San Diego Fires Day Nine

9:44 a.m.
Today will be my last day of fire reports, unless something monumental turns up. I have gotten a lot of feedback from out-of-state (even out-of-country) friends and family that my blog has been helpful, and that’s why I’ve continued updating it so frequently and for so many days. I have, at times, grown quite weary of writing about it, but knowing that you were counting on me to give you accurate and up-to-date information provided me with a very tangible sense of purpose. So, in addition to being grateful that I could do something to help, I thank you all for providing me a means to keep busy during this whole ordeal.

Today’s news, much like yesterday’s, is mostly concerned with totals and tallies. Absolutely nothing about exactly where and how the remaining fires are still burning. I do know that there are only about 2,600 people remaining under evacuation orders. This is all from the Poomacha (Pumacho, I’ve seen several different versions) Fire up in the northern area of the county.

As of last night, they had surveyed 99% of all the burned areas in unincorporated parts of the county. For those areas, here are the latest numbers:

The number of residential, commercial and industrial buildings destroyed is:

* Witch Fire 573
* Harris Fire 206
* Rice Canyon Fire 208
* Poomacha Fire 16
* TOTAL 1,003

The estimated cost of structural damage in the unincorporated areas is $400 million.

These totals do not include the burned areas within city limits. Those numbers were posted in yesterday’s (Friday’s, really) total, and if you combine them you get a total of 2,627 structures burned so far. This doesn’t include several hundred homes and other buildings that were damaged but not totally destroyed.

At least the fires appear to be on their way out. Yesterday was warm and sunny, but today the clouds have returned, and the weather forecast calls for drizzling spots of rain to begin tonight and continue through Wednesday. I hope this will extend inland enough to help dampen the remaining fires.

San Diego Fires Day Eight

10:07 a.m.
Here are the statistics as of 8:30 this morning: The Harris Fire is 65% contained, the Witch Fire is 90% contained--this is the one that has done the most damage to both wildlife and humans--the Rice Fire is 100% contained, and the Pumacho Fire is only 50% contained.

8:00 p.m.
There really isn't any important breaking news that I can find; so here is some general information on what these fires have done so far. As of Friday at 4 p.m., the fires in San Diego County had burned approximately 26% of the total acreage in the county. One-fourth of our entire county was on fire. I don't expect the total burned acreage to increase that much, even though that total was reported two days ago; it really appears that the fires have not advanced much in the interim. But it's difficult to be sure, since they stopped reporting as thoroughly once the fires slowed down. Over a half-million people were evacuated during this past week; that makes about 20% of the total population of San Diego County. About 90% of those evacuees have been allowed back home--thankfully, it appears that most of them still had homes to go back to.

This was also found in the same series of articles from the local NBC website (Friday's news):

Although it is little consolation to fire victims, Cal Fire statistics also show the 2007 fires combined were still not as destructive as the fires in 2003.

The 2003 Cedar Fire burned 273,246 acres and destroyed 4,847 structures making it the most destructive fire in California history in both acres burned and structures destroyed.

The Witch Fire is estimated at 197,990 acres burned and 1,266 structures destroyed, making it the third largest fire in California history in acreage, and the fourth most destructive for structures.

So far, the fires of October 2007 burned 352,593 acres and 1,709 structures.

The fires in October 2003 burned 376,237 acres and 5,268 structures.

I say it's a little too early to be counting totals--not that I wish in any way for the counts to be higher; I just really don't see how they can have accurately tallied all the destroyed or damaged houses already. Some people are still evacuated, even though it's true that the vast majority have been allowed to go home.

9:24 p.m.
This has nothing to do with the fires. Thank goodness. I just discovered yet another great thing about living by myself: I ate my dinner tonight in my underwear, just because I could. And because it's too dang hot in here to wear pants. Oh, stop! It's nothing to get all riled up about; I'm wearing my comfy cotton undies and they aren't risque in the slightest.

And to top off all the fun, here are a few picture of my cat--it's been way too long since I subjected you all to the endless parade of Sylvie photos. And she has nothing to do with fire.

9:07 p.m.

Incredibly, the last update I read stated that as of 6:30 this evening, the Pumacho Fire is "the only blaze in San Diego County with active flames along the perimeter." Does this mean the other fires are out? I'm certain they would have said so explicitly if that were the case. Perhaps the Pumacho Fire is the only one that is still advancing to burn in new areas while the others are not? Whatever the exact meaning of this report, it seems to be good.

