Happy New Year 2026

Direct link to December 31st video from the Associated Press

I wish everyone a very Happy New Year as we usher in 2026. The video that I am sharing above was shot in New Zealand

2025 Holiday Greetings: The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth

Several months after I devoted this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related issues a good friend, and former airtanker pilot, of mine who was instrumental in supporting me in the early days of my blog told me about The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth. He told me about the video of The Shepard read by Alan Maitland from CBC Radio. I want to thank another friend who told me about The Shepard video that I am am sharing with you today, his e-mail served to remind me of my holiday tradition to share The Shepard video with you. The video is 32 minutes long and well worth it if you are an aviation enthusiast.

Direct link to 2014 video of Alan Maitland reading The Shepard on CBC radio shared by rssensora2 on YouTube

Holiday Light Show

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share something in the holiday spirit. I was fortunate to find this short video from the Olmsted County (MN?) Sheriff's Office just now. This is their third annual holiday light show, joined this year by Stewartsville Fire and Rescue. Music features the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The light show starts after a brief holiday themed intro by the Sheriff.

Direct link to December 18, 2025 video from Olmsted County Sheriff's Office

2024 Holiday Greetings: The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth

My tradition during the end of the year holiday season is to post The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth as read by Alan Maitland on CBC radio. Please join me in pausing and remembering all first responders including but not limited to wildland firefighters who may be away from their families. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.

Direct link to video on YouTube

Happy New Year

May you have a Happy, Peaceful, and Healthy New Years. Please stay as safe as you can. Thanks to the wildland firefighters, tanker and helo pilots and support staff who have worked this holiday season. I also thank all first responders who are working or are on call today.

Holiday Greetings 2023

My tradition during the end of the year holiday season is to post The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth as read by Alan Maitland on CBC radio. Please join me in pausing and remembering all first responders including but not limited to wildland firefighters who may be away from their families. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.

Direct link to video on YouTube

The "strange yellow orb" aka the sun makes an appearance

Direct link to video from Time-Lapse Photography

I do not think my use of the phrase "the strange yellow orb" (aka the sun) is unique to me. My use of this phrase goes back over 30 years ago when my Dad was still alive and we in the Mid-Atlantic along with New England (where my Dad was living) had several days of cloudy weather along with rain. He called me up and told me that he had a strange yellow orb in the sky, had I seen it? I said yes, and we both laughed. 

I am in process of working on a post for Friday about the effects of the recent atmospheric rivers in California. I don't know about today, but I know that yesterday, Tuesday January 17, the"strange yellow orb" made an appearance at least in some parts of California.

And we in New Jersey are seeing the "strange yellow orb" today. While we have had some cloudy and rainy days recently, it is along the lines of a normal rainy weather, nothing extraordinary.

In closing, I would not be a child of the 60s if I did not share the Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun"

Direct link from The Beatles

Holiday Greetings 2022: The Shepard

My tradition during the end of the year holiday season is to post The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth as read by Alan Maitland on CBC radio. Please join me in pausing and remembering all first responders including but not limited to wildland firefighters who may be away from their families. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.

Direct link to video on YouTube

Thanksgiving Week 2022 Monday Fun: Aeroshell Aerobatic Team

It is Thanksgiving week here in the United States and I am planning to take a time out and share some fun airplane videos. Of course, I do try to keep an eye out as best I can for major wildfires and related news and if that happens I will share about major developments here.

One of the YouTube Channels that I go to when I am looking for something fun to share is AirshowStuffVideos, they have oodles of videos taken at various air shows. AirShowStuff may be found on the web here. I was going through their videos this morning looking for something a little different and fun to share with you when I came across a video that AirshowStuffVideos shot at the 2021Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. The video showcases the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, a team of four flying beautifully restored North American AT-6 "Texans", an aircraft dating back to the late 1930s used to train World War II military pilots. I had a lot of fun watching this 10 minute video of the Aeroshell Team twilight aerobatic show. Watch for the crescent moon at about 6:50 and 8:20. Enjoy!

