California fires 10-09-17

Other than smoke and ash, we are not affected by the fire in Orange County which is about 10 miles to the south of our house.  Except for the terrible traffic congestion since the 91Fwy and the 241 toll road are closed, along with many surface streets.  I have to drive to south county in the morning and am planning to leave extra early because I anticipate hitting bumper to bumper traffic.  Can't take my surface street detour because all the roads in that area are closed.  

Fortunately we have not had any fatalities here with what they are calling the Canyon Fire 2.  But those poor people in Santa Rosa are really in a terrible way with many fatalities and missing people.  And no end in sight for any of the fires.

Nobody is talking about the cause of the fires, but I have always wondered if the fires that start along the highways/freeways are started by people throwing cigarettes out the window of their vehicles.  I have seen them do it, but have not seen a fire started. 

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Fire Devastation 12-09-08

This past weekend Corky and I drove out along the foothills on Carbon Canyon Road where the wildfires raged in Yorba Linda. "Scorched Earth" is the most apt description. We are still living with the lingering odor of smoke, especially in the morning before the dew dries off.

The fire came down to the back fences of these houses, I don't know if any were damaged or lost. I believe all these pictures are click able for a better image.

Just beyond the houses and on the opposite side of Carbon Cyn Rd, the fire jumped the road and burned down toward some industrial buildings. Bank of America has a large office facility about two blocks away - I bet they were concerned. This oil pumper was not pumping when we saw it, but there are a lot that are non functioning, I don't know if this is one of those.

This is a new (probably temporary) fence along the road. I can't imagine there is anything to be kept in, so it must be to keep people in four wheel drive vehicles from driving onto the property.

The fire also burned across Carbon Cyn Rd further east. This is looking toward the east and there are few vehicles, but it is a major commuting route so during morning and evening rush hours it is packed.

Bamboo grows very quickly, as you can see in this burned out grove. The firemen pouring water on it and the tiny bit of rain just before Thanksgiving helped to start it sprouting,

This picture shows one of the major problems in the aftermath of the "Scorched Earth" situation. The slope is probably as steep as it can be and still maintain cohesiveness - in other words, the angle of repose. It doesn't take much rain to cause this adobe soil to start sliding. Anywhere there are houses at the bottom of the slopes there is a serious threat of flash floods and mudslides.

One nice thing about the Santa Ana winds is that when they stop our air is very clear and the sky turns this wonderful clear blue. Gorgeous.

Journal Quilts and puppies 11-18-08

I was surprised to learn recently about the vidcasts that were made in July at the Quilt Festival in Long Beach. Karen Bresenhan talks about a number of the Journal Quilts-2007 and mine is one of them. I don't know how the quilts were chosen, but I am flattered to have her talk about mine - to me it is a very special quilt.

Go to: http://www.quilts.com/lbqf08/enVivo/

Click on "new vidcasts" on the bottom of the menu on the left and then click on the box "Journal Quilts Part 1". My quilt "Last Walk in Autumn" is discussed about half way through. Karey discusses the Journal Quilt of my friend Corky Ledbetter on "Journal Quilts Part 2". I have always admired her quilt because her use of thread to make the fireworks is so effective. Corky is the one who wrote to me about the vidcasts. Thanks again, Corky!

The SCalifornia fires are under control and the Santa Ana winds have, so far, not returned. We keep our fingers crossed, our doors and windows closed and do what we can to help those who have lost everything they own in this world.

I'm enjoying this website/puppy cam that Christine Thresh shared with me:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

I am amazed at how fast the puppies grow.

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Orange Co. CA fires 11-16-08

I took these pictures on Saturday as I was leaving to pick up Corky to stay with me one night. I had heard on the radio that there was a small fire in Brea that had just started.

Brea Fire

I drove out of my garage and had this view to my right toward Brea.

Three minutes later it was already out of control and growing - the black smoke indicates that whatever is burning is really burning and no water is being applied.

I drove west two blocks and the fire had really grown already.

I drove around again and the smoke almost filled the sky. This fire started two or three miles north of my house, but all of the land between here and there is developed, no open fields with dry brush and grass. The white smoke shows that the firemen have started getting water on the fire. But resources were already stretched beyond what they could handle, so a number of homes burned to the ground before any fire equipment could get in.

I drove down to Palm Drive and Rose Drive the closest major intersection about two blocks from my house and could see the wonderfully clear blue sky to the NE - between the Brea fire and the Yorba Linda/Corona fire.

Yorba Linda/ Corona Fire
This view of the Yorba Linda/Corona fire is looking SE beyond my house - about where Santa Ana Canyon opens up into the riverbed and the 'flat lands'. I took this at the same time I took the first photo at the top of this post.

This was the view as I turned 90 degrees to my right (South).

On the 91 freeway looking east into the mouth of Santa Ana Canyon.

