Tag Archives: flying

Tacoma Screw has a really big flag

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imageI took a break from my fireworks nervous dogs today to see the region’s largest U.S. Flag at Tacoma Screw, 2001 Center Street. It weighs 150 pounds and is the largest U.S. flag west of Wisconsin and north of Sacramento. The measurements are 80’x40′ and the pole is 180 feet tall, which is 90 feet above the adjacent Highway 16. In comparison, the largest U.S. flag is located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and is 120’x60′.

Tacoma Screw commissioned the flag as a way to celebrate their 70th year in business and to give back to the community.

It was a little difficult to photograph and to give a sense of the sheer size of the flag. I started at Tacoma Screw and then moved up to Irving Park to capture it from above. The full summer hillside at the edge of the park didn’t provide a full view, but finally some people came by and I had my shot that showed scale (thanks people!).

A short video can be found here. IMG_1099

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It’s a Car, It’s a Plane

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Everybody in my family except me had been to the Museum of Flight at 9404 East Marginal Way S. Seattle, WA 98108-4097. My dear daughter thought it was a good idea to take me here for mother’s day and a couple of weeks later here we are. The picture about shows a car that turns into a plane (or a plane that turns into a car).

The museum’s website states “The Museum of Flight’s fundamental goals are: to acquire and preserve a wide array of materials and artifacts relating to aviation and space history and to provide a center for the scholarly research of these materials and artifacts. The Museum holds one of the largest and most comprehensive air and space collections in the United States, containing millions of rare photographs and negatives, a world-class library, tens of thousands of artifacts, and over 150 rare aircraft and space vehicles.”

http://www.museumofflight.org/

A chance to fly

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The moment I saw the Indoor Skydiving/Vertical Wind Tunnel 349 Tukwila Pkwy, Tukwila I knew I had to go see it. So today my husband decided that it would be fun to go to Fry’s Electronics (he has an odd idea of fun). I agreed to go if he’d stop with me to see people flying.

It was so cool! The wind tunnel part isn’t oh too big.  While we watched one person was in at a time plus the trainer, but I think it can hold more than that. The folks that were flying put cool flight uniforms on and had some training. As each one went into the wind tunnel their legs floated up and with the help of the instructor they were flying. Most of them had some time during their session in which they got the feel for it and flew on their own. It looked safe.

Each flying session was a couple of minutes and most of the flyers had a great time, especially the kids. Though the woman at the end didn’t seem to be overjoyed. Two flights for a beginner cost $59.95 or four flights cost $99.95.

For more information, check out their well considered website http://www.iflyseattle.com/

 

Flaming Geyser

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Flaming Geiser by Gexydaf
Flaming Geiser a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

Today dear daughter, the two pups and I went to Flaming Geyser State Park in King County between Auburn and Black Diamond. This day use park has a couple of interesting features.

* It has a geyser which releases a methane seep. With a lighter or matches, it can actually be lite and flames will come out for a couple of minutes. It’s kind of cool!

* There is an open field for model airplane flying.

* There is over 3 miles of freshwater shoreline along the Green River. In the summer months, it is used for tubing and when we were there today there were kayakers.

The website for the park states “Flaming Geyser State Park has existed on this location since the 1920’s. Operated as a private park into the 1960’s, it fell into bankruptcy. State Parks rescued it from conversion to home development and has operated it as a park ever since.”

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Flaming%20Geyser