The Lambs Might Be Bigger but They Are Still Cute

Leave a Reply

Our visit to the rare breeds farm included some not very rare breeds too. They had a bunch of lambs in one of the barns. These lambs were clearly a little older than some of the others I have photographed through the spring, and they were growing quickly. This hadn’t impacted on how cute they were, though. Adult sheep are not the cutest of the animals out there but, like many creatures, the youngest ones are just cute. From a photography point of view, I appreciated that these have not yet been marked up with ownership markings. They look more ideal as a result.

Canadian Hornets Are a Bit Elusive

Leave a Reply

One of the tricky decisions you have to make when photographing planes in the Tucson area is which airfield to focus on. The international airport can have some interesting traffic but it isn’t far to Davis Monthan AFB. It can similarly have some stuff to photograph. However, both can have quiet periods. Where to be? Some Canadian Hornets were deployed to DM during our visit, and we were hoping to get some shots of them – putting aside the irony of a Canadian travelling to Arizona to photograph Canadian jets.

We were down at the International Airport when we saw in the distance that the Hornets were up. A rapid relocation ensued. It isn’t a long trip between the two but when planes are in motion, you don’t have much time to play with. Fortunately, Mark was the designated driver on this trip. As we pulled up to the right area, we got to a red light. The jets were turning on approach so I jumped out of the car and started getting shots. Mark had to find somewhere to safely pull off. I recall he still got some shots but I had it easier as a result of my rapid vehicle exit!

How It Works – The Steam Locomotive

Leave a Reply

A Ladybird Book reference in the title for some of you of a certain age from a certain country. An exhibit at the National Railway Museum in York is a sectioned steam locomotive. One of the guides at the museum showed us the various stages of the process of turning coal and water into power for the loco. I hadn’t understood the process fully before (and probably still need some additional education to be honest) but having the side of the loco cut open to show the various processes and the flow of the steam really made it easier to understand. I was going to say visualise, but it isn’t really visualising when you are looking right at it!

An Indian C-17 Visiting a US C-17 Base

Leave a Reply

Quite a long time since I posted some shots from this day so I am not sure why it has taken so long to add the C-17 to the mix but hey ho! The arrival of the Indian Air Force contingent at McChord last year as they headed to Alaska included the support planes. Aside from the IL-78 tanker is shared long ago, they brought a C-17 with the maintenance team and spares. McChord is very used to C-17s since it is the home of a load of them. However, seeing an Indian one show up was far more of a novelty.

Red Kite Was Not Part of the Air Show

Leave a Reply

Airfields are not a great place for birds, but Old Warden seemed to attract quite a few of them. Maybe the vintage planes are less of a threat to them – a collision would still hurt but maybe they figure they can get out of the way without too much difficulty. A few of the birds seemed to be getting very close to the display line but one red kite seemed more intent on coming over the crowd line. Maybe it was anticipating something left over from the food everyone had or maybe a small child was considered fair game! Either way, it did distract me a bit during some of the flying. I know the resurgence of the species causes concern for some people, but I am just fascinated by how elegant they are.

My First Real Comet Aerial Shots

Leave a Reply

The de Havilland Comet was an air racing aircraft from the 1930s that won the MacRobertson Air Race from the UK to Australia. I first saw the aircraft at the end of the 80s but I didn’t see it fly at the time. There is a replica of the aircraft that is based in the US and I saw that at Oshkosh one year. However, it was this year that I finally saw it flying. It is a very elegant looking aircraft and one with a fair turn of speed.

It performed during the Military Air Show that the Shuttleworth Trust held at their Old Warden Aerodrome. The sun was going in and out while it was up which was not ideal but still provided plenty of opportunities to get some shots. Various passes were made, and I was quite pleased with how it looked head on as it ran in towards the crowd. I should have more chances to photograph it this year so let’s see how we do.

Interesting Hull Shape on the Pilot Boat

Leave a Reply

I don’t know the proper term for it, but it is very common these days for large ships to have a bulbous extension to the bow just below the waterline. The first time I ever saw one was when, as a small kid, I had a kit of the QEII, but they are everywhere at this point. However, I haven’t really thought of them as a thing for small boats. While heading across the Solent, a pilot boat came zipping past us. Not only did it have such a hull shape, this one looked a little different to the average. I wonder how significant the benefits are and whether they are worth it for a vessel like this.

Bill’s Grand Caravan Takes a Spin

Leave a Reply

Boeing Field is home to a selection of aircraft belonging to one of the planets more wealthy individuals. The founder of a large software company has his biz jets and helicopters, but he also has a Grand Caravan on floats. In common with his other planes, the registration ends with WM. I have no idea whether he was onboard for this flight or whether it was a currency trip for the crew. It is a nice-looking Caravan (they look so much better on floats) and I guess I won’t be getting a chance to photograph it again for the foreseeable.

Sunset on the Windmill

Leave a Reply

Bembridge Windmill has made it into the blog recently, but it is back again. We had been to dinner at the Propellor Inn, and it has a view back towards the hill on which the windmill sits. The evening light was making the windmill look particularly attractive, so I annoyed Nancy and Mum by suggesting a quick trip by the windmill on the way back after dinner. They are very patient with me for some reason.

While they stayed in the car and chatted – presumably about how predictable I can be – I zipped around the windmill and got some shots. The warmth of the evening light really made the stonework look great. It was phone photos only and I suspect I shall try doing something there in a more planned way with my main cameras, but this would certainly do for now.

Pima the Following Day

Leave a Reply

A bit of a step back for today’s post. This one goes back to early ’24 when Mark and I were in Arizona. We had done a night shoot at the Pima museum the evening before courtesy of our friend Joe. We decided to head back during the following day to see everything in daylight. Despite being early in the year, the temperatures were pretty high and there was a limit to how much I could handle outside. I did get a few different subjects but then it was time to retreat to the hangars to get out of the sun.

The museum was more extensive than I recall from my original visit years ago. I don’t know whether the hangars had all been added since I last visited or I had just not realised what I was missing. Whatever the reason, there was plenty to see. The variety of exhibits is just amazing. Whether it is vintage fighters, old civil aircraft or widebody jets, there is something there for any speciality. The strength of the collection makes it possible for them to get all sorts of exhibits, and their space means that can be of any size. Recently, they have taken delivery of a Martin Mars flying boat, for example. No small task when you aren’t too close to any water!