I have not seen Mako F-16s very often. Seeing one taking off from Tucson was quite a surprise and definitely a good one. It was accompanied by a jet in Texas Reserve markings to so maybe there has been a swap of some jets.
Having described the house at Filoli in a previous post, this time it is the turn of the gardens. I mentioned before that they were not aligned with the house so were not easy to see from there. However, putting that aside, they are certainly very nice. They are divided up into a number of areas. Some are very formal while others are left in a more natural state. The grounds around the pool are very structured. There are orchards that are laid out in lines but then there are gardens that look as if they had never been touched. Plenty of beds with plants of similar types and then some meadow areas. All in all, it is a pretty eclectic mix that works well. Put aside that it seems detached from the house, it is a lovely place to check out. It spreads up the hill until at the top you find a temple like semi circle. This is nice and quiet since I guess a lot of people can’t be bothered to walk that far. Good for us!
The step up in size that Embraer took when they create the E170/175 and E190/195 aircraft was important for them and it proved to be a successful move. Both types did well and have achieved a solid market presence. With a new generation of technologies coming, Embraer decided to go for a significant upgrade to the type with new engines and other systems resulting in the E2 versions. In line with that, they decided to tweak the current design to create the E1 upgrades. This turned out to be a well-timed upgrade as it came at a time when a whole bunch of airlines were looking to up-gauge their regional feeder services. Embraer picked up a ton of orders.
The speed with which these jets have entered the US fleets is impressive. Both United and American signed new deals for service with these jets and now you can regularly see their E175s feeding in to large airports. Alaska has gone a similar way (using Skywest much as United has) and their fleet of E175s is starting to grow. The E2 has now had its first flight in the larger E190 form but the 175 will follow in a few years. The E170 has been dropped from the line at this point. I imagine we will see even more of these jets as they will dominate this seating range which Bombardier seems to have ceded as they focus on larger jets.
A recent work trip involved some testing of a locomotive. The test track in use is just outside Pueblo Colorado. The testing program involves a ton of different tests, many of which are pretty boring to watch if you are not involved. We did get to do some high speed runs while I was there though. The locomotive is designed for 125mph so it has to be tested to 130mph. We got to blast around the track for a while. Wildlife would scatter as we approached – usually. The loco is a modern design so at this speed, things were really quite uneventful. The ride was smooth. The noise was pretty quiet and would have been better if we didn’t have instrumentation cables out of the windows breaking the normal seal. Soon you will be seeing these locos in service in a number of states across the US.
Just a quick picture today. This Strikemaster is operated by Blue Air and was parked on the ramp at Davis Monthan when we were watching the arrival of the visiting jets. It looked to be in great condition. Shame it didn’t fly but it was a nice surprise.
It had been a few months since we had last visited Ano Nuevo State Park so Nancy suggested we take a trip there. On a hot day inland, a run to the coast is certainly a good idea. Besides, the elephant seals were in their molting season so were lying up on the beaches as they shed their winter skins. Things were a lot quieter than is the case in the mating season. A few immature males were practicing their fighting techniques in the shallows but nothing too serious.
The molting process takes a while. As the seals lie on the beach, you can see them going through the process with significant chunks of the old skin gone but a lot still left. Over time they shed the whole thing and then can head back out to sea to resume their normal plan of eating, eating and more eating.
In my previous visits to Tucson International, I have never seen jets taking off or landing as pairs. It has always been single jets. This time I had a couple of times when section takeoffs were carried out. There also appeared to be some arrivals in pairs too. Nothing too dramatic but a bit of a change from what I have seen there before.
For cities that are looking at redeveloping their downtown, it seems that a Riverwalk is a popular approach. Pueblo is one of the places that has gone with this approach. I checked it out when getting dinner one evening. There was a brewpub along the river and, after some food and beer, I took a walk along the river. This was an old path of the river but it has obviously been tweaked a bit. There do seem to be some businesses springing up along the river and there were certainly plenty of people out despite the heat and humidity. A lot of them were obviously hunting Pokemon. I wonder whether this will be the center of more development next time I go back.
The gradual demise of the 747 is a topic that I have brought up on here before. The plane that has been the replacement on a number of services is the Boeing 777-300ER. I was hanging out at Coyote Point recently and, while the majority of arrivals were short haul jets and regional jets, there were a lot of long haul arrivals mixed in there. I was surprised to see just how many 777-330ERs were in the mix now. The A380s were also making an appearance but it seems the 300ER really is a dominant force in the long haul market. This is going to change soon with the arrival of its in house replacement as well as the A350 but, for now, it seems the 300ER rules the roost.
Growing up in the UK, there is no shortage of big houses and gardens to visit. Over the years, countless old families have had to give up their estates, often as a result of death duties, with the result that they end up in the hands of the National Trust or English Heritage. I was surprised to see that there was a similar organization in the US. Filoli is one of their properties. It is on the peninsula south of San Francisco.
The estate was in the hands of two families prior to its current status. It is a classic old house with plenty of rooms, a ballroom, large kitchens and servant facilities, a library and enough space to deal with any number of social situations. Normally when we visit places, checking out the house is not a priority. We tend to prefer the gardens. However, this time we did take a look around.
The house was really quite pleasant inside. Because it was a 20th century creation, it is a product of that time. No big efforts at replicating older times although it does pick from a variety of styles. The furnishings all seem suitable for the era and apparently that makes it a popular filming location. The exterior is not so great in my opinion. The brick finish is rather uninspired and I think it has a bit of the look of a government building. It is well taken care of though.
The strangest thing about it is the relationship between the house and the gardens. The gardens will get a post of their own. However, they are mainly offset from the house itself. When in the house, you are not looking out across the gardens. I thought the whole point was to be able to look out and observe the beauty of the gardens. Oh well, it’s not like I am living there so I guess I don’t have to worry about it too much.
