I'm a lucky guy, no doubt, and I am thankful for it every day. Why? I got to meet my lovely wife in London two weeks ago for a holiday! And we met, and traveled, and saw things we'd always wanted to see, and had fun, and enjoyed each others' company, and just all in all had a fabulous time. The only thing we didn't seem to do was rest or relax. We moved, we did, we went, we saw, and just breathed it all in. Next trip we'll relax - too much to do this time!!
But more on all that later, along with some terrific photos we captured along the way. Sadly, the trip had to end with Dana going home to green hills, nice temperatures, and knee-high grass from all the rain at the house while she was away. I went the opposite way back to Saudi Arabia, where the temperature is about the same as when I left, but the wind shifted when I wasn't looking. Most of the year the wind blows from the west or north, bringing in dry desert air - it's very hot, but tolerable.
Every summer the wind shifts to come in from the east for several months, which blows heavy moist air right in off the Arabian Gulf. So the temp may still be 110 F, but with 30% humidity the heat index skyrockets. In a way, it's even worse after sunset, because the breeze dies down and the moisture just sits. Night before last I went to the gym while it was hot and sticky. I came out after sunset and it was like walking through sauna. When I got back to my room and checked the conditions it was 95 degrees and 71% humidity for a heat index of 127.
You can actually see it - the moisture makes a visible sheen in the air, just like the dust most of the year. At night the dust makes a halo around any light source, and drastically reduces visibility. Today, with a clear afternoon sky I could barely see a mile through the haze. Oh well, another adventure to deal with! :)
Last week when Dana and I were headed to London's Heathrow airport I saw, for the first time with my own eyes, the Concorde supersonic transport. I was amazed how small it was, although intellectually I knew it to be so. Still, in the age of giant airplanes carrying masses of people it was a surprise to see it. We were on a bus on our way to the international terminal and we drove a few hundred yards away from it. It was very sad to see it there, unmarked, unprotected, and seemingly forgotten - such a historic aircraft left out in the rain.
Later, taxiing to the runway for takeoff, I happened to glance out my window as the lovely form appeared below my airplanes wing. I turned my iPhone back on and managed to catch a shot before it disappeared out of view. I hope British Airways will put this jet on display somehow in the near future before all the paint is gone. Yesterday I happened across this article on the BBC website, so it's appropriate to share it with this photo!
In the aviation world British Airways, for many years the sole operator of Concorde, stood out due to their company call sign. It didn't matter if the BA plane was a small propjet or a monstrous 747, the call sign was "Speed Bird" in honor of the fastest commercial jet in history! I really can't explain why, but it always gave me a little thrill to hear that in the cockpit!
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130529-concorde-on-a-different-plane
But more on all that later, along with some terrific photos we captured along the way. Sadly, the trip had to end with Dana going home to green hills, nice temperatures, and knee-high grass from all the rain at the house while she was away. I went the opposite way back to Saudi Arabia, where the temperature is about the same as when I left, but the wind shifted when I wasn't looking. Most of the year the wind blows from the west or north, bringing in dry desert air - it's very hot, but tolerable.
Every summer the wind shifts to come in from the east for several months, which blows heavy moist air right in off the Arabian Gulf. So the temp may still be 110 F, but with 30% humidity the heat index skyrockets. In a way, it's even worse after sunset, because the breeze dies down and the moisture just sits. Night before last I went to the gym while it was hot and sticky. I came out after sunset and it was like walking through sauna. When I got back to my room and checked the conditions it was 95 degrees and 71% humidity for a heat index of 127.
You can actually see it - the moisture makes a visible sheen in the air, just like the dust most of the year. At night the dust makes a halo around any light source, and drastically reduces visibility. Today, with a clear afternoon sky I could barely see a mile through the haze. Oh well, another adventure to deal with! :)
Last week when Dana and I were headed to London's Heathrow airport I saw, for the first time with my own eyes, the Concorde supersonic transport. I was amazed how small it was, although intellectually I knew it to be so. Still, in the age of giant airplanes carrying masses of people it was a surprise to see it. We were on a bus on our way to the international terminal and we drove a few hundred yards away from it. It was very sad to see it there, unmarked, unprotected, and seemingly forgotten - such a historic aircraft left out in the rain.
Later, taxiing to the runway for takeoff, I happened to glance out my window as the lovely form appeared below my airplanes wing. I turned my iPhone back on and managed to catch a shot before it disappeared out of view. I hope British Airways will put this jet on display somehow in the near future before all the paint is gone. Yesterday I happened across this article on the BBC website, so it's appropriate to share it with this photo!
In the aviation world British Airways, for many years the sole operator of Concorde, stood out due to their company call sign. It didn't matter if the BA plane was a small propjet or a monstrous 747, the call sign was "Speed Bird" in honor of the fastest commercial jet in history! I really can't explain why, but it always gave me a little thrill to hear that in the cockpit!
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130529-concorde-on-a-different-plane
