SMOKY MOUNTAIN

Took this header  pic last Fall after the rain. Summer abruptly disappeared. Foggy (read ashes) when looking outside my window. People driving with headlights on during the day –

 

 

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Things last-and-this week are definitely NOT idyllic, like our visit to the waterlily pond with  the duck and the Koi – Huntington Library Gardens, as well as the striped flowers nearby).

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Texture & Black and White Wednesday
THE GOOD:
Instead, last Friday, one of several planes flying over our deck helping to drop off fire retardant stuff on the fire Butte (see map below) . Firefighters of South Calif. – L.A. came to help this job get done. This fire is one of 12 fires burning in N. California and governor Brown declared CA  a state of emergency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butte is the largest fire  (on Sunday 65 thousand acres – 135 houses destroyed, 20% contained)
a half hour away from us – has kept spreading overnight since last Wed. evening.
Friday an evacuation started for the S. side of the highway we live (a mere 3 min. away), so we packed “just in case.” Several neighbors had already left on Thurs.

7:45 AM – 12 Sep 2015

 THE RANDOM:  many centers have been set up for the evacuees. Sat. morning we put towels against the door posts because the smell of smoke and ash started coming in.

Our mountain has become smoky and foggy from the ashes in the air.
4409 firefighters (no typo) are fighting this fire.

Another fire in Napa Valley is worse off, Middletown (Valley Fire) has been destroyed, and 4 fire fighters were hurt. This is the one that is in the news.

 

 

Wed. Sept. 9 we came home to … electricity outage. It means we couldn’t cook (most houses on the mountain have electric stoves), the fridge didn’t work, computer, and even the Ipad.

THE GOOD: Happy our cell phones still worked. At night we still could read and knit, since hubby had bought this larger camping light earlier this year.
Friday midnight power was restored but my main experience about living so close to a huge fire : it’s on our mind 24/7 and keeps us in a state of RED!

 

 

seeing this at noon when looking out the window
is when it gets a little spooky

 

 

Hope that in no time my focus is back to enjoying the scenery on our way back home instead of the ominous sky, avoiding to breathe in the unhealthy ashes.
Prayers to the God of miracles for all the fire fighters  working day and night, putting their lives in danger to get these fires under control.

 

FIRE FIGHTERS ARE SOME UNSUNG HEROES*
(Six Word Sat.)

• UPDATE Tuesday: we had rain at night, enough to wipe the ashes from the deck, and patches above blue clouds above my house. Am thankful!
  Wednesday: fire is now 37% contained. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief:)
  Thursday: 47% contained. 432 houses destroyed & outbuildings. A common sight in town is small groups of extremely weary firefighters (walk like drunk), covered with soot, grabbing a quick lunch. Signs/banners on residences saying: THANK YOU Firefighters!

 

Thanks to All the Hosts!

Blue Monday * Randomosity   * Wordless * Catch the Light *
Our World  *  Trees & Bushes *  Nature Notes  * Tuesday Texture *
ABC– J  *  Outdoor Wed.  * Water World * Black and White Wed. * Wordless Wed. *
Alphabe– R *  Little Things  *  Good Fences  * Floral Fri. Foto  *
Sky Watch  *  Fri Photo Journal  * Weekend Reflection  *Fri Greens  * Todays Flowers *
Maleviks Rosen  *  Six word Sat.  * Sat. Critters  *