Whales and Osprey

One day last week, we headed out with H & M on a 3-hr. whale watching excursion. It was a cool morning and the people on the boat were as interesting as the sights we hoped to see. We chatted with a couple from England and another from Germany. All shared high expectations to see whales. We headed towards Mexican waters and were not successful in the first hour. Then some fisherman told the captain about a sighting just off off Point Loma and we turned around. It wasn't long before we were seeing "spouts".

We saw some "whale tale" but I really wasn't successful in getting any good pictures so you will have to use your imagination. As the sightings increased, it fun to watch the battle between the big ships (like the Hornblower) and us little guys; once again, it proved best to be on the smaller more mobile boat from H & M.

Doug and Lael and Mike and I enjoyed the cruise, the people, the whale sightings. And the other boats in the harbor.

When we got back to shore, we headed to Pt. Loma Seafood for a wonderful meal of fresh shrimp, crab and fillets. It was a great day!

And then on Saturday, we had the privilege of watching the Naval Aviation's Parade of Flight in celebration of 100 years of service.
By this time, I had purchased a new camera and was very happy with its ability to capture planes in flight. So you have probably guessed that the Osprey I review to in the post's title is not the bird, but rather the plane.

The event began with Navy Seals carrying the flag to the Stennis, an aircraft carrier where visiting dignitaries watched the events of the afternoon.
And then the Blue Angels did a fly over... what a simple sentence for what was a magnificent experience.

There were older planes used in previous wars

and more modern ones.

There were planes that flew alone

and those that flew in tightly controlled patterns.


And then came the Osprey. What a remarkable plane. It can virtually stand still and this skill was demonstrated over a dirigible just off the deck of the USS Midway.

I can't remember the name of this monster but I know it is a modern creature.


The horde of helicopters was impressive; Mike says each one was a little different in design.

And of course, coming over The Coronado Bridge made for a very impressive entrance for all the planes. For two hours, the air was filled with planes of all shapes and sizes and eras.

The Coast Guard demonstrated a rescue. Note the red flare in the background.

The flare is spotted by the Guard and a man is lowered to perform the rescue.

And soon two men are hoisted up to the aircraft. Hundreds of these rescues are done every year along the beaches in California.

Check out this midair refueling of the helicopters.

Even though I didn't know much about any of the aircraft that I saw during the day, I was still very impressed by the maneuvers and precision. The sun was shining, the air was warm and filled with "big birds", and our lawn chairs were close to the bay - not a bad way to spend a Saturday.