It's that time of year

For those of you who don't live in Southern California, this is wildfire season, because this is the time our Santa Ana winds kick into high gear. A massive high pressure system is sitting over the desert and the mountain passes are acting like huge funnels sending high winds (70 mph or higher is some cases) through the passes and into the coastal areas. Everything is tinder dry and there are already reports of brush fires in Orange County south of us.

We moved into our current house in 2003 in June and in October of that year the Grand Prix fire swept across the foothills just north of our house. The fire was 15 miles to the east of us when we went to bed that night and the next morning it was probably 5 miles beyond us to the west. Almost 70,000 acres were consumed and 194 house destroyed. Fortunately, no loss of life happened, but many people's lives were permanently disrupted.

I took this photo this afternoon of my front parkway. This would have been a major nuisance in my mind in my younger days. However, these lost limbs are a minor inconvenience compared to some people who are at this very moment preparing to evacuate on a moment's notice. I need to remember that.