Another view from the 91 Freeway. About a mile further on I transitioned to the Newport Fwy south (55) and followed this pall of smoke all the way to Long Beach. At Corky's house it was somewhat smokey, but downtown LBeach was worse and had started getting ashes. I packed up Corky and headed back to Placentia, as planned.

Just before we left, when it wasn't even sunset, I took this picture over Marine Stadium of the sun trying to shine through the thick smoke.

When we arrived in Placentia the smoke was very thick and the ashes were like snow. I didn't think either Corky or I could breathe that all night - most of my windows are the original forty year old single panes and they let in air, dust, ash and smoke. So, I threw some things in a big basket, grabbed my (always packed) overnight bag and we drove back to LBeach. This morning everything around Corky's house was thick with ashes - both white and black (the kind that carry embers, but not that many miles) it looked as if someone had sprinkle raw rolled oats everywhere. Just going out to do his business (at 4:15am because he refused to do it before we went to bed) made Corky's feet black. I used two wet cloths trying to get all the soot off. Later Corky's daddy cleaned everything with his power sprayer (using less water than a garden hose) and he washed my van which had been sitting out overnight. Nice guy! I drove home alone about 5pm (with a mask on) to see how the smoke and ash were here - didn't seem any worse than LBeach, unless I went outside. So, I am staying home and just not going outside. I had considered driving out to Lake Havasu for a few days, but would rather be home with my computer, projects, food and in my own bed!

The fires are still burning, but the winds from the NE have died down (but might come back) and the fires are burning up into the foothills where there are few structures - a lot of it is public preserve land and completely undeveloped (YET). The firemen are having a chance to at least sit down and have something to eat and maybe a nap before they go out again with strike teams to control hot spots. They are MUCH braver than I am.

California burning, again 11-15-08

The Yorba Linda fire and the Brea fire are quite close - two or three miles. But there is a lot of developed area between the fires and my house. I'm not terribly worried, just concerned. I have Corky tonight and there is so much smoke I am starting to have a sore throat. So, we are going to go spend the night in Long Beach at his house It has been smokey there also, but not this bad and his house has all new double pane sealed windows which don't allow as much smoke in as my 40 year old windows.

I will take my computer and I may be able to post something more tonight or in the morning. Think good thoughts for all the people who are homeless in the fire areas tonight.

I-5 South to San Diego 03-02-08

We have had enough rain over the past few months to bring out the spring wildflowers, so the hills and roadsides were awash on the way to San Diego. Some of these have been planted by either CalTrans or individuals who want to have some color in the spring and spread the seed from their vehicles as they drive along.

The flowers close to the road are a mix of Goldfields, Tidy-tips and Cream Cups - the seeds spread by the hand of man. On the hillsides the lighter yellow is wild mustard, which is not a California native, but has grown wild in the state for at least several hundred years.

Just north of Oceanside I saw this large patch of oxalis, also not a native, but naturalized all over the coastal areas. It is more of a greenish yellow than the wild mustard.

Driving north in the afternoon I took this picture of the sage-scrub with a drift of wild mustard so that I could compare it to the next image.

This is one of the pictures I took on October 27, 2007, just after the firestorms. This is the same general area of the previous picture. The the middle you can see the utility trucks trying to restore power and communication lines.

Isn't it amazing how quickly Nature can restore itself?

A meeting in San Diego 10-27-07

I drove to San Diego today (Saturday) for a meeting of the Visions Art Quilt Associates, which is an affiliate of the Visions Art Quilt Gallery. The group meets about every other month for the purpose of letting all the Visions members and interested people visit, share ideas, share work and usually to hear a short program relating to our quiltmaking interests. I haven't attended during the summer and wanted to see people I haven't seen and catch up with what the group is doing. The attendance was low - because of the disruption of so many lives by the fire and also due to people having gone to Market and Festival in Houston. I learned sadly that three Visions people have lost their homes and at least half a dozen were evacuated, but had been able to return to their intact houses. Some said they had to attend the meeting just to put a little normalcy in their lives. We had a fascinating presentation on quilt appraisals by Julia Zgliniec who is a certified quilt appraiser (in fact, MY certified quilt appraiser) and past president of Visions. I go to Julia for TCQC appraisals because she has long exposure to both traditional and contemporary quilts. She was there for the first Visions in 1987 - her twenty years of involvement is a plus in my book!

On the way home I zipped off the highway at Oceanside to see the work in progress on the Oceanside Museum of Art where the biennial International Visions exhibit is held. The construction will be finished in time for Visions - 2008 coming up next fall and will greatly expand the gallery space available.

There were sprinkles periodically all the way home, which must be a huge help to the firefighters and the humidity last evening was 81% - up from 9% last Sunday! But the fires are still burning, so there was smoke in the air in some areas, but not enough to cause me a problem. I was amazed that the fire burned right up to the I-5/San Diego Fwy at Camp Pendleton, even though I had heard that there were closures on Sunday and Monday. I took some pictures as I drove along and posted them in an album that you can access at http://picasaweb.google.com/DELQLTS/FirestormOnI5AtInspectionStation102707

The weather is warmer today, but will be mostly in the high 70s with more drizzle predicted for late tomorrow. Next weekend the winds are suppose to visit us again, so keep your fingers crossed that there are no fires to burn everything that hasn't been burned already!

