Wednesday, March 21, 2007

The A-380...

Now that's a big 'Ta-Ta!' (For those of you who don't know, 'ta-ta' is Jonah's word for airplane.)
Our most recent family adventure consisted of a trip to LAX to watch the A-380 take off for its return flight to France. It was history-making in the process, as this was its first time ever taking off in Los Angeles, and there were lots of people there to witness the event (from those who were trying to capture a picture of the plane with a cell phone camera to those who had a zoom lens that was more than a foot long. Generally speaking, those there with the biggest cameras also had several handheld radios tuned in to various frequencies that broadcast the exact second the plane would take off, at what speed, at what angle, and at what exact spot it would make its "rotation." As amateur planespotting enthusiasts, we fell somewhere in the middle of these extremes).
Though the historical significance was lost on Jonah (he was equally interested in eating his Cinnamon Toast Crunch because the takeoff time also happened to be his dinnertime), the plane itself was impressive. With its tail reaching 8 stories into the air, it could be seen clear from the opposite end of the airport. It dwarfed the other planes there, as you can see in some of the pics below:




Spring

Yesterday was the first day of spring. I enjoy all the seasons, but here are some things I particularly like about spring:

1) The days get longer! More sunlight and more time outdoors!

2) Picnics at the park.

3) Trees in blossom.

4) The fresh smell in the air.

5) Cheaper prices and more variety in the produce section of the grocery store, which mean more salads and sandwiches for dinner.

6) Even better--buying fresh produce from stands on the side of a country road! We can polish off a whole flat of strawberries with no problem. Yummm

7) Good weather to spend a day at the beach.

8) Newness of life. This year I think we will have a special treat--there is a pair of love birds on our patio. We haven't found their nest yet, but it has to be close by, because they always keep a close eye on us when we pass. Hopefully we'll get to see some Little Chicks at some point this season.

9) Scheming about summer plans. We usually enjoy a few camping trips or road trips during the course of the summer, and the planning usually starts right about this time of year. Not sure what this summer will hold in terms of family trips, but they will probably be day trips to accomodate a toddler and a newborn.
In honor of spring, please enjoy these pictures taken of our recent picnic in the park. We went to Balboa Park to see the cherry trees in bloom. We enjoyed a wonderful chopped steak salad (with lots of fresh produce) and we stayed later than usual because the day was longer.