Back to Normal

The fires are gone and things are thankfully back to normal.  It even rained a little bit last night which is good.  It was so bizarre the whole thing and a nervous time.  The arson teams are investigating everything.  One was proven to be started by accident from some construction equipment but we will see about the rest.  It just feels great to relax a little for now.

Calmer

Things have calmed down a bit.  The fires are more undercontrol although not out but the weather has finally broken which is helping things get back to normal.  I was nice to drive home without seeing the red glove of flames!  I believe I made it out of the woods and am very pleased to have done so.

Day 2

The San Marcos fire got worse today.  There are a bunch of fires but this one is the most worrisome for me.  It is the closest and also the worst one so far.  This scene is literally 8 miles from my house.  The winds are supposed to die down greatly tomorrow and stop on Saturday.  For now all is well but not over yet.  Even with them being able to lift with planes water from the nearby reservoir to put on it, it got so much worse.  Everywhere smells like smoke and ashes are falling from the sky.  My mother is very nervous which I hate but cannot do anything.  I keep her posted on it and keep my car packed to be ready.  They have a suspicion that this one may be arson.  It did not start in an unpopulated area and move to a populated one but did the reverse.  Believe it or not it is common for these fires to be started by arson - so twisted of people but true.  But for now I just hope for the continued safety that I have had so far.

Fires

The damn fires are back.  I told you that it was crazy hot while Matt was here and that was because there were Santa Anna winds - dry hot winds that blow in from the east off the desert.  They heat everything up and dry everything out and make this place a tinderbox.  They are happening again this week and so the fires have started.  Pictures below are taken from my yard of the Fallbook fire.  The scarier one for me is the San Marcos fires -- I could clearly see the flames at night.  I have my car loaded up if I need to make a speedy departure but so far I am lucky.  The Santa Anna's are going to continue through Saturday so I hope my luck continues but if not I am prepared.  I will keep you posted.

Matt

Matt came back for a visit recently.  Last time he came it rained for 5 days in a row.  That was very uncharacteristic and although he had a good time he came back for some beach weather.  He certainly got his wish as when he returned we had Santa Anna winds and it was super hot and in the upper 90's!  I had to work a lot but still got to enjoy his company while he was here.  He had a great time, went to the beach a lot and was a little crazy.  The first day he arrived we stayed in San Diego for a bit.  We went to Balboa Park, which is always great for photos.  We went into the Timken Museum, which was free, and a nice little collection of renaissance art.  It was crazy wild too how close you could get to the art.  I know you need to stand back to take in the larger pictures but it was cool to be close enough to see the actual brush strokes also.  Later we ended up at a bar in Hillcrest that was what we thought insanely busy for a Tuesday afternoon.  Lots of characters there which made me very excited and curious.  After a bit I ordered a vodka cranberry and it was only $2 -- and it all became clear why it was so busy at 5:30pm and there were so many drunk people.  Matt is a very good friend.  He is so kind to me and I so appreciate him.