Fire! Fire!

I woke up this morning aware that the winds were starting to blow. I just started working out again and wanted to get my run in today. I wasn't sure if the winds would get worse or better throughout the day so I just resolved to get it done this morning. I was definitely aware that it was warmer and the winds were drying things out. Then I came home and spent a few hours just taking care of some things. I started to smell some smokiness in the house and closed up the windows. I was really surprised that the fires (which I thought were pretty far away) were affecting my house.

Then, at about noon I headed out for some errands and was shocked to see quite a bit of ash swirling in the air. As I drove to the mall, I could see a major plume of smoke coming from the Riverside County direction. It actually looked like it was pretty close to my work in Brea. But I figured it was probably further away than it looked. Over the next couple hours the air got so bad. There was a clear line of smoke heading south into the clear blue sky that still remained.

I finally got home and pulled out my camera. Unfortunately I am just far enough north that the blue sky is not visible from my house so you can't see the contrast. But here is what the sky looks like... It is not night time. I took this photo at about 3:15 in the afternoon. Am I ever glad I got my run in this morning!


And my backyard is gathering quite a nice collection of ash.

Ick...
Watching on the news and getting a better idea of where the fires are is pretty heart wrenching. Normally fires season brings fires that are in areas I am not very familiar with. A year or two ago there were a couple that were next to areas I knew, but it still didn't really mean much for me. But now the fires are burning in places that I know! I've driven through these neighborhoods; attended wedding and baby showers; played volleyball. It's a weird feeling to be so familiar with what is on the news this time.