if you like the idea.

I would like to invite Julia at Julia’s Odyssey to join the party. She participated in Blogging 101 and Photo 101  with me, and I notice that she has been taking part in the Weekly Photo Challenges. Also, I appreciate that she mentioned that my blog gave her inspiration. As mentioned before, it is totally up to you to accept this challenge.

Rustic Wine Dinner
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Rustic Wine Dinner

Last night we attended a Rustic Wine Dinner at Flat Creek Enoteca in Marble Falls, TX. from 7-9 pm.  They offer a wine tasting room and casual dining experience with deli-style ordering, but table service at the communal table is provided by the wine staff for these special dinners every Thursday evening.

Enoteca is an Italian word which literally means “wine repository”, but it is used to describe a special type of local or regional wine shop that originated in Italy. Sometimes snacks or food is also served like a wine bar, like this one.

We have previously been to their Flat Creek Estate Vineyard and Winery many times, where we are wine club members. However, we had not visited their new location since it opened last year, so this seemed like a good opportunity to check it out for an early Valentine’s Day dinner without all the traffic and crowds in Austin this weekend.

The weekly Rustic Wine Dinner begins with a “Flights & Bites” appetizer featuring chef selected small bites paired with the weekly featured wine flight. Following “Flights & Bites” you enjoy a preview of the Chef’s specials for the upcoming week presented in a seated 3-course meal served with your favorite glass of wine from the flight.

Menu
Here is a photo of the menu for the Rustic Wine Dinner (Sorry about the shadow).

Rustic Wine Dinner Menu

Tasting Room

This shows the tasting room, with some of the people who shared dinner with us. They have a 60-inch custom oak wood-fired oven which is used for cooking everything, which was actually designed and built by one of the dinner guests. Since we arrived about 15 minutes early because there was no traffic, we had a glass of 2013 Viognier until our dinner was ready to be served.

IMG_3288

 

Communal Table

This is the table where we had an intimate dinner with seven people. We really enjoyed a  wonderful dinner, great wine, and interesting conversation.

IMG_3289

 

Flights & Bites

Preceding our dinner, we enjoyed these Flights & Bites. We had three glasses of wine (one white, two red) that were paired with corresponding bites that are listed below the photo. Left to right, there is a glass of 2013 Cuvee Blanc (62% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Viognier, and 8% Pinot Grigio), 2009 Syrah (100%), and 2012 Super Texan (86% Sangiovese, 11% Tempranillo, 4% Syrah).

IMG_3290

Asiago Pimento Cheese
Pancetta Crisp
Paired with Cuvee Blanc 2013

Tomato, Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Flatbread
Paired with Syrah 2009

Olli Norcino Salame
Parmigianno-Reggiano
Paired with Super Texan 2012

We selected a glass of wine from the Flight to enjoy with Dinner. I selected the Cuvee Blanc since I thought that would go nicely with the quail.

Appetizer

This shows the Panzanella Salad which was the appetizer for the 3-course dinner that followed the Flights & Bites.

IMG_3295

Panzanella Salad
Tomato, Fresh Mozzarlla, Red Onion & Tomato Vinaigrette

Main

This shows the main course for the dinner, featuring Texas quail from Bandera, which is described below the photo.

IMG_3296

Braised Texas Quail
Red Wine Pan Jus
Herbed Zucchini & Potato Rosti with Feta

Dessert

This was the dessert for our dinner (with description after the photo).

IMG_3297

Brown Butter Cheesecake
Pecan Crust & Raspberry Glazed Blueberries

All Done!

That was delicious, and nothing was left as you see here.

IMG_3298

 

We had a great evening, and look forward to future dinners. If you’re ever in the area, stop by and check it out. They are located at 112 US Hwy 281 in Marble Falls, TX 78654, about 40 minutes west of Lago Vista on FM 1431 or slightly over an hour from Austin via US 71. Their hours are 11 am – 9 pm on Tuesday – Sunday.

Photography 101: Landscape
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Photography 101: Landscape

Our Day 15 assignment for Photography 101 was “Landscape”. I have included several photos which feature mountains, glaciers, desert, ocean coastline, and water reflections, with most of them taken at various national parks. I will present them in order from north to south.

I like this first photo taken in Denali National Park, Alaska, which shows reflections in the water from the mountains, trees, and clouds. This day was overcast, but the photo turned out nice anyway (maybe more interesting than if it were clear and sunny).  It’s interesting how the trees frame the photo across the upper middle, left side, and bottom right.  This photo highlights the peaceful remoteness of this beautiful area of the country.

