Volcano, or pyrocumulous cloud?

I was going through my video camera and forgot all about the quick video I shot of the Station Fire in L.A. last Saturday.
This is my first video upload to the site, why not.
At the end, you can hear E1 ask me if we are evacuating. I say "maybe".

On another note... our usually squirrel-free backyard is full of squirrels, dozens of them. Usually, there is only that one obese squirrel that eats every last almond on the almond tree.
The squirrels escaped the forest,
where are the coyotes, deer and mountain lions? Remind me not to go for walks by myself around the neighborhood.

Home Sweet Home

It's good to be home.
We've been evacuated for several days. Although the neighborhood is smoky, it is still intact.
I have many days of cleaning ahead of me (what's new). I'm just happy to have a home to clean.
I replaced the house air filter and I think everyone else in town has done the same because the store was practically sold out of filters of all sizes.
I am so thankful that the winds stayed calm as the fire crept closer to my home because any flying ember would have easily torched anything in it's path.
The firefighters have done an amazing job. A BIG THANK YOU to them.

Tomorrow...
1. clean the pool because it is full of ash.
2. begin wiping down everything in the house, there is a fine layer of black dust on everything.
3. relax... traveling with 3 kids and 3 dogs and trying not to destroy your BIL's house is exhausting.
4. count the hours until Stuntman returns home
5. almost forgot... try to fix the sprinklers in the front yard. Someone (fire truck or looky-loo) drove into my yard while I was evacuated and ran over two sprinkler heads.


On a side rant... an online map of the fire was drawn incorrectly and showed that the fire had made it's way past our home. Stuntman was a little freaked out by this when he was looking for information on the fire. The media coverage of the fire has been horrible. It has been sensational, but not informative. Some online information was helpful, but some (as noted above) was inaccurate. Maybe next time someone can get it right.

Another Day

We left the house last night and stayed at my BIL's house by the beach. Last night, the wind came up, flames crested the ridge and I didn't want to stay up all night watching for embers. A fire engine was parked at the base of my driveway, so I took it as a sign that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get out of their way.
It looked as if everyone else thought the opposite because there were MANY gawkers that drove up to the neighborhood, parked their cars and watched the fire. A-holes.
The fire is huge and moving in multiple directions.
The hill behind us continues to burn and there is one more ridge to go. No one is trying to put it out because of the steep terrain. It looks like they are just letting it burn down to the community like they have done in several other areas of the fire. It is a bit unnerving to see flames from the house, but the fire is moving very slowly. If there was any wind, I would be out of here.
My neighbor and I are taking turns staying awake tonight just so the other can sleep more easily knowing that the other is watching. We are not under an evacuation order, and probably won't be, but we will keep vigilant until the flames are extinguished.
My heart and prayers go out to the families of the firefighters that have lost their lives fighting this fire.

update

The smoke cleared for a while yesterday and the fire is moving in the opposite direction. Still, no wind, so the firefighters can do their job.
Yesterday afternoon, I corralled the kids into my bedroom, put in a Garfield DVD and tried to take a nap. I was successful for 30 minutes and it felt great since I hadn't slept much in the last 3 days. I was half-asleep and heard a knock on the door. No one just drops by here, it's out of the way, but there on the front step was my BIL. He came to check on us since he knew Stuntman was out of town. He could see the smoke plume from his house down by the beach and drove all of the way up here. The kids were ecstatic. They absolutely love their uncle.
Of course, my house was a DISASTER! On a scale from 1-10, it was a 9 on the messy scale. Toys all over, laundry in the midst of folding on the dining table, dishes in the sink. It was embarrassing. It didn't take long to tidy up while he had the kids occupied.
He stayed for dinner and left when it was the kids' bedtime once he could see that we were in the clear.
Right now, the smoke outside is unbearable and ash is currently falling, but no flames nearby. :)

What to do

What do you do when you're stuck in the house all day because it's 100+ degrees outside, and smoky, and there is ash falling from the sky?
Make cake pops with little lifeguard teddy bears on them for E1's upcoming swimming banquet.


Once again, there are fires burning in SoCal. Thankfully, the winds are low so the firefighters have a chance to do what they do best.
It's been quite an airshow today with big fixed-wing water dropping planes flying overhead. We watched the helicopters take turns slurping water from the pond to drop onto the flames. It was a constant rotation of helicopters pausing only to refuel.


At this time, numerous homes are being evacuated.
Of course, Stuntman is out of town for a couple weeks. I'm staying awake as much as possible in case the wind does pick up. After last year's fires, I know how quickly fires can move. This one is MUCH closer than last year's... once again, the reason I am planning to stay awake as much as possible tonight.

Thankful

Another day down…

My stress level is lower; I’m no longer watching the clock or calendar. I really have no idea when Stuntman will be home, so I’m going to stop waiting and wondering.
The kids have been, how do I say it… on my last nerve lately.
The fighting and arguing between them is ridiculous! I need to try something so they can get along better, I’m just not sure what.

