Memory Monday revisited, Week 8
This post was originally published as Memory Monday, Week 78, in July 2018. This week I have a gallery of some of the Mustangs based at Johnson Air Base in 1950.
Roadside scenery
I really enjoy sharing the driving duties when the Big Guy and I take a road trip, but unless I pull over and stop every time I see something interesting — not an idea that would go over well with my travel companion — I wind up missing the chance to photograph a lot of cool stuff. Here are a […]
Memory Monday revisited, Week 7
This post was originally published as Memory Monday, Week 77, in July 2018. I’ve found plenty of photos of P-51 Mustangs in my dad’s collection; some of them, like The Trio, appear over and over. I’m sure there are great stories behind every one of these ships, and someone familiar with the marks and insignias might be able to read some of them. Note the World War 2 “kill” decals and the Cobra in the Clouds insignia on one of the planes below.
Memory Monday revisited, Week 6
This post was original published as Memory Monday, Week 76, on July 23, 2018. Typing “39th Fighter Squadron” into Google gets me a lot of information about the squadron’s history in World War 2 and Korea, mostly focused on the pilots who flew missions over hostile territory. But I don’t find too much about the hard-working ground crews who maintained the planes so they would return safely to base after the day’s job was done. My dad’s photo collection focuses mainly on his fellow flight mechanics, and of course the planes they constantly took apart and put back together.
Monastery stones
On my most recent trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly the Strybing Arboretum) last August I discovered a fascinating bit of history just along the southeast edge near the main gate. Tucked behind the library, there is a quiet little patio surrounded by a collection of medieval stone blocks. These stones have traveled a very long way from […]
The Adventure Continues… Abalone
Last Wednesday I featured an episode of California’s Gold that included a short segment on abalone diving in Northern California; it was only after I’d completed the post that I realized there was an entire half-hour episode from 1999 on the same topic, delving deeper into the history of abalone and its role in California culture. It’s packed with great […]
Memory Monday revisited, Week 5
This post was original published as Memory Monday, Week 75, on July 16, 2018. This week, I’m starting in on the photos of my dad’s fellow servicemen — although unfortunately he didn’t record their names anywhere. And some of the prints are really tiny, like 2 x 2.75 inches. The majority though are 3.25 x 2.75 inches or 4.25 x 3 inches in size. Makes me remember how far print photography has come even during my lifetime! It’s great seeing images of the servicemen interacting with very happy local kids, especially considering that a mere 5 years earlier, our countries were at war with each other. Next week, I’ll have more posed photos like the ones below; again, I can’t identify these guys, but I’m sure they were excellent young servicemen!
The Adventure Continues… Beach Traditions
This episode of California’s Gold from 2003 is a new one for me; but I just had to share it this week for a few reasons. One is that I actually remember the tail end of the glory days of abalone. In fact, I may have even been lucky enough to taste it on one of my family’s trips to […]
Memory Monday revisited, Week 4
This post was originally posted as Memory Monday, Week 74, on July 9, 2018. This week, a series of images from 1951 showing troops and planes on review for General Hutchison (or Hutchinson), the commanding officer of Johnson Air Base (now Iruma Air Base), Japan.