Air Force One!

We were down at the airport yesterday, shipping some orders, at about the time that President Obama's plane was due to land. The President was coming to Portland to visit the Intel facility in Hillsboro.

We wanted to see the plane land, but soon realized that we were at the wrong end of the airport (air traffic was coming in from the west; we were at the east end of the runway). So, we hurried to the other side of the airport, hoping that there would be a place that we could stop and have a good view, but not really knowing the area.

When we saw a group of cars stopped at the side of the road, we figured that they must know something. We had no sooner parked and gotten out of the car when, there it was, massive Air Force One, heading straight at us. It looked so low, it really looked like it was going to land on us!

What a sight! The whole experience lasted less than a minute, but it was really spectacular. Somehow, with no time whatsoever to prepare and no idea what to expect or where to set up, Yvonne managed to get the above shots.

The Tulips Are Sprouting!

While much of the country is blanketed in snow and ice, here in the Pacific Northwest our Spring-blooming plants are popping up out of the ground and thriving in the mild temperatures. Seeing the foliage of daffodils and tulips everywhere, it isn't hard to imagine the spectacular scene that's just around the corner at places like the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon, just south of Portland.