San Diego Air and Space Museum

San Diego has had something for more than 70 years that I have often wished Los Angeles had. A dedicated and comprehensive Air and Space Museum. San Diego has been the site of significant aviation milestones and events. In addition to being considered the home of naval aviation, it also was home to Ryan aircraft which was probably best known for helping to design and build the Spirit of St. Louis for Charles Lindberg's solo trans-Atlantic flight. 

Los Angeles also has a long history of participation in aviation and space flight. Lockheed's Skunk Works developed the first jet fighter, the first stealth aircraft, and the fastest manned aircraft. The North American company developed the Apollo command and service modules that took the first men to the moon as well as the space shuttle. McDonnell Douglas both designed and built passenger airliners in Los Angeles County for decades. 

Despite this impressive history, Los Angeles has never had a comprehensive air and space museum. There was once a small museum, but the exhibits were merged into a much larger science center. It seems the desire for a dedicated museum does not currently exist. The California Science Center is building a museum extension to house its collection of aircraft and spacecraft including the Space Shuttle Endeavour. It will probably be many years until this extension will open to the public.

For this reason and others, I love visiting the San Diego Museum. The entrance features two aircraft. The Convair F2Y Sea Dart and the A12 Mach 3+ spy plane. There are many additional aircraft and spacecraft exhibits inside. I have added several photos of these below. 

 

 

'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky

'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This is the Sefton Grand Atrium in the San Diego Natural History Museum. It's a big space, 4 stories tall with 5,000 sqare feet of floor area. It's often used for special events like corporate parties and concerts.  When Kathy and I walked into the Museum, I looked up and knew I would want to get a shot from the top looking down. Just before we left the building, we took the elevator up to the 4th floor to take this shot. I had to do a 3 shot vertorama with my 14mm lens and I still couldn't fit it all in. Each of the 3 HDR shots was created from 10 individual exposures and then photo merged in Photoshop to create this composite view. I like the unique viewpoint of the Allosaurus dinosaur on the bottom center of the photo.

Dessert at the Prado in Balboa Park

Dessert at the Prado in Balboa Park, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

If you asked Kathy what our favorite dessert is, I'm convinced she would answer "Creme Brulee" without hesitating a second. It wasn't always that way. When we were dating, we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and I ordered a Creme Brulee for us to share. She promptly told me "I don't like custard" and I of course told her that this was not custard and she should try it becasuse it's delicious. She then told me "I'm not putting that crap in my mouth" which made me laugh. She did finally try it and the next time we went to Ruth's Chris, she said "Should we get a Creme Brulee for each of us?"

Easter Lillies

Easter Lillies, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

The conservatory of flowers in San Diego's Balboa Park featured some beautiful easter lillies. I decided to try using my lensbaby to take the shot and moved the focus sweet spot to the right side of the frame.

My muse, my beloved

My muse, my beloved, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This is my beautiful wife Kathy. While she really doesn't like being on the lens side of a camera, she let me take this shot of her while we were waiting for our lunch to be served at the Prado restaurant in San Diego's Balboa Park. It was a beautiful day and Kathy looked lovely. An amazingly talented photographer and graphic designer, you can see her work at www.tweakedpixels.com