There have been isolated spots of fine drizzle in my neighborhood today, and I heard that in at least two beach communities, they had actual rain. What a wonderful thing.

San Diego Fires Day Seven

11:06 a.m.
When I woke up this morning the most glorious sight greeted me--clouds! They don't look like rain clouds, but the whole sky is full of grey and white, and I’m hoping the cooler weather they brought with them will help smother the fires into submission. The weather forecast even predicts a slight chance of thunderstorms. Yesterday evening I had noticed a few clouds in the sky, and those were the first I’d seen since the fires started--the sky has been a blank relentless smoky blue all week. So clouds are good.

Almost all of the news I’ve been finding since yesterday is of evacuation notices being lifted. This is also good! I have heard nothing about new homes and populations being threatened. However, my cynical side is raising its baleful head-- I’m wondering if the recent dearth of reporting on where the fires actually are now is because the more highly populated, wealthier areas are no longer in any danger. Do we really stop reporting on who’s facing destruction if they don’t have enough money? The fires are only in the unincorporated areas of the county now, in the most rural reaches near some of the Indian Reservations and where the folks who don’t have scads of money live. Maybe my righteous wrath is too quick to be ignited; but I really can’t help wondering if this doesn’t have something to do with the lack of reports.

Despite that little pessimistic glimmer, I am fairly confident that the news will continue to get better. Here is the latest fire synopsis as of 9:24 this morning, copied from the San Diego Emergency site:

Harris Fire is 85,800 acres and 50% contained. Full containment is expected on October 31st and full control on November 4th. There are 2,068 firefighters assigned. Cost to date $7.8 million. There have been 16 injuries to firefighters, 21 civilians burned and 5 civilian fatalities. 188 homes, 1 commercial property and 222 outbuildings destroyed. 250 homes and 2 commercial properties damaged.

The Witch Fire is 197,990 acres and 60% contained. Full containment is expected on October 31st and full control on November 5th. There are 3,031 firefighters assigned. Cost to date $9.2 million. There have been 34 injuries to firefighters, 2 civilian fatalities. 911 homes, 30 commercial property and 175 outbuildings destroyed. 62 homes, 10 commercial properties, 50 outbuildings damaged.

The Rice Fire is 9,000 acres and 80% contained. Full containment is expected on October 28th and full control on November 5th. There are 967 firefighters assigned. Cost to date $3,108,143 million. There have been 4 injuries to firefighters.

The Poomacha Fire is 43,000 acres and 45% contained. Full containment and control on October 29th. There are 1,838 firefighters assigned. There have been 14 injuries to firefighters. 78 homes, 19 outbuildings destroyed.

On a much more frivolous (but much-needed!) note, I went out with some friends last night. Brett’s band played at the bar at Humphrey’s and they were all outfitted in crazy 70s-ish gangster/pimp/disco mode. So we all dressed up, too. I was a little more subdued; Kerry decided I was more on the beatnik end of the spectrum, but more brightly colored. Kerry did such a fabulous job with my eyeshadow that I feel you need to see it. I was also wearing a truly amazing orangey-red sparkly super shiny lip gloss, but the color just didn’t transfer in the photo, so here is the consolation prize, the first non-fire related photo of the week (the eyeliner wore off, but you can still see the funky eyeshadow):


The rest of my outfit consisted of a black velvet top, a short knitted skirt of orange and purple marled yarn, tights, knee high black boots with chunky heels, and my mother’s authentic 70s super long pearl strand that I wrapped twice around my neck with a long loop tied in a knot. I do love to dress up! I apologize that there aren’t any other photos; Kerry has yet to send me the ones that she took while we were out, and I couldn’t exactly take a full-length shot of myself after I got home, now could I?

San Diego Fires Day Six

9:04 a.m.
I can't believe it's been six days. In a way it seems like this whole nightmare just started. But it's also been interminable--the waiting to see just how much the fires would ravage; my feelings of uselessness as I sit in my apartment unable to go outside due to the terrible air quality; just plain cabin fever due to my self-imposed seclusion.

The fires are still burning, but they seem to have dramatically slowed their advance. The Witch Fire is 45% contained now, and the Harris Fire is 20% contained. "Full containment" is expected by October 28th and 31st, respectively, but they won't be under "full control" until November 4th. The total number of acres burned has not increased significantly since I last reported statistics--it's about 325,000 acres. More to follow when I'm more fully awake...

