California Burnin'

> Dear April,
> Yesterday Joel and I drove into town with Dad because we were
> going on a field trip to a science museum in Balboa Park. As we got
> closer to San Diego, the air became smokier. We could see the whole
> eastern sky blanketed with haze. The morning sun rising through the
> smoke made it a strange peachy-yellow color. The sun itself was a red
> fireball. At first the smoke was to our east, but as we neared the
> congested I-5 and I-805 intersection, we were driving in the smoke
> which seemed like fog, only more malignant. The smoke/fog became
> precipitation -- we were being snowed on with tiny bits of ash!! By
> the time we arrived at MCRD there was enough ash on the street that
> car tires kicked up little trails. And the eery yellow light deepened. It was a strange, sobering sensation.
> Needless to say, the field trip was cancelled (I later found an
> e-mail from Joel's teacher which he sent at 5:45 a.m. informing us of
> this). But I don't consider the trip wasted. It made me much more
> aware of the reality of the fires which are raging all around us here
> in San Diego. I tasted the very edges of the fear which, for those
> whose homes and lives are threatened, is true terror. When Joel and I
> returned to Oceanside around noontime, the sky here was blue; and the
> smoke from the Pendleton fire to the north and the Valley Center fire
> to the east was a distant shadow, nothing to directly worry us. How
> the puny human brain so quickly goes into denial mode to avoid the
> pain of fear or the effort of concern.
> Okay, enough already! .
> Love,
> Mom

I have a brother and family living about where April's family is--it's a little scary. Living thru the Tucson fires this summer makes it all seem so much more real. Fire is incredibly powerful

My aunt and uncle live in Victorville, about 7 or 8 miles from one of the evacuation areas. They've been able to see the San Bernardino fires for the last few days.

Josiah:

I just noticed your connection with southern Cali and your mention of the southern Cali OPC presby on my weblog. Did you used to live there as well? I was once a member of that presby while a member of Westminster OPC in, uhh, Westminster, CA. This was only two years ago.