We saw a commercial promoting tourism in Utah on the TV this evening. Of course, that induced a serious case of wanderlust in both of us. I dug out this photo of an arch in southern Utah near Moab. We can’t wait to get back to this ‘red dirt’ part of the world. Click image to enlarge.
It has been over sixty years since Verna’s Dad served in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed at Gibraltar in 1948 where Navy Patrol Squadron 26 had a detachment at the time.
The Cold War was fully in progress, and Dad’s Squadron was right in the thick of it all. He was a flight crew member and flew missions on the Navy version of the old B24 – the PB4Y-2 ‘Privateer.’ He flew missions all over the Mediterranean, Europe, the North Atlantic Ocean and back to the US for logistics and repairs.
Image: PB4Y-2 similar to ones in Dad’s squadron.
I did the research on his old squadron and brought him a package of information and history about VP-26, complete with pictures and the squadron patch seen above. That triggered a lot of old memories and discussions with Bill about his adventures in VP-26.
This mission statement is taken from the VP-26 Website:
Patrol Squadron VP-26, a member of Patrol Wing FIVE, is a Maritime Patrol Squadron with a worldwide theater of operations. Mission areas include: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASU), Command and Control Warfare (C2W), Command, Control, and Communications (CCC), Intelligence (INT), Mine Warfare (MIW), and Mobility (MOB). Although the “TRIDENTS” are homeported at U.S. (Naval Air Station) NAS Brunswick, Maine, their reputation is known throughout the world. The Tridents have demonstrated success in all of these tasks and in all the services performed, one thing remains constant: Team Trident is at the ready, supporting the mission… Anytime… Anywhere!
I downloaded the history file that I found on the VP-26 website and have made it available here in case you want to read about Dad’s old squadron. Click here for the Complete VP-26 History (PDF).
I am always looking for photo ops when I take my after-lunch walk. Last week this UPS Freight Truck was parked behind the Movie Studios. I stood about thirty feet away from the truck with the sun at my back and snapped a pair of images to be converted to a 3D image.
You can see the studio buildings beyond the truck. Click the image to enlarge.
As always, if you don’t have your 3D glasses yet, you can see the image in 2D here.
Much of the winter and early spring the weather and our recently busy schedule have kept us off of the backyard swing. Now, as milder weather approaches, we’re spending more time relaxing on the swing. I usually bring the laptop computer to the swing and Verna often brings out her favorite reading material. I recently ordered a 9-inch notebook computer for Verna, so she can use it when we head out to the swing.
UPDATE: This Arrived Today!!
I did not actually take an aerial photo of Portuguese Bend to get this 3D image, although it would be possible from a moving aircraft. Rather, I made it from a pair of screen captures using Google Earth to view the terrain along the southern coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I took each captured image from a slightly different vantage point by moving the image laterally.
I think this image gives a pretty good 3D relief map of the Portuguese Bend area (click image for larger view). If you don’t have your 3D Glasses, you can see the image in 2D here.
If you don’t have Google Earth, you should get it. You can do a lot more with it than making nerdy 3D images.
In the past, I made Google Earth 3D images of several other locations:
Santa Catalina Airport in the Sky
Mount Whitney
Mount St. Helens
Grand Canyon Village
A friend and colleague at work sent me these pictures of funny architectural and engineering flubs. Click on the triangle to start the slide show . . .
