Another Trip Down Memory Lane

 

Here is another very old photograph that brings back pleasant memories.  This photo was taken in the summer of 1985 on my very first trip to Europe.  The first stop was London and while walking along the streets near my hotel which was close to Hyde Park, I caught sight of a blacksmith at work. What a surprise that was seeing someone shoeing horses in the middle of a very big city.  I remember the hotel was called Royal Eagle and it was on Craven Road but I don't know this exact location. It could be Bathurst Mews judging from a few photos I found on a Google search.

Today this would be gentrified and full of expensive flats.

 I thought this old photo was a perfect candidate for some artistic expression.  A little photo editing magic and it looks like an artist's sketch.

Oh What Memories!

 

This photo sums up a unique experience perfectly.  It was taken in 1986 in Vancouver Canada.  Here's the story behind this image.  In the summer of 1986 I and a few others attended a national conference in Seattle Washington.  None of us had ever been to a world expo and the 1986 World Expo was taking place in Vancouver.  We decided to add a visit there after the conference.  We asked a local travel agent to find us tickets and accommodations.  Because the event was so popular, the agent was having trouble finding a hotel but finally found cabins available on two decommissioned ships that had been put into use to accommodate the needs of tourists.  What we didn't know was that the ships had been decommissioned some 20 to 30 years ago.  The doorway above leads to our cabin which was about the size of my current walk-in closet.  It had two bunkbeds and the person in the top bunk could not sit up without bumping the ceiling.  We were only there for two nights so we just made it work and it gave us something to laugh about to this day.  

I remember taking this photo of the broken deck chairs thinking that it summed up our "cruise ship" experience perfectly.  

The colors had started fading on this photo before I got it scanned for preservation. 

The Thunderbirds

 

Remember those old slides I found last summer that I scanned?  Here are three more.  These slides didn't have dates on them which is surprising but I'm guessing these were taken in the late 70's.

I was working in banking back then and was a member of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.  I served on the Military Affairs committee which worked as a liaison between the city and Williams Air Force base on the edge of town.  Consequently, I was always invited to special events on the base.  

If I remember correctly, this was a semiannual event where the Thunderbird flying team came to the base for an impressive show of their precision flying skills.  Serving on that committee was so much fun.  You would not believe all the things I got to do and see.  Sadly, the base was closed in 1993.  We only have one Air Force base left in the vicinity.  Luke Air Force Base is way over on the far west side of the valley.

Fabulous Dinner Party

My good friend David had a fabulous dinner party Saturday night.  The food was fantastic, the wine exceptional, and the company wonderful.  He sets a great table, doesn't he?

One of Life's Highlights

Today, I'm posting an old photo from before digital photography.  Years ago, I had a unique opportunity to fly on a military refueling mission high above northern Arizona.  During the trip I was invited to actually join the refueling technician in the belly of the plane, flat on my stomach next to her (yes, it was a woman controlling that arm) so I could take the above photo.  I have prized this photo ever since.  It was a wonderful opportunity to see our military men and women at work and to see something that only a very few people ever get to see.
I was doing some work to reorganize my photos on to the new Macbook when I came across this old photo and thought it would be a fun photo to share with you all.  I've had some very unique experiences in my life and with a little luck, I have many more to come.