Indianapolis Fireworks

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We took a trip to Indiana which was primarily based around the visit to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center as I shall be posting about here at some point. While the center is near Terre Haute, we decided to stay in Indianapolis. We have been to Indy before and had a great time as well as staying at a nice hotel. That trip got a write up here if you are interested. This time it was the 4th of July and the city was due to have a firework display so we thought that might be a good add on to the trip.

Originally, we had looked up the park where we could view the fireworks. There were supposed to be a number of things going on in the park and it was not a long walk from the hotel so we had figured on taking some chairs and heading there. However, the weather forecast was looking a little like a storm might roll in. This made us wonder whether a change in plans might be in order.

Our decision was made easier when we checked in and found we had a 32nd floor room overlooking the downtown. Now we could watch the fireworks from the comfort of our hotel room and, if it rained, we would be fine. As it happened, it didn’t rain. However, our choice proved to have an additional benefit. Not only did we see the main display, there were many displays happening all around the city. From our vantage point, we could see them all. We sat by the window and watched fireworks close by and far off but going off all evening. It was great. I did shoot the fireworks but my approach is always to fire a cable release while just watching the display. Consequently, I primarily get to enjoy the display but also, hopefully, get some shots at the same time.

Blackhawks Affect Chicago at Night

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Night photography around the city is something I always enjoy. You will have seen examples of it here and here and here and probably a bunch of other posts too. This time I wanted to get out because the Chicago Blackhawks were in the final of the Stanley Cup. Whenever something big is happening, the buildings near Grant Park can be relied upon to make messages using the lights in their windows.

This was no exception. Messages exhorting the ‘Hawks to win the cup were on display and made what is already a cool skyline, a little more interesting. Of course, the result was success as the ‘Hawks went on to win the cup. I think the lights were updated to reflect that but a variety of circumstances meant I didn’t get a chance to get back out and shoot the updated view. However, this will give you a bit of a feel for what they looked like.

Doggy Antics

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Our friends in Wichita have a great pair of dogs. I have always struggled to get good shots of them. They can look very peaceful and cute but, as soon as I try to get into position to get a shot, they immediately come and investigate. Repeating that process never fails to interest them so the shots never are made. I must have grabbed tons of shots of them on this trip, most of which went straight in the trash. however, I did get a couple that were okay so here are the two of them at the best I can manage.

Keeper of the Plains

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It has been a while since we last went to Wichita in Kansas. We have good friends who live there and who we have visited before. However, they have been on the move a lot in recent years and then we had to cancel a trip when things got a little hectic. However, we finally got back down there again. It was a great visit so thanks for having us guys. While we were there, we took a walk along the Arkansas River. Opinion appears to vary on how to pronounce this river depending on which state you are in but the joy of writing rather than speaking is that you won’t know which way I said it so you can’t tell me I am wrong!

There is a split in the river near where we parked and there are a pair of bridges and an island with a large sculpture on it. This is called the Keeper of the Plains. It is a very impressive steel sculpture of a Native American with his arms raised to the skies. Given plenty of time, I would have come back and seen it later in the day. I am not sure if it is illuminated at night but it certainly was very impressive during daylight hours. If you are in the area, do take a look.

Museum of Flight

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The end of the field trip for the ISAP Symposium was a visit to the Museum of Flight. Located at Boeing Field, this is a great museum and worth a visit whether you are an aviation nut or not. It has an impressive collection of aircraft and they are nicely displayed. Inside are some impressive machines including the always attractive M-12, a variant of the Blackbird family that was intended to launch high speed drones (a program that was not ultimately successful and was cancelled).

Outside is a further selection of great airframes including a British Airways Concorde, the prototype Boeing 747, a Boeing 727 in American Airlines colors and a NASA Boeing 737 which may (or may not) be a prototype. There are others too but these stand out. They also have a Space Shuttle crew trainer which, since it is not an original orbiter, is actually more accessible to the visitors. It was not a long visit so we had to move pretty quickly to get around but a good time nonetheless.

Heritage Flight Foundation Visit

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The field trip during the ISAP Symposium was held at Paine Field in Everett. We were hosted by the Heritage Flight Foundation and its owner John Sessions and they were excellent hosts. (I visited once before and you can see that post here.) Aside from the selection of aircraft still in the hangar where we were set up, they had arranged some photo sorties with some of their aircraft. The B-25, Grumpy, was the camera ship for a few photographers and the P-51 Mustang was the target. A T-6 also went up as a second camera ship. Each photo position was a paying ride with the T-6 obviously being the premium slot.