Smoke coming back! 10-24-07

I tried to take a picture of the very red sun about 1/2 hour before sunset, but it came out white! Why is that? The Santana winds have died down and the usual onshore flow is returning. This resulted in more smoke today than yesterday! The news pundits say it is the smoke being blown back off the ocean onto the land. I'm not sure I believe that. But however it happened it was a bad lung day and every time I stepped out the door my chest started caving in! (That is what it feels like - something sitting on my chest. I have a lot of sympathy for Marie Osmond). I had to go out for a very short time, so I wore a TB paper mask and I didn't have any problems. I can't imagine what problems are in the future for the people who have endured the smoke and ash. Unfortunately, the symptoms can take weeks to manifest themselves. Research done with survivors of the 2003 fires showed that people who already had lung problems had fewer repercussions from the pollutants. The researchers believe this is because those people knew they had to protect themselves, whereas people without previous problems didn't give protection a second thought. I hope I have been careful enough - I don't want a bronchial infection out of this!

I have been working on a quilt. Well, on a couple, as is my habit. I don't know why I can't just create one at a time, but without a deadline to force me to do so, I don't. With an important deadline pressing I can work harder at being focused. No deadline? No focus!

I think Jill Rumoshosky Werner's blog post today about courtesy from those in charge of exhibits to the artists involved is very timely. Check it out at: http://wernerstudio.typepad.com/redefined/

More autumn 10-23-07

Red Rock, PA. Fall Foliage 11-21-07

I have seen pictures of the autumn trees in the NE states, but this one really stuns me. I suppose I haven't seen too many pictures of such a immense area and hadn't contemplated just how many miles are covered with this amazing color change. Some day I will take a "leaf peeping" tour, maybe even to PA!

I apologize for my "typo" yesterday. The smaller plume of smoke in the photo is from the Malibu fire - not Santa Monica. I have corrected the blog.

The winds have died down considerably, but the fires still burn slowly up the canyons and mountain sides. The sun has gone down so there won't be anymore water drops tonight. The Forest Service planes/choppers only fly from dawn to dusk. The most serious areas now are Running Springs near Big Bear and in San Diego County where 500,00 people have been evacuated from their homes. It is horrific!

California burning 10-22-07

NASA/Reuters satellite image - Sunday, Oct 21. Catalina island on the lower right, Malibu fire is the smaller plume in the middle. Long Beach is just where the land runs into the right edge of the picture. Orange County is further right off the image.

One of the news programs here once used the lead-in, "From the mountains to the sea and in all of Southern California....", which seems appropriate to this day. Not only from the mountains to the sea, but also from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border - a lot of miles. After I said no fire in Orange County last evening a crazy arsonist set three fires in the hills above Irvine, which are now one fire that threatens thousands of homes. The smoke and ash are horrendous. I thought of going to Long Beach in the wee hours to stay with the Poodle Prince and his parents, but I didn't, which was a good choice because they also have smoke and ash blowing south from the fires in Northern LA County. Five million people suffering from raw throats and scratchy eyes!

The wind is whipping up again this evening, the house creaks and rattles. I was surprised that I didn't see more damage while I drove the 20 mile round trip for a doctor's appointment this morning. Maybe a dozen trees down and a block wall pushed over onto the public sidewalk. But great drifts of leaves, twigs, palm tree debris, pine needles and trash (of course) were everywhere. Plastic bags float through the air like jelly fish, signs on poles waggle like those in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the sound of chainsaws can be heard in the distance. The prediction is for the wind to last through Wednesday - may the Goddess protect us! Send water dropping aircraft, please.

Shielded from the wind 10-21-07

The wind is howling and, as you may have heard on the news, there are at least seven wildfires burning in Los Angeles County. Placentia is in Orange County to the southwest and, so far, no fires burning here. I doubt, however, that anyone is resting easy. Although there is no undeveloped property in this city, which is surrounded by Fullerton, Anaheim and Yorba Linda, the threat of fire is a constant in this land of little rain. One spark that gets away, pushed by 80mph wind gusts, can burn up a neighborhood. I worry enough for all of us, I'm sure!

It looks as though the firethorn (pyracantha) is on fire! I haven't seen any birds feasting, but maybe the berries are not quite ripe enough. When I am ironing or rotary cutting I can see over the short wall at the back of the yard and across to the park and the firethorn - green leaves, white flowers, red berries in different seasons. Today I have been enjoying the view whilst I am working on a quilt I started at least a year ago. So long ago that I have forgotten exactly what I intended to do! Time does slip away!