Sharing the world through my lens.
The tides are changing constantly as you watch them. The water may be getting higher or receding. The waves look different each time as they pound the beach.
This is much like life itself. A constant evolution of change and uncertainty. But like the tides, life ebbs and flows and you eventually learn how to anticipate and manage things.
My first visit to St. Augustine, Florida. A beautiful and historic city on the eastern coast of north Florida. The sun came out late this afternoon following a day of clouds and rain.
I went to historic Falcon Field at Mesa Arizona recently to take part in an aviation air to air photography class taught by Moose Peterson. Moose is absolutely one of the top aviation photographers in the industry today. We went through the critical requirements of safety, how to plan an air to air mission, conduct a pilot briefing, etc.
It was an incredible experience.
I had the opportunity to visit the Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona. Having woke up that morning in New Mexico to a fresh five inch snowfall, I wondered what the park might look like. It was heavily overcast morning on the drive and upon arrival at the park. The snow was still standing at the park, but was melting rapidly as the temperatures increased. The park did not disappoint, as the colors in the hills and mountains were stunning.
Many people think of other national parks in Arizona to visit, but I highly recommend visiting the Petrified Forest. You can enter the north end of the park, just off I-40. There is an excellent loop road that you drive upon with many stops along with way to see the magnificent views.
More information can be found at https://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm.
I am always amazed at the engineering and workmanship that went into the creation of the American lock and dam system. This dam holds back the Tennessee River as it flows towards the Ohio River. This dam created Lake Barkley and for over 80 years has provided flood control, power, recreational opportunities and conservation.
I saw my first ever comet tonight the Twuchinshan-ATLAS over Lake Barkley in Kentucky. It was an amazing sight to see as it just appeared to float over the horizon for almost 45 minutes. There were a number of other people at the Lake Barkley Bridge at the Land Between the Lakes to watch the comet.
The Royal Canadian Air Force is celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2024 and is flying around North America to help promote the strong heritage and legacy of the Royal Canadian Air Force. One of their stops was the Wings Over the Wabash Airshow at Robinson, Illinois. The F-18 Raptor demonstration team put on an amazing air display in their F-18 flown by Captain Caleb “Tango” Robert that has a special paint scheme this year to honor the Canadian AF.
You can learn more about the Royal Canadian Airforce at https://forces.ca/en/about-us/air.
I was at Wings Over the Wabash Airshow at Crawford County Airport near Robinson, Illinois. About a year ago a tornado hit this small rural airport and wiped out numerous structures and damaged many aircraft. Since that time the airport has rebuilt a hangar and is open again for business.
This was the first airshow in a number of years and it was great to see the crowd turnout.
This show featured the USAF A-10 Demonstration Team. The Air Force has decided to retire the A-10 from the airshow circuit so this was one of the very last show the team is making an appearance at.
This A-10 was piloted by Major Lindsay “Mad” Johnson and is based at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona. Mad is a fantastic pilot who put on a great show.
One of the special places in the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) is the Elk and Bison Prairie. This is place where both Elk and Bison have been reintroduced to the LBL. Both were native species before being hunted to extinction as settlers moved into the area and Native Americans were moved out. This particular piece of the LBL is fenced off and gives the Elk, Bison and other species, hundreds of acres to roam freely. Visitors are welcome and you can drive through the prairie to catch a glimpse of the critters.
More information can be found at: https://landbetweenthelakes.us/elkandbisonprarie
Big Boy is a 1941 seam engine operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. It was in service from 1941-1961 and accumulated over 1,000,000 miles of operations. It was then retired from active service. The engine was eventually restored by the RailGiants Museum in southern California. It was then fully restored to active service and today helps keep alive the history of the railway industry.
Big Boy is currently taking a tour across the midwest and came through the St. Joseph, Illinois area.
Gregory Knott - Why Knott Media 