HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL from the AIR

Airports just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger. The amount of real estate they take up is immense. What seems to be incredible is that when we change planes on a 45 minute turn, we usually end up having to go (walk) from one end of the terminal to the other. You can see from this photo of Houston Intercontinental Airport, that we have a LONG walk ahead of us. What's even more incredible is the number of pilots we have that are out of shape in spite of these long brisk walks...........;-) Maybe they should call them "workout ports" since we do see a lot of crew members and passengers running to their gates............ (Can you spot the KLM B747 in the picture????) Click on the photo to enlarge it.

CLEAR WATER IN ST JOHNS

A while back I flew to St Johns, Newfoundland. Upon departing we flew over some incredibly clear water............as you can see from the photo. We're passing through 10,000 feet, yet it seems you can see several hundred feet into the water. I imagine the diving has to be spectacular (if you can stand the cold), especially if you can see that deep from 2 miles up. It's nice to see uncluttered oceans and waterways still exist.

EMPTY BEACHES

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything. Just got back from being on the road for seven LONG days..........red-eyes and cross country flying.............and it's wearing me out! Was in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, (PUJ) and got a few shots of some gorgeous beaches. The resort we stay at is practically empty. Yes, those few folks out in the water are just about all that's there! The photo says it all...................... Hard to believe there's NEVER anyone at this 5 star resort. Nice..........but desolate. Personally, I prefer my favorite......St. Maarten! Hopefully I'll get back their soon.

OLD TIME AIR CONDITIONING for PLANES

During my recent turn to Nassau, Bahamas (NAS), I got to see an "old time" air conditioning truck parked next to our plane. The air came from a large trailer towed behind the truck, but the air actually went through a large nozzle that ran through the main cab of the truck! Can you imagine how loud this must be? This old vehicle appears to be from the 60's or so, but is still in use. Guess they don't make air conditioning trucks like they used to!!!

LEAVING THE SUN BEHIND

Sometimes when I'm out flying, I think of different shots that would make "interesting" photos. Here's a picture I took recently when we were flying an evening trip from the west coast to the east coast. With the sun setting and night approaching in front of us, we just happened to be in the right spot for an interesting picture. At least I thought it was....... Too bad I couldn't open the window at 35,000 feet.............then it would have been a GREAT shot.....LOL

FOSSIL DRILLER

While visiting the Natural History Museum in Washington, DC, I meandered over to the area where they work on fossils. They had two ladies with super small "jackhammers" working on "releasing" the fossil that was lodged in the rock. I watch for about five minutes and thought these volunteers must be REALLY into this kind of work because it is SLOW and TEDIOUS. I guess the results must be terribly satisfying though.............seeing a dinosaur bone "come to life" before you must be a real thrill. I think I'll stick to flying....:-)