Currently 10/27/2020: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

 

It was inevitable. After coasting through fire season in 2019, and most of 2020, strong Santa Ana winds finally descended on us here in Orange County yesterday, and we had two fires break out as a result. Neither fire is near enough to us to present a danger, but the impact is still being felt. We have dear friends that had to evacuate from their home as a result of the Blue Ridge fire, which is burning directly behind their backyard, and we woke up to very smokey (you can actually taste the smoke) skies as a result of the Silverado fire, meaning we'll likely be forced to remain indoors today until the smoke clears.

What the smoke from the Silverado fire looked like from the back of our home yesterday evening, as it headed out toward the ocean. 

The Santa Anas were strong yesterday, crazy strong. Gusts up to almost 100 mph were registered in various areas around S. California, and we had trees pushed over here in our immediate neighborhood as a result. With regard to the wildfires, it's my understanding that downed electrical power lines as a result of the winds may have started both fires, which makes sense, unfortunate as that is.

The Santa Ana winds, as a side note, were such a product of my childhood that I have dreams about them from time-to-time to this day. Memories, and how they pop up unexpectedly, are so interesting, aren't they?

Otherwise, Currently I Am . . . 

Happy  My Dad surprised me with the news that he was traveling to California, and he arrived over the weekend. Although he is staying with my aunt, his sister, he drove over for a visit on Sunday, and we had an outdoor mini-reunion as a result. We went for a long walk along the beach, then were joined by my daughter and her significant other for bagels at the harbor. In a fun(ny?) twist, rain moved in just as we got set up with our breakfast picnic at the harbor, so we ate under blankets and umbrellas. Still, it was great to see him! He's truly amazing at 85 years of age. He drove from his home in Texas, some 1600 miles away, towing a small pop up camper so he didn't have to stay in any hotels or motels during COVID. And along the way he decided to stop and climb a mountain in Guadalupe National Park.

I should be so lucky to have half his energy when I reach his age!

My amazing dad (right) with my husband (left) during our walk.

Thankful  We had occasion to go hiking up to Bedford Peak in Silverado Canyon over the weekend with a small group of friends, on a windless, cool day, The entire area we were in is now closed due to the Silverado fire, and may not reopen for some time to come as a result.

Side note: As a native Californian, I would never, ever go hiking in any of our wilderness areas during a high wind event. My earliest childhood memories are of Santa Ana sparked wildfires, and I have had a healthy respect of the correlation between wind events and wildfires ever since.

Cooking  Not much, in that we are preparing to leave for a week long visit with our daughter and family on the east coast, so we're eating down the refrigerator, resulting in some fairly simple meals - grilled cheese, Trader Joe's meatloaf, egg salad, etc. So happy to have an easy-to-please husband!

Nervous  The above trip will necessitate getting on an airplane for the first time since the pandemic hit, and neither of us is looking forward to it for the obvious reasons. We are flying Delta both ways, and they are continuing to be among the group of airlines most firm about enforcing mask wearing, plus they are continuing to leave middle seats open, so there's at least that.

Buying  A series of guitar music books from the truly amazing Justin Sandercoe of Justin Guitar. I am continuing to progress nicely, given that I'm self-learning, and I attribute it all to his excellent online guitar app, and his also-excellent guitar music books which are filled with hints and tips on how to continue to improve.

Smiling  Our realtor calls us from time-to-time just to see how we are, and encourage us to let her know should we ever be interested in listing our home. Yesterday she sent us a text letting us know she had a buyer interested in our neighborhood, just in case we were thinking of selling. She knows, because I've told her, that it's very likely we will move one more time at some point, to a townhome or condo within a mile of the beach (we're currently two miles away), but that time is not quite yet. Still, I give her points for trying!

That's it for me this week. What's going on Currently where you are?