Fluid Dynamics

Fog Wake
Copyright 2007 V1VrV2

I love looking down from the cockpit and seeing old things in a new way, or seeing things that are totally beyond the realm of the ground-bound. A recent example is this morning view of the cooling towers at Pennsylvania's Limerick nuclear plant. The wind is blowing out of the west, and we're looking "upstream." The ground fog is flowing past the towers just like a stream flowing past a pair of rocks. Even the downstream ripples caused by the obstructions are identical to ripples made of water.

The closer you look at the world, the more you see. Don't forget to look around once in a while.

A Change of Course

Change of Course
Copyright 2008, V1VrV2

It is the ultimate irony faced by Always-in-Control pilots: You cannot plan the details of your own life, any more than you can plan to have good weather on a certain day. Even though you might have a carefully-constructed flight plan, with all the known variables accounted for, you will always be subject to the whims of weather, Air Traffic Controllers, other traffic, and circumstance. There are always re-routes.

When I began this blog, I had planned to write entries and post photos a couple times each week. No deadlines, no pressure, but semi-regularly. It worked for a while. Then life began getting in the way. Life, with all its wondrous opportunities, has kept me furiously busy. In the process, I feel like I've been getting better, stronger, wiser, and more whole. The only unfortunate part is that in pursuing all these endeavors, I'm left with little or no time to write about it all.

My personal change of course might mean cutting back on writing for a while. I promise to continue posting photos and thoughts when the mood strikes, but it might not be as often as before -- at least for little while. I have lots of thoughts to share, and lots of photos. I'll just be doling them out a little less often. Thanks for understanding.