Downed Pilot Remembered

Sunday night, it was all about the emergency responders - professionals working quickly and surely as their training guided them to swift action.

However, by Monday, it was about the family. And on Tuesday the Birch Family & Friends came to El Capitan State Beach to think, feel and to breath a bit of the air over the Pacific where Steve Birch last flew. (Family Photo)

Jim Rydell, Steve's brother-in-law contacted me as he was approaching El Cap on Tuesday noon. He was grateful for the photos and information I had posted previously and wished to introduce me to other family and friends that had also seen my postings. By the time we reached the beach, the Family had already been hard at work, setting stones in the sand to cherish their thoughts of Steve.

This photo overlooks the special stones and the 'aerial acrobatic box' where Steve had been flying.

My wife and I have lived as Camp Hosts at El Capitan State Beach for eight months last year and now six months this year. During that time I have become very fond of the rock cairns that seemingly sprout like mushrooms.... and often arrive just as they are needed. This one appeared on Sunday late afternoon, bringing with it a particularly splendid sunset. The rock cairn in the lead photo of this posting appeared on Tuesday morning, just prior to the Family's arrival...


Additional photos and information regarding the Birches and El Cap can be found on my Flickr Site. You may click on the photos or chose a slideshow in the upper right corner.