Adventure in the Sky

So, one of my very best friends (who just happens to also be my ex-husband) was in town for a visit. He is a private pilot, so he flew his plane up from NC…..he actually flew from NC to the big annual airshow in Oshkosh, WI for a week and then stopped in here for a few days before returning home this morning. While he was here, he was giving friends rides in his plane…..like he usually does when he’s up here with the plane….and I asked him if he would have one of his passengers use his phone to get an aerial photo of my house. He suggested I use my Nikon to get the photos myself! Well, I am not a fan of small planes, but I trust him and his experience flying, so I sucked it up and agreed to go up with him…..first time in his current light sport model plane. OMG – it was GREAT! The flight was smooth and I didn’t get at all queasy or nervous and I had a BLAST! We not only flew over my house, we flew all over the county taking photos!

I can tell you that is isn’t as easy as it sounds to get aerial shots…….things look very different from 800+ feet in the air and it is difficult to pick out what you’re looking for with trees and other obstacles through a lens – especially if using a zoom lens! I quickly decided to just put it on “action” mode and just keep shooting and sort out what I got when I download them! I ended up with 250 photos……most of which were not that great, but I got some really awesome photos in the mix and some pretty decent gems, as well!

So — here are the ones I decided were good enough to share:

Ron’s plane

Pre-flight check

Gassing her up!

All strapped in and ready to go….

Captain Ron

Downtown Albion, NY

Downtown Albion, NY

My house

My house

My house (center)…..we flew over my house several times – I couldn’t pick out my own house from the air! hahaha

Albion Central Schools

Albion Central Schools

Mount Albion Cemetery…..see the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Tower sticking up out of the trees?

Cobblestone School on Ridge Rd, Childs – part of the Cobblestone Museum Complex

Cobblestone Church and Ward House (right), Ridge Rd, Childs – part of the Cobblestone Museum Complex

Historic Tillman’s Village Inn Restaurant – corner Rt 98 and Rt 104 in Childs

Bridge over Marsh Creek at Point Breeze, Kent, NY

There used to be TWO bridges over Marsh Creek – one has been removed (see near center of photo – road now leads up to the creek on both sides, but doesn’t cross over it)

Approaching Point Breeze – Oak Orchard River meets Lake Ontario

Boats docked along Oak Orchard River near the Parkway overpass

Point Breeze

Mouth of the Oak Orchard River and Lake Ontario

The break walls with a sail boat headed out to the lake

The lighthouse is hard to see from this direction because of the trees – it is just to the right behind the sail boat

Approaching Point Breeze from the other direction

I am disappointed that all the lighthouse shots from this side were blurry…..but, I did get two fairly decent shots, so I am including them

Lake Alice, Waterport, NY

Lake Alice, Waterport, NY

Lake Alice, Waterport, NY

I love this shot of the Allen Bridge Rd bridge over the Erie Canal (looking towards Eagle Harbor) — it is a perfect example of how the canal winds its way through the state

The home we grew up in – formerly my Mom’s home – now, my brother’s home!

Canal bridge over Gaines Basin Road

Another canal bridge

The HUMONGOUS flag that flies on Ridge Rd just west of Murray

Kendall, NY school and downtown Kendall

Bald Eagle Marina, Kendall, NY

Lake Ontario shore at Kendall, NY

Lake Ontario shoreline and the Parkway (seaway trail)

Lake Ontario shoreline

Intergrow is a hydroponic tomato growing facility on Rt 98 north of Rt 104. It is a HUGE facility that keeps expanding. But, it is difficult to tell exactly how big it is from the street level. I saw it off in the distance and the sight of how large it really is took my breath away!!!

The Intergrow facility is massive…..to say the least!!!

So, there it is, folks…….over an hour of flying around the Albion, Childs, Kent, and Kendall areas of the county! I am so happy to have had this adventure and experience and to have the photos to remember it with! Next time Ron comes up for a visit, I won’t be so reluctant to go up for a view with a different perspective!