Some things are better left unsaid

(I’m currently on a plane, en route to Florida for the STS-134 NASA Tweetup.)

A British couple behind me are looking out the window and ask a flight attendant if that’s the Grand Canyon below us and to our left. She says yes, so I look out and see that it’s actually Valley of the Gods in Southern Utah (neeeeerd). I turn around to say something, right as the husband says, “Oh, that is so great! I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon!”

Alright then. Just smile and turn around, Dave. 🙂

Good grief, we geologists can (nearly) be assholes sometimes!

They’re back!

blue_angels_2.jpg

blue_angels.jpg

It’s Fleet Week 2010 here in San Francisco. And so begins four days of jets flying over San Francisco, to the excitement of some and the ire of others!

I took this photo from the top of our office building in SOMA today with a Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 lens. The thing weighs more than I do.

Looking forward to scoring some more ridiculous shots with it.

Tanker 910

Tanker 910

Earlier this week, my parents took some photos of Tanker 910 flying over their house while fighting a fire near their home. Tanker 910 is a converted DC-10 that is specifically equipped to drop fire retardant.

Here is video of Tanker 910 making drops near another fire near my parents’ house earlier this month:

And here is another great video of Tanker 910 making a drop in 2007:

Here are a few more photos of this beautiful aircraft flying by my parents’ house this week:

Tanker 910


Tanker 910


Tanker 910