It was really windy today, that hot, dry wind that totally negated any precipitation that we received in the last few days. Everything is dry again.
We were out running a quick errand. I had only been gone maybe 15 minutes and two fire trucks blew past us… Then two more... Then more sirens and vehicles from other directions. At least 10 fire trucks plus numerous other fire vehicles. I noticed that they were from several neighboring communities.
I looked around and saw a nearby cloud of smoke rising into the sky. It looked close… too close to be near my house. Whew.
As I drove closer to home, I realized that my original perception was wrong, that smoke is coming from somewhere near my house. Eek!
I cancelled my final errand and called my next-door neighbor to ask her about the fire. She said “what fire… wait a minute…” she glanced out her back door and said “oh, there is smoke just coming up over the hill behind us”
We arrived home. Helicopters were overhead, a faint smell of smoke was in the air, but luckily, the wind had died down.
I did my mental checklist. I made sure that all three dog leashes were handy. I reviewed the most efficient path through my house to pick up anything valuable (sentimentally, not monetarily). Photos, mementos, backup hard drive, check. I know that if there is ever a fire nearby, I’m taking the kids, the dogs and whatever else I can easily grab and I’ll let the house go. No way am I going to stand there with a garden hose.
Thankfully, the overwhelming response of the firefighters knocked out the fire relatively quickly. If they hadn’t sent that many trucks… if the wind hadn’t died down at just the right time… the fire could have easily gotten out of control considering the terrain.
Tonight, I am thankful for the LA firefighters... they're more than just eye candy ;)

I wish the fat lady would sing...

The fires are still burning, and the fire fighters are continuing to do an excellent job. It is amazing to see them in action. Thankfully, I have not seen them up close this time. The fire-fighting aircraft in action is an awesome sight. The skill of these pilots is unsurpassed…they fly low to the ground, with tremendous turbulence and practically no visibility and drop their load of water or repellant right on target. An amazing sight to see. I only saw from a distance this time, but one year, a helicopter was so low, it looked as if it’s straw (whatever it is called-the hose that hangs down to suck up water from the reservoir) was touching the treetops in my back yard as it flew over. The dogs were jumping up at the helicopter, trying to scare it away.

I know the many prayers have been instrumental in keeping so many people out of harms way this year. Many, many homes and several lives have been lost, and so many are still in danger…especially in San Diego County. We are still trying to reach an uncle that lives in an evacuated area. I heard that the avocado crop was hurt by the fires… he has an avocado ranch in the area…so we’re waiting…and praying.

Our upcoming weekend plans include a trip to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch that we were planning to go to was also destroyed by fire. I’ve gone there many times on school field trips with the children. In addition to pumpkins, it had a great little petting zoo, a hayride through a field of scarecrows and sunflowers, and a very friendly staff. E1 was using an orange pencil for homework last night…I’m saving that pencil.
Our cousin’s home, right down the road, was untouched.


I have an odd feeling…tough to describe…maybe guilt? I have only wind damage around here, while others have nothing left at all. I saw a touching report last night…a family returning home to their house that was leveled by the fire. Wrapped in a blanket, were family photos that the firefighters had quickly grabbed off of the wall before the fire completely destroyed the house. It was the only thing this family had left of their home.

I’ll be busy cleaning the yard for a few days…a bit of debris and tree limbs and an arbor full of grape vines torn to the ground…many, many roof shingles have been cleaned up already. I was relieved that for once, they were not from my roof. We had a new metal roof installed last fall…to withstand the wind and fire. It passed the wind test, and I hope it never needs to pass the fire test.

Totally off-topic, but an interesting tidbit…an odd cross-world connection…Just like when my Hubby and I both destroyed our cell phones within hours of each other …Hubby called today while I was in the Taco Bell drive-thru (I hadn’t been there for months!)He had just been to Taco Bell too! (not a regular occurrence for him either, he was at a different base than usual) Our selections were different. I had one chicken soft taco, and he had 10 soft tacos and 3 supreme tacos. He eats like a teenage boy.

*update 10/26 7pm* Uncle has been found...his home was spared, but fired charred everything around it.

*update #2, 10/27* It looks like the pumpkin patch is open for business...not the same as it was, but open. You can view photos of before and after here.

A Request

I’m asking everyone that may come across this post to pray for all those affected by the many fires here in SoCal. Firefighters are doing an amazing job, but the winds are not cooperating with them.
As I type, I am NOT in the path of any of the raging fires. Santa Ana winds are shaking my home…you can see smoke from one of the fires in the photo…it was impossible to hold the camera still as I was pushed aside by gusting winds. The winds are coming from the dry-brush covered hillside and canyon behind me.
I’m watching the news…as another fire begins…somewhere I recognize. I’ve been on that street many times to visit family.
Information can be found here about all of the fires in the area.
I will sleep when the winds leave…hopefully tomorrow.