Direct link to video by AirShowStuffVideos on YouTube

Happy Fourth of July (2022)

 

Obtained on July 4, 2022 from US National Weather Service IMET on Facebook

On this July 4th, the final day of a long weekend here in the United States and perhaps the start of a vacation for some of you, I wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy Fourth of July. For many of you, as is happening in my own neighborhood, people have been setting off private fireworks displays. If you are setting off private fireworks, I am sure that you are following local laws or any restrictions because of high fire danger. I like these tips in the graphic that I got from the US National Weather Service IMET on Facebook with suggestions for setting off fireworks safely so I thought I'd share it here.

Me, I either go to a public show or watch something on TV. This weekend, as I am still recuperating from an illness, I will be watching festivities and fireworks on TV later. 

Holiday Greetings 2021: The Shepard

My tradition during the end of year holiday season is to post The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth as read by Alan Maitland on CBC radio. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season during the second holiday season with the COVID pandemic. 

Direct link to video on Youtube 

Happy summer holiday

This weekend has been a holiday weekend here in America as we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th.. I have been taking some time off to spend with my family. For those who celebrate, I thought you might enjoy This video from Airailimages of highlights of their videos along with some patriotic music. Allow about eight minutes.

Friday Fun: Superbowl Flyover

As a football and an aviation fan, I got a rare treat this past Superbowl Sunday, I got to see a rare flyover by three Airforce bombers: B-2 Spirit, B-1B Lancer, and a B-52 Stratofortress.

In the first video, you will meet some of the crew involved in this flyover and hear from Captain Sarah Kocluba who will lead the flyover in her B-2 Spirit. I only found out after the fact that Captian Kocluba was leading the flyover. So nice to see more women in military aviation.

Direct link to video uploaded by aviatrix99

This is a video showing the singing of the Star Spangled Banner with the Flyover. 

Direct link to video uploaded by Military Aviation TV

Holiday Greetings: The Shepard

My tradition during the end of year holiday season is to post The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth as read by Alan Maitland on CBC radio. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season during these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Direct link to video on Youtube 

Space X Dragon launch and docking with International Space Station.

What can I say, I am a child of the 60s who grew up with manned flights in earth orbit and then to the moon. Enjoy these two videos. The video of the launch, from CNN, is a little over 11 minutes, the video of the docking with the space station is about two minutes. For more on this mission see this webpage from NASA.

direct link to video

direct link to video

Seasons Greetings 2019: The Shepard

My end of year holiday tradition is to embed Frederick Forsyth's The Shepard, read by Alan Maitland. The Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) broadcasts The Shepard every year around this time of year. For those of you who don't have the easy opportunity to listen to The Shepard on CBC, I am embedding it below. The video is family friendly. Enjoy!


Direct link to The Shepard on Youtube

Happy Fourth of July (2019)

Direct link to U.S. Flag Video on YouTube

Happy Birthday America!

I wish everyone in the United States, including those of you are traveling or living outside the U.S., a very happy and safe Fourth of July.

Enjoy this nine minute video of Fourth of July (2018) fireworks in the Orlando Florida area shot from a private plane.



Direct link to video on YouTube

Seasons Greetings

My end of year holiday tradition is to embed Frederick Forsyth's The Shepard, read by Alan Maitland. The Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) broadcasts The Shepard every year around this time of year. For those of you who don't have the easy opportunity to listen to The Shepard on CBC, I am embedding it below. Enjoy


Direct link to The Shepard on Youtube

2018 California Wildfires: fighting fire from a fire work train

I have always liked trains, and I was intrigued when I first came across a video a few years ago about how a train was used to fight wildfires. I did not know know the time period when the video was shot, but I loved the video so I shared it on October 31, 2014  along with links to other information on trains used to fight wildfires posted by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today on August 24, 2010.

Just today, thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared a very cool video of a fire work train used on the Delta Fire on their Fire Videos of the Week Page on September 15th. I just had to share with you. Stay safe and enjoy.


Direct link to video by Dan Ryant

Flying over the Delaware River

Here is another fun video uploaded by flyinphilsphotos of a flight over the Delaware River from Frenchtown to Milford NJ. Thanks to my pilot friends who take me flying, I have been on such a flight several times, but I'm not so good at taking videos from the right seat. The Delaware is a great and easy river to fly over.


Direct link to video from flyinphilsphotos on Youtube