Black Mountain

The greening of the mountains from Tanbark Ridge overlook, elevation 3175 feet, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. The road seen in upper left is the parkway as it continues northeast. Can you see the little houses, including my favorite, the red roofed one?

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Looking "up."

 


Here the "PAA-?" crew is loading a 5 MB IBM hard drive into the plane in 1956.
I do wonder how much it weighed!


Did I show you this already? Economy class in the 60s for Pan Am's 747.


I think he was up high to change the light bulbs.


Some 60s Stewardesses I haven't shared...not sure what airline. The hats remind me of Delta, or maybe United. Or it could be a Texas airline. If these women look like Barbie dolls, I imagine that was their intent.


And of course if you get high enough, and go on the far side of the moon...captured by Chinese Space Agency in 2014.


Sepia Saturday's meme is "Up." Too bad I already posted all my women in planes post...but I found the above which kind of connect.


Today's quote:

The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. -William Wordsworth, poet (1770-1850)

26 comments:

  1. ...our first trip to Hawaii was on a wide body, it was wonderful.

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    1. In the early days they were the creme de la creme.

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  2. The technology shrunk incredibly. Sadly, so did the seating in planes.

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    1. Exactly so. Somehow they haven't figured out how to have 2 story seating! Shhh, it's probably coming.

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  3. When Roger first started working with computers and hard-drives in the early 1960s they looked very much like the one in the top pic. I had no idea that planes were once that big and wide. So comfortable looking.

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    1. That's definitely amazing when you look at a thumb drive that holds 5 MB now. And it didn't include the cooling system needed for that huge machine (or maybe it was included in the box). We kept hearing that things would be getting smaller and smaller, and then cell phones arrived in the 90s...with huge battery packs. And look at what they are like now!

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  4. I thought those WERE Barbie dolls--had to look close. Kinda disgusting.

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    1. The only redeming consideration is that now they are 70+ years old!

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  5. That plane looks amazingly roomy. I hope those Barbies had matching undies on. What a weird outfit.

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    1. Indeed they must have! I just remembered the Texas airline's name, Brannif. Maybe two "f"s. I may have worn mini's, but never that short.

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  6. Those Barbie outfits can not have been comfortable. No bending over passenger's seat. They must have had to squat.

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    1. I would imagine the panties were same material as skirts, sewn right into them! But what a hinderance. And that was when panty hose had come along too!

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  7. Never seen a plane that has lots of room. Now you are like a sardine. 5mb storage has surely downsized to fit in your pocket. :) A wonderful look at what was,

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    1. It would have been nice to have that space saved from the 5mb being smaller offering a bit more legroom. But no, they probably added another row of tiny seats! Sad.

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  8. I love that the bloggers have looked so carefully at the Barbies and nobody's commented on the sepia photo of the light bulb changer just before it! So that's human interest, isn't it!

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  9. Well, I'll comment on the light bulb changer, although I was taken by the roomy plane. You must be correct on the why of that vehicle with the man steering from up in the air. He must have had quite a view. Who knew such a thing existed?

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    1. Thanks Kathy, I had to laugh that you took my suggestion to heart. I think that mockup plane never really existed. It ends up with a single seat by the far window, a bad idea.

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  10. A great varied selection on the “up” theme. I liked the high machine for the man replacing the light bulbs , but I would not fancy doing it in rain or windy weather. Yes, like others the uniform of the air stewardesses has to be the highlight with those “up” hem outfits - they are barely decent!

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    1. Just steering with that long steering column would mean going over a bump could knock him sideways, and then he'd break all his lightbulbs!

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  11. Sorry - forgot this, yet again . Anonymous is me - Scotsue!

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    1. I actually have another anonymous too. Glad to know which one you are!

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  12. They would have to have had a contraption like that to change the bulbs in the street lights. Can you imagine having to carry a ladder around, setting it up, taking it down, setting it up, taking it down! :) As to the '60s Pan Am 747 early economy seating, it did look nice & roomy. Would that we could have that much leg room now! Upgrading doesn't give you much more, either, unless you upgrade all the way to first class. As for those 'Barbie' stewardesses, I'm sure men passengers enjoyed the view, but I prefer a more professional look, and I like having men serving as well as women and that the terms "steward" and "stewardess" were changed to the inclusive "flight attendant". Much better.

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    1. Yes, that was definitely an improvement. My son thought the male flight attendants in their uniforms were pilots...because they wore the same uniform when I was working. I think it may be different, but I haven't flown in years. Don't like the hurry up and wait, then getting switched around, then going from one end of an airport to another for a change of flights...no thanks!

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  13. You've chosen a splendid medley of unusual photos for our UP theme! My first thought about the economy class seating was that it had to be a trick photo made by distorting the image. But then I read it was a 747 and I could actually believe it, though that was far roomier than what I remember of the few jumbo jets I've traveled on. The street light service truck looks like a clever solution to a chronic difficulty, but unless the tower folded down, the driver needed a pretty tall garage to stow his vehicle..

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    1. That's so fun Mike...trust you to think outside the box and as to where the strange tall vehicle might park at night! Thanks for the chuckle!!

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  14. Never seen anything like that third photo before!!! :o

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So glad to have your comments...whatever they may be. I'm one who likes to reply sometime or another, so others will see that; or you might happen back sometime and see what conversation might have started.