California

USS Ronald Reagan Shipping Out Today

Godspeed to the officers and crew of the USS Ronald Reagan as they deploy from San Diego today. The Navyâ€™s newest aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), is scheduled to deploy today on a mission “in support of the War on Terror.” Greater than 5000 crew members aboard will participate in the mission.

The Reagan recently deployed on training exercise JTFEX 06-2 Dec. 7-15 off the coast of Southern California. The training was designed to be a realistic exercise in real-world operations and the operational challenges faced by U.S. forces in cooperation with coalition militaries.

The exercise was the final step in preparing the Ronald Reagan Strike Group for its upcoming deployment and will test the groupâ€™s ability to plan and execute alongside other U.S. and coalition forces in a complex, hostile warfighting environment.

Damsel and I wish the USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group a safe and successful mission.

Damsel Sends You a Catalina Cruise

Well, at least a picture of one. I shot this while en route from Avalon to San Pedro on the Island Express helicopter. In the background, you can see Avalon, the Harbor and the famous Casino. Later on this flight, we encountered a pod of dolphins jumping out of the ocean about mid-channel. It was a wonderful adventure!

03 Jan 2006 by Damsel California Photography Travel

Raining on Your Parade

We’re live blogging the Rose Parade on TV this morning. The wind is whipping outside and rain is pelting the windows here. About thirty miles away in Pasadena, the parade is on schedule and the people watching and the ones in the parade are carrying on – mostly as if nothing unusual is happening. Rain slickers and umbrellas notwithstanding, they all seem to be enjoying the parade. One exception may have been a peregrine falcon riding on the float in the picture; his feathers looked waterlogged as his head nervously darted from side to side as though he were ready to find a roost in one of the trees along Colorado Boulevard.

The storm is expected to dump up to eight inches of rain in the Southland today. It’s probably a good thing that the Rose Bowl isn’t being played until Wednesday evening, when clear weather is forecast. (GO TROJANS!)

02 Jan 2006 by CapnBob California Environment

Damsel Sends You a Yellow Submarine

Glass bottom boats made Catalina Island famous. From one of these, you can view the colorful fish and marine plants in Lover’s Cove Marine Preserve, just east of Avalon Harbor. This shot was snapped last September as the yellow semi-submersible Nautilus passed our glass-bottom boat, the Sea View.