Archive for 2007

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Thwack! The Blue Heron Hunts

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

We saw a Great Blue Heron hunting on the far side of the Great Meadow, so I took my Nikon D200 with its new 18-200mm lens and walked across the field to take pictures. As I approached, the heron took flight, and I snapped away as the bird flew toward me.

Blue Heron in Flight

When I walked back to the Pickleweed picnic area, Bruce pointed out that the heron had landed near the road. I decided to try to get some more pictures and sneaked over to the far side of the road, keeping my distance in the shade of some trees.

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Posted in Baylands | 5 Comments »

Seduced by Boats: How We Lost Bob

Sunday, December 9th, 2007

Bob Unloading

Bob Schleimer is telling me how he got involved in boats. “I moved to Fremont in 1980,” he says. “I had a garage full of planes because I’d been flying since I was 12 years old.

“A neighbor comes by one day, sees the planes and says, ‘Hey, man. You’ve got to get a boat so we can race!’

“He was building a boat at the time. I say, ‘No—I’m just interested in planes.’ But he persists, and he drags me to the hobby store where he bought his boat.

“Next thing I know, I’ve spent about a thousand dollars and I own all the stuff you need to race boats, including a monohull boat with a .21 engine.

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Posted in Elsewhere | 6 Comments »

Return of Pickleweed Red

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

Free from the Box!

Wednesday brought early morning rain, but by 10:30 the rain clouds had moved on, leaving a gray sky with occasional patches of blue.

It was a good day to fly: not much wind, relatively warm and I had Baylands mostly to myself for the morning. Mike Bigby came by for a while and flew his HyperFlea. Not what I’d call a crowd.

Four batteries later, I decided to walk around the park while my charger did its stuff. Midway around the circuit, I heard honking and looked around. It was Gary in his olive truck, entering the park.

“Are they still planning to release Pickleweed Red?” I asked.

He said yes, at 1 p.m. In about 45 minutes.

“I’m finishing my walk,” I told him. “See you in about 15 minutes.”

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Posted in Baylands | 4 Comments »

One Dozen Ideas for a Better Transmitter

Saturday, December 1st, 2007

Transmitter

Every year, computers, phones, toys and gadgets get smarter, more capable and more functional. Why are our radio control transmitters so funky?

Most are decked out in silvery plastic with lots of unnecessary ridges, textures and ornamentation, like 1950s cars.

Generally, their screens are small and not particularly legible. Most require using switches to type labels and adjust settings. And they have limited memory.

Their designers seem oblivious to the fact that flyers have access to computers with much larger and better screens, ample data storage and interface niceties such as mice and keyboards.

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Posted in Elsewhere | 6 Comments »

The Nature of Our Addiction

Saturday, November 24th, 2007

Michael Stewart

Some guys like speed. Their idea of a good time is a flash in the sky, a roar between the ears, a rush of adrenalin, a high number.

When they crash, they come down hard.

Their flights are short but they don’t care. They’re in love with the hurry.

Others like it slow. Their flights are quiet. They last a while.

Some weave patterns in the sky, getting off on precision. Their lines don’t rise, droop or sag. Their squares and circles are pure Plato.

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Posted in Baylands | 5 Comments »

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