I had decided not to take the ride. It was not cheap although certainly not bad value for money. As the weather was not looking great, I wondered whether I had chosen wisely. As it was, the people who did go up did get some great images. The area certainly can provide some nice backdrops and the light, while flat, did not hurt things. However, even as someone on the ground, the flights seemed over very fast so I imagine for those on board, it was gone all to quickly.

For those of us on the ground, we got treated to the departure and arrivals of the aircraft plus a few passes of the P-51 and T-6 which were a lot of fun. Gloomy skies made it all a little flat looking but still a great sight. Being able to be close to the aircraft during the start up, taxi out and return was certainly worthwhile. The following day they were having a public event and I hope the weather improved for the large numbers they were expecting.

Bremerton Ferry

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I have been to Seattle many times but this trip gave me an opportunity to do something that I haven’t done there before. My friend Hayman and I were off to visit a buddy of Hayman’s who lived over near Bremerton. From Seattle you can either drive around or take the ferry. We decided to take the ferry. I have watched the Washington State Ferries go back and forth across Elliott Bay and Puget Sound before but had never been on one.

Having grown up on an island, ferry trips were a pretty regular feature of life. It was all rather familiar although the passengers were a different crowd. These boats seem to be predominantly commuter boats. People stayed in the cars to have a nap and the foot passengers upstairs also seemed to be zonked out in large numbers. Having lots of people around sleeping or reading reminded me a lot of my days commuting by train in to London.

Consequently, as I wandered around taking pictures and looking at new things, I was very conscious of looking like a total tourist. Since that is exactly what I was, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised! Still, tourists never look cool and trying not to look like one is something I normally try to do. Spend most of your life in places populated by tourists and you certainly don’t want to be confused for one!

Pulling out of Seattle in the afternoon means the light was shining on the city. It was still early enough in the day to not be the best light but it was still an attractive sight. As we moved away from the city, we went through a narrow passage to get to Bremerton itself. The shoreline was populated with lots of nice looking places. I imagine they are quite popular residences. It really did remind me of the Isle of Wight in many ways – quite a throwback for me.

NAS Whidbey Island

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The day before the ISAP Symposium kicked off, there was a smaller field trip to NAS Whidbey Island. Located on an island (surprisingly enough) north of Seattle, it was a bit of a journey to get there with a bus ride and ferry trip to get us there. As with all military bases, you never quite know what will be going on when you get there. They can be a hive of activity or have no flying at all. We did okay on this trip.

First we stopped in the hangar of an E/A-18G Growler unit. One of the officers was their to show us around and answer any questions. There was also one jet in the hangar that we could shoot. We then migrated outside to see some jets launching or coming back from trips. Then it was time to head up to the tower. We got to hang out for a short while on the catwalk outside the tower cab. This gives you a great view over the ramp area and the field as a whole. We had a couple of movements while we were there but then things got pretty quiet which would have been a disappointment for the second half of our group who were up second.

Lunch was served in the officers’ club which included some great mementos of operations and types passed. After that is was back on the journey home. A good little trip and a nice time to hang out with some folks I hadn’t seen for a while and others who were new to meet.

Under Your Nose at King County

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Hayman and I had a few hours to kill after we arrived in Seattle and before we had a ferry to catch (of which more in another post). We decided to stop off at Beoing Field to have a look around. We checked out a number of places including the excellent pilot shop they have and ended up near the end of the runway. I had looked at this location on a previous visit but not shot there. A 737 was up on a test flight and due in soon so we decided to hang around.

Before the 737 appeared, we did have a couple of corporate jets show up. Identifying them from underneath is a little hard to do, even for those of us with far too familiar a knowledge of this things. However, I was more interested in getting a slightly different shot from underneath. With power lines nearby, there was a relatively short period of time in which you could get a clear shot.

The 737 showed up shortly afterwards. We did get to shoot it as it passed overhead but I did remember to stop shooting at one point and just look. The view through a wide lens tends to make everything look small. However, having something the size of a 737 right over your head is very impressive and you need to stop taking pictures and just have a look every once in a while.

Brickworld 2013

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Once a year a Lego convention is held in the Chicago area. It used to be up in Wheeling and I have blogged about it here. This year they moved to a new venue in Schaumburg. We went along again. Some of the creations that people put together for this event are quite stunning. Their creativity and ingenuity are very impressive. Not all of the stuff suits me but I am cognizant of the skill, even for those that I won’t spend much time checking out.