Category Archives: Pacific Northwest

Rainy Pegasus Takeoff

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I have shot KC-46s in bad conditions more often than would seem probable.  I got one in conditions so dark it was like a night shoot.  This time it was heavy rain.  Of course that can mean vapor.  The matte gray of fuselage actually looks better when it is wet.  I had hoped the inlets would fog but that didn’t happen.  However, the flat light helped the fuselage a bit which often gets too contrasts.  Besides that it throws up a ton of spray behind it as it accelerates down the runway. Rotating in front of me meant I was rather happy with the result compared to what I expected.

Global Finding Everett Sun

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Returning from Whidbey with Paul, we stopped off at Paine Field to see what might be moving.  There was a bit of frustration with a delayed departure that we couldn’t catch but we got a few bits and pieces and that included a Global 6000.  This one popped up on approach just as the sun was reappearing from behind the clouds so we could get some nice light on it as it crossed the threshold and touched down.

Meerkerk Gardens

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Spring is a good time for rhododendrons and there are a number of gardens known for their flowering in the Seattle area.  We decided to take a trip to Whidbey Island to visit Meerkerk Gardens.  I hadn’t heard of it before but Nancy had done some research so we gave it a go.  While it was not in full bloom – peak blooming was one to two weeks away – it still was a gorgeous sight.

You can get blasé about the beauty of some places as each next view is as pretty as the preceding one and you have to remind yourself that this is not normal.  It is a peak of color and shape that doesn’t last long and has to be appreciated while it is there.  I lack the vision to come up with a good way of conveying just how pretty it is but I will have to make do with sharing some of the shots I took while strolling around.

Return of the Racers

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The races at the rowing meet I covered in this post tend to overlap from what we saw.  The length of the course and the time to complete it is such that the next race was started before the last was finished.  Consequently, there is not a way for the crews to return up the cut as the next boats are heading towards them.  Apparently, they all wait in the next bay.  Then, when it is clear, they all row back up together.  The cut was full of crews rowing back to take their boats out of the water.  It made for an impressive sight!

ASUW Shell House

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A short walk from the campus of UW takes you down to Montlake Cut.  This is the home of the university rowing team.  Having read The Boys in the Boat, we had read a lot about this location.  The Shell House from the book is still there and is in great shape.  George Pocock is no longer building his shells there, but it obviously has a place in UW rowing lore and it looked interesting on a sunny weekend day.  It looked even better from one side but the giant cherry picker in front of it kind of ruined the chance of a photo from that direction.

My Convair Up Close

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The Convair CV580 has shown up in a couple of posts at least so far.  Getting to Everett early one morning prior to heading to Whidbey Island, it was a pleasant surprise to see it out on the ramp.  It was even nicer to see the door was open.  Before too long the giant square blades of the props started to turn and they were heading off.  They did turn the opposite way to what I was hoping for when they taxied but nothing to sniff at.  We decided to see whether we could get to the end of the field before they did but they must have taxied smartly and got a quick take off clearance because they were up and away as we drove towards to the runway.  Still, a nice start to the day.

Silhouettes on the Water

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My sunbathing cormorant got his own post here as a result of being easy to photograph in the evening light.  There were plenty of other cormorants around that evening but the rest were around the piles out in the water in into the sun.  That did make for some nice silhouette shots instead so here they are.  You won’t be able to identify individual cormorants, though.

High Tech Rowing Boats

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The technology of rowing boats has always been prized.  In George Pocock’s day, the crafting of high performance shells made his work in demand from university crews across the US.  George may be long gone but the company that bears his name continues.  They no longer are along the Cut but now operate out of Everett in a building with a slightly less scenic location.

Wood has been replaced with composites and these shells are light, stiff and very impressive.  A few of the shells were laid up in the parking lot waiting to be loaded on trailers while others were already strapped in.  The crews’ shoes are attached in place along with seats.  They don’t look like the most comfortable of vessels but they do look like they are well designed to go fast and to transfer the power of the rowers directly to the water.

Back How it Was Delivered

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The BOAC retro jet that BA has painted up was a nice treat to get.  There are two other retro jets in other colors but, based on their interior configuration, they should not normally be used on the Seattle route.  Therefore, I wasn’t expecting a chance to get them any time soon.  Then, I saw that the Landor scheme aircraft was coming to SeaTac.  It must have been a substitution.  Now I was interested.  However, it pushed off the gate at Heathrow and then went back on with some engine start issue.  Was it going to scrub?

Apparently not.  The issue was resolved and they pushed again.  While the passengers were, no doubt, unimpressed by this, I was delighted.  It now meant the arrival was at nearly 7pm.  No problem to get to SeaTac after work and the light might be really nice.  The weather was better than forecast although the chance of Mt Rainier making a second appearance was low.  Again, plenty were out for the arrival.  She showed up on the approach and the light played ball.  This jet would have been delivered to BA with these colors so it was a case of reverting to how she had appeared many years before.