Denali Reflections

Denali Reflections

This is one was taken from a cruise ship in Glacier National Park, Alaska, and it this shows reflections in the water of both the glacier and mountains. The glacier originates many miles inland and moves slowly down toward the water, where you can see remnant of icebergs that fell off the glacier.  It feels cold and looks quite impressive.

Glacier Reflections

Glacier Reflections

Here’s a photo taken while hiking Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula near Seattle. It’s interesting with the various shades of green in the closer mountains along with the snow-capped mountains in the distance (taken in July).

Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge

Here is a photo of the Pacific Ocean coastline at La Jolla, California, north of San Diego. The water looks so peaceful and inviting with such contrast to the imposing cliff which juts out into the water; the different blues of the water and sky is nice too.

La Jolla Coast

La Jolla Coast

This shows some of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in far west Texas along the Rio Grande border with Mexico. We were hiking to a window opening between the rocks that looked out over the surrounding desert area. This is another very remote area which offers unique quiet beauty; the stars are supposed to be amazing at night for those staying in this area, but we didn’t get the opportunity to see them (it might have been overcast, or maybe we just forgot to look up).

Chisos Mountains

Chisos Mountains

I hope you have enjoyed viewing these landscape photos. These are all great places to visit, if you get the chance.

Photography 101: Swarm
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Photography 101: Swarm

Our Day 14 assignment for Photography 101 was “Swarm”. My photos cover swarms of cormorants, seals, kayaks, bucks, and people.

During a visit to La Jolla north of San Diego, California, there were lots of cormorants all over the cliff and rocks, which they also share with a large number of seals.  These are reflected in this first set of photos taken from various angles, including a closeup of the seals.

Nearby I spotted a large group of red kayaks all grouped together which contrasted with the blue water all around and the light cliff behind them.  Up the coast a little bit there were many surfers trying to catch the waves, and they were interesting to watch.

The last set of photos is closer to home, with a large group of white-tailed buck in our backyard.  You will notice that most of them have quite a rack.  Sometimes the males tend to travel together, except when they’re out looking for females in the fall.

The final shot shows flocks of people coming and going between music day parties on Sixth Street in Austin Texas during the South by Southwest music festival in 2010.

Photography 101: Architecture
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Photography 101: Architecture

Our Day 12 assignment in Photography 101 was “Architecture”, and we were also asked to explore black-and-white. I have included dual photos in color and black-and-white of various downtowns: Granbury Texas, St. Louis Missouri, Philadelphia  Pennsylvania, and Seattle Washington.  There is a photo looking up at the ceiling in the Atlanta Museum of Art, and also a photo of the iconic Space Needle in Seattle built for the 1962 World’s Fair.

It’s interesting to note how the color versions of the skyscrapers show various shades of tan, blue, black, and silver, and the St. Louis photo includes the turquoise and green from the courthouse top and lawn; these are all eliminated in the black-and-white versions, which I don’t think I like as much even though it still shows a lot of gray-scale color contrasts.

The St. Louis photo was taken from the observation windows at the top of the Gateway Arch, the Philadelphia skyline from across a highway (which was cropped out at the bottom), and the Seattle photo was taken from the 76th floor of the Columbia Tower building.

The atrium ceiling in the Atlanta Museum of Art had a striking pattern of lines and shadows and I had to take a photo of it since it was different; I think I might like the black-and-white version in this one better since the shadows are even more emphasized, and there wasn’t much color in the original anyway.

The old 1890 Hood County Court House in Granbury, Texas offers the most unique character in this typical Texas town square, and I prefer that one best.

Photography 101: Pop of Color
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Photography 101: Pop of Color

The theme for our Day 11 assignment in Photography 101 was “A Pop of Color”. I focused on several images which emphasize various shades of yellow which stand out from their backgrounds, including sunsets, blue agave, glass sculpture, paraglider, and hot-air balloon.

Seattle Sunset

This first one is a photo of a Seattle sunset taken by the mother of the groom at a wedding reception I attended for my niece on the 76th floor of the Columbia Tower Club. I also took quite a few photos, but none turned out like hers, so I decided to include hers since it’s so amazing. This is actually what it looked like, but I just missed the perfect timing she had.

Notice the yellow from the sun and the awesome red glow on Puget Sound. The ferris wheel down on the pier in the lower-left is nicely lit up, so are the Seattle streets and some of the skyscrapers, and of course there’s the Space Needle in the distance (upper-right) that looks so tiny from up where we were.

Seattle Sunset

Seattle Sunset

Lago Vista Sunset

This is another sunset photo that I took from my deck in Lago Vista, which shows the setting sun over Lake Travis west of Austin, Texas. Its golden ball stands out and lights up the sky and clouds.

