Some Vintage Volvos

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Exotics@RTC gets a lot of regular attendees so you will often see the same cars week after week.  Getting something a little different is really appreciated.  I have seen some old Volvos at Exotics before but whether it was these or not, I don’t know.  (The modified one has definitely been before but more of that in a second.)

The P1800 is a cool looking car and, if you are old enough and have seen episodes of the original Saint TV show, you will recognize it.  It was partnered with a more sedate vehicle which was also in great condition.  Next to it was one that was a bit more tricked out.  I don’t think carbon fiber was a key element of Volvos in those days and I imagine under the surface, this one has been uprated a touch.  Good to have something a little different amongst the regular vehicles.

Marks of a Mixer Nozzle

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I was running through some images of a Dornier 328Jet that I had shot at Boeing Field.  I was zoomed in close to check for image sharpness when my eye caught the inside of the nozzle of the engine nacelle.  There was an interesting pattern on the inside.  Judging by the layout of the staining, I think the mixer in the exhaust results in varying deposition of material on the walls.  This is the sort of thing that really appeals to me and probably no one else but it is my blog!

Summer Flowers at Bloedel

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Organized gardens can certainly look very attractive, but the wildflower look can be even better at times.  There are some meadow areas at Bloedel Reserve and one of them was overloaded with poppies when we visited.  There were restrictions on how close you could get at the time because they were protecting various areas from foot traffic.  I had left the longer lens in the car so I was limited to what I could manage with the 24-105 but that didn’t matter too much.  The reds and golds of the poppies looked fantastic and, while I would have liked to have shot a tighter crop through the flowers, I was happy to make do with the views available to me.

Welcome Back the Lufthansa 600s

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Just when I think I have seen the last of something, I get proved wrong.  The Lufthansa service to Seattle was being provided by A340-300s over the winter but they then switched to A350s.  I thought that might be the last I would see of the A340s but lo and behold, Lufthansa has switched again and this time to the A340-600s.  That was a really pleasant surprise.  At first, I thought it was a short-term change, but they have been in use for some time now.

I went down shortly after they returned to catch some shots.  I didn’t realize that there would be plenty of chances at that point, so I figured I should try and catch them quickly.  With it being midsummer, the heat haze is a significant problem – particularly at the time of day that they depart.  I decided to try and slightly different location that might provide a nicer angle, would be closer but was more problematic with trees getting in the way.

The results are okay, but the conditions are just not conducive to getting the cleanest shots.  Even closer in, the haze issues are apparent.  A while later, I did go back to another favorite spot and shot from there with similar issues regarding the conditions.  I don’t know how long they will remain on this route and whether I will have a chance to try in slightly better times – a nice delay to later in the day would help – but at least they are in the old Lufthansa colors for the most part, so we get a bit more color than is the case for most of the fleet at this point.

Bellingham’s Old City Hall

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We went to Bellingham for a day trip, principally to see the exhibit at Whatcom Museum of National Geographic wildlife photography.  The Whatcom Museum has multiple parts.  The more modern section is where the exhibit was but there is another part in the old City Hall.  I had seen this building before when driving through Bellingham and had been annoyed with myself that it looked imposing in nice light but I was in the car.  This time, I decided to get some shots of it.

The side of the building facing the street was in the shade so not great, but it would have made for a more cluttered foreground anyway.  I went around to the other side of the building that faces towards the harbor.  Not only was the sun on this side but, because the building is set on a hill, there was a slope down the hill which had some well laid out gardens to provide a foreground.  Some of the building details also appealed to me.  The iPhone provides a pretty good camera option when on trips like this and some pano stitching can also be handy, particularly as it allows you to correct for distortion as you look up at a structure.

Back to Olympia for the Huskie

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Mid-June is the time for the Olympic Air Show at Olympia and, while it provides a bunch of interesting aircraft to see flying, I am always going to be attracted by the only chance to see a flying Kaman Huskie.  It is such a curious thing to see fly.  The way in which it just gets airborne with no obvious change in appearance or sound is fun, but it also can put on a rapid turn of speed.

I was going to make sure to get images of it while I can, but I also wanted to shoot some video since that helps give an appreciation of the way in which it flies.  That will show up in a separate post soon.  I was quite happy with my choice of days for the show.  Saturday had experienced some nice weather but also some torrential rain.  Sunday was a mix of conditions too but only the barest hint of rain and things were generally good.  Will I be there next year to see it fly again?  Who knows.

How Will the Heron Eat This?

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This story is one of a bit of frustration.  I took a while to get a good fix on this heron as it took off and, by the time I did so, it was heading away from me with no good angles.  However, it was an interesting subject.  The heron had caught itself a far larger fish than I normally see.  Instead of grabbing it, it had skewered the fish with its beak.  It must have had its mouth open at the time as the top and bottom mandibles had speared the fish separately.

It flew over to the shore and landed to contemplate its meal at which point one of the local eagles seems to have swooped in with the intent to steal the fish.  The heron got spooked by this and took off again but dropped the fish in the process.  The fish fell into the water and sank so I guess nobody got to eat it.  I don’t know how the fish did but two sharp objects through its body probably didn’t help it too much.

Once More for the Sunset Avanti Shots

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A local Lynk Air Avanti coming into Paine Field might attract my interest, but I would probably skip it.  However, if it is going to show up about ten minutes before sunset and the conditions are lovely, that is enough to tempt me out in the evening.  (It doesn’t hurt that the journey time is really short at that time of day.)  I got myself in position and waited for the arrival from the north.

I could just about make out the plane as it approached from over the sound, and it flew a quite tight base leg which meant it was clearly visible above the trees.  Then the buzz became apparent as it lined up on final.  I was being brave with shutter speeds since the Avanti deserves shots that make it look fast.  A rapid burst of activity and it was down.  It didn’t hang around on the ground too long continuing on its way about forty minutes later, but the light was done by then, so I headed home instead of waiting for it.

The Deferred German Car Day

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I missed out on the beginning of the Exotics@RTC schedule this year.  They had several delays due to weather and I was away when the first event finally went ahead.  However, when it came to the German Car Day, the weather played to my favor.  I would have missed the originally planned date for travel reasons but, when it did happen, I was able to make the trip.

I like the German Car Day.  The Italian Day is always impressive but there are far too many people with tons of cash that just buy Ferraris and Lamborghinis, so you end up with a lot of similar stuff.  German Day isn’t perfect, but it does seem to pull out a lot more serious enthusiasts.  Sure, there are loads of Porsches and BMWs around, but the central area had a bunch of cool looking motors.  Yes, you’ll get a modern exotic Mercedes thrown in from someone with an excess of disposable income, but it doesn’t detract from a nice gathering of cool cars.  Here are some of those cars!

Local Pitts Has a Good Approach to Pattern Work

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It is not a regular occurrence, but several times I have been at Boeing Field when a local Pitts Special is doing pattern work.  Most times I have been a long way from it so not able to try and get any useful shots.  That changed a little while back when I was near the terminal building.  The pilot flies patterns with a steep climb out, a downwind leg and a steep curving descent to land followed by powering up and flying low to gain speed before repeating the process.  I decided to give some low shutter speeds a good to see how things looked.