I went to a Remote Control Aircraft Park, airport really, last week. Flight commencement was supposed to start about 9am, but like JFK Airport, there were delays. 
I was restricted from getting a vantage point that would have eased the sun's morning angle in my face, so I made the best of it. An hour of roasting in the morning rays were about all I could handle, but it was quite the sight to see there on the tarmac. Scaled down versions of some classic aircraft, and most all of them would fly. There were even a few experimentals, 
like this powered hang glider, whose creator said he had about 500 hours in building it. Some had sponsors, and some did not. 
Or perhaps they just liked beer and put the name on it anyway. In any event, it was a beautiful display of dedication and workmanship on their part. The crowd was electric with excitement for the first flights. Some were prepared for the morning glare as evidenced by my friend's son.
September 2007 Archives
Antarctica's melting ice documented by NASA imagery. Also a graph of the loss of sea ice in the Arctic is here.
Think how your life would be without the machine that you are now reading this note. Many places in the world don't have any sort of telecommunications. They are being left behind by the rest of the world. Here is a chance to share it.
Buy a Laptop for a Child, Get Another Laptop for Free
For every friend of mine that participates, or splits one with another friend, I will contribute an 8"x10" print as well (my choice!, you'll like it).
Time to give back folks....
ps. I have blatantly copied the image of the XO COMPUTER from http://www.dexigner.com/design_news/8357.html and will remove it if asked. However I have abused the Copyright here only to promote it.
It's one of those things. I can't get enough. I committed today for another swim in the deep south. This adventure is a long way off, and I anticipate planning extensively. The last trip I did with just 10 days notice. Only upon my return I thought of 1000 things I wish I had done. Item #1: book early when you can. I'll have some more updates on this as the departure gets closer. I am in cabin 414.
I am finally back in Austin, Texas.
So I thought I would add just a few more images from the Las Vegas journey. The long road shot was through the windshield in the heat of the day in West Texas. The sunset was also through the windshield at 80 miles per hour. After two nights of rest in Ruidoso, NM at my friend's home,
I caught sight of the start of the large motorcycle rally that began to filter into town. Hundreds of these roaring machines were on their way to this small town, but that was days away.
Next we crossed the Hoover Dam, going and coming. In fact on the return leg we stopped for the full tour. I asked the older gentleman who appeared in his uniform to be the back-up-guard at the security check point if anything had changed in the 35 years since I last took the tour.
He perhaps had a arthritic neck as he slowly turned to me in his chair and he broke into a wry smile "well, the people are older." It was on 9/11 we made this visit. 
Generators that feed 1,000,000 people. Lake Meade is visibly lower, year seven of the drought. In another few years the original turbines will have to be replaced with ones that can run on less "head" pressure as the lake empties. Demands on the Colorado River are just too great to retain enough water to keep the lake full. Allocations to adjoining states exceed the natural volume of the river.
While in Las Vegas we visited downtown one night, off the "strip" of the mega casinos. 
It was the land of the older Las Vegas that has been somewhat overlooked. Many of the vintage neon signs are on display on Fremont Street.
Photoshop World was over today. I saw several familiar faces, met a few new folks, and learned a few new things. Curiously most of what I learned this time was about video. Time Lapse.... and it really looks fun in Photoshop to export SLR images to HD video. Can't wait to try it. Meanwhile, I have set my sights high, and these instruments I saw on the trip here are the tools to do just that. The Very Large Array, west of Socorro, New Mexico.
Tomorrow morning I depart for Photoshop World. A journey to let me explore my creative side in new ways. I am always ready to embrace them. The image at the left was my pilot on a balloon ride in Snowmass Village, Colorado in 1995. As the sun rose, I asked her to go to the far side of the balloon and express to me how she felt. She loves ballooning.
I was looking for another image and stumbled on five images that I had not stitched from the Iceland trip. It is now in the Iceland Travel Gallery. I call it YELLOW CONTEMPLATING BLUE (the tourist in the yellow hood is staring at the blue berg bit). A nice discovery for me and him.
Speaking of discoveries, my Iceland travel pal, is now in Fairbanks, Alaska heading north. Steve Ginn writes about it here. Steve has now been to Antarctica (almost 66 degrees south), to Iceland (above 66 degees north) and now to Alaska, and above the 67th latitude. All in one year. Having done 2/3rds of that with him, it is a huge effort. I expect to see a lot of great images from him this winter.