Lago Vista Sunset

Lago Vista Sunset

Blue Agave at Sunset

This was another photo that I took which shows a Blue Agave which sprouted in my neighbor’s back yard.  We watched it grow daily from what looked like a giant asparagus stalk until it fully evolved with its spiral arms and and all their flowers. I couldn’t help taking lots photos of it since it was rising so fast and quite an amazing sight.

This one was taken at sunset with the blue agave in the foreground with the sun exploding through the clouds behind it with all the rays of light that are scattered in all directions. My guess that it must have been over 30 feet tall, and you can see how tall it is here. By the way, this is the plant that grows in Mexico which they use to make tequila.

Blue Agave at Sunset

Blue Agave at Sunset

Glass Sculpture

I thought this was a fantastic splash of yellow at the Chihuly Garden and Glass, where they have an exhibition, glasshouse, and garden that highlight Dale Chihuly’s colorful glass sculptures next to the Space Needle at Seattle Center. It really pops out at you, especially against the blue sky, green trees, and even the smaller purple sculpture.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Paraglider

Here’s a photo that I took of a yellow/green paraglider at Torrey Pines Gliderport on the scenic cliffs above Black’s Beach in the La Jolla area of north San Diego, which is a very popular place for hang gliders, paragliders, and sailplanes. The colorful wing really stands out from the blue somewhat overcast sky which blends into the Pacific Ocean.  Notice the pilot in the little pod hanging from the paraglider. I guess they must be able to guide it somewhat, but I think the winds might contribute more to where they actually land.

Yellow Paraglider

Yellow Paraglider

Hot-Air Balloon

Finally, we have a yellow hot-air balloon against a clear blue sky above Prosser Lake north of Truckee, California, where ballooning is a fairly popular activity. This really pops out at you also from the blue background.

Yellow Balloon

Yellow Balloon

I’ve enjoyed sharing these colorful photos with you.

Photography 101: The Natural World – Rio Grande
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Photography 101: The Natural World – Rio Grande

For our Day 8 assignment in Photography 101 about “The Natural World”, I chose to highlight photos of the Rio Grande, Spanish for “Big River”, that forms the border between Mexico and Texas in the United States. Its one of the longest river systems in North America originating in the San Juan Mountains of south central Colorado just east of the Continental Divide and flowing down to the Gulf of Mexico.

These were taken in February with my iPhone 5 while playing golf at Black Jack’s Crossing in the Lajitas Golf Resort during our visit to Big Bend National Park in far west Texas. The scenery was so stark, yet beautiful. I couldn’t help taking shots from different perspectives, and include those with the Rio Grande in this slideshow.

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River

It’s amazing such a narrow river borders our two countries. On the other side of the river, you can see the  Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico which border Texas at the Rio Grande. You can see how the Rio Grande twists and turns between the Mexican mountains and Texas golf course. I took the photos from different elevations and angles.  Many of the tees are higher up where you have to shoot down to the fairway and green. Also as we drove our cart from one to another it kept showing up nearby. Of course, you can see the desert all around too which adds contrast.

Golf

This unique golf course along the Rio Grande was designed by Lanny Wadkins and opened in 2012; it  has been named to many “best places to play” lists by GolfWeek, Texas Outside, and Dallas Morning News. It looks much more spectacular with color contrasts in the spring and fall when the greens and fairways are all deep green (which you see on their web site). However, even in the middle of winter it looked great and the weather was perfect then and not crowded at all. It must be very hot in the summer so that would not be a good time to visit.

Big Bend

This shows where Lajitas is located between Big Bend National Park on the right and Big Bend Ranch State Park on the left. It’s about an 8 hour drive west from Austin through Fredericksburg and Junction, then south from Fort Stockton and either Marathon or Alpine to get to the Big Bend area.

Star Party

We stopped over in the Davis Mountains State Park in the Fort Davis area so we could attend a Star Party at the McDonald Observatory astronomy research unit of the University of Texas at Austin. We could look at constellations, planets, and celestial objects through their telescopes, where there are some of the darkest skies in the continental United States. It’s west of Fort Stockton and north of Marfa and Alpine.

Big Bend

The National Park Service has an interesting Big Bend in One Day video (about 6 minutes), which provides a nice overview of the park highlights. This might offer a preview of what to expect if you might want to visit, or even show those who can’t a glimpse of this area. They also have a photo gallery which highlight desert scenery and wildlife.

Terlingua

Nearby is the famous Terlingua ghost town, where they been having chili cook offs on the first weekend in November every year now for 48 years. In the mid-1880’s it became a big cinnabar mining area for mercury, but now it’s just a tourist destination.

We loved our trip to the Big Bend, and want to go back again. Great golf, unique scenery, its so quiet and remote, and there’s lots of great hiking and other things to do.