2:22 p.m.
I haven't found any significant news about the fires since this morning. I take this as a very good sign. While it's true that they are still burning, and there are still people who are not allowed home (if they have a home to go back to) the worst really does appear to be behind us. I'm not the praying type, but I'm hoping with every molecule in my body that this is so. There are a few friends of mine whom I haven't heard from and this worries me.

I've had the opportunity over the past several days to do a lot of ruminating about human behavior (quite by coincidence, I was just listening to Bjork singing the song by that name a few seconds ago).

Something that I believe to be true is that disaster--much like being drunk tends to exaggerate people’s personalities on one end of the spectrum or the other--brings out either the very best or the very worst in us. There have been so many incidences of people going out of their way to help others this past week it’s been truly heartwarming and inspiring. And then there is the other side of the coin, the people whose actions I simply cannot fathom; those who prey upon the suffering and use tragedy to serve their own selfish ends. Lisa found somebody on the internet who was offering a pet shelter service--for sixty dollars a night. What an ass. And there are countless other looters and price-gougers and thieves. But then there are also people who could easily turn a profit from the disaster and instead choose to do the opposite--a hotel in Pacific Beach has offered free rooms to evacuees. Like the political situation in our country the past 7 years, these fires have proved to be a polarizing event. I’m happy to say that I’ve at least witnessed firsthand much more of the good side than the bad.

I've been doing a lot of introspection as well. Many things I won’t write about in such a public space, but I am learning a lot about myself. I’ve learned that I have a real need to be helpful and useful; I’ve always known this to some extent, and called it my “I need to save the world complex.” But I never knew just how miserable I could be if rendered unable to exercise these urges. Having to stay inside and not be out there helping has really upset me. Hence the cookie-baking for the firefighters.

I’ve also learned that I’m much more concerned about how I look than I thought I was. This is somewhat of a shock and rather disappointing, to boot. I’ve noticed that when going outside wearing my mask, I’m incredibly self-conscious. And why should I be? Why do I care what others think of me? I think that one thing that is going on in my brain is concern that people will think I’m some sort of over-worried hypochondriac person who probably washes her hands 8 zillion times a day and sprays down her surroundings with hand sanitizer. Honestly; my lung condition is not obvious to anyone. But I need to get over it. It’s difficult to, however, when even some grown-ups can’t handle the situation gracefully.

Yesterday I actually drove by a man riding on a bicycle who pointed at me, laughed, made masking motions with his hand, and laughed again. And he had a child with him. At least all his son/nephew/little brother did was stare. My feelings were actually hurt for a few seconds before I snapped out of it and realized that if anyone should be feeling bad, it should be him. It’s hard to maintain that stiff upper lip, though. This afternoon I walked to Jyoti-Bihanga, the vegetarian place half a block away, and was stared at by an entire roomful of diners when I walked in, and particularly on my way out, since I had to put the mask on before I went out the door while my hands were free. I swear the conversation stopped as I walked by. It’s unnerving to walk past that many people who are all frankly appraising you while knowing you look a bit odd.

I’m also a little concerned at how few other people I’ve seen wearing masks. During the Cedar Fires four years ago, practically everybody was wearing some sort of protection for at least a few days. But because the particulate pollution is not as visible this time around, I suppose people are taking it for granted that the air is harmless.

I’m really upset, actually, that so many people were out today with their small children playing in the park. The air is still in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “unhealthy” ranges today. The only other people I saw with masks were a man riding his bike, and a guy standing on the street corner spinning a sign. Absolutely everybody else is out and about conducting business as usual, sucking loads of tiny particles into their lungs. Perhaps I’m just jealous that they can be so cavalier about it all, while I have to take extensive measures to protect myself. My lungs have been suffering, anyhow, no matter what I do. It’s impossible to keep this stuff out.

San Diego Fires Day Five

10:32 a.m.
Dear friends and family, I am on my way out the door to go babysit for a friend, so I can’t write much at the moment. I know how many of you are checking my blog for updates so I offer this small glimmer of hope: The fires are still burning, but after checking this morning’s fire map, it really looks as if they are slowing down. The winds returned to normal yesterday which helps, although the hot and dry conditions still persist in the areas where the fires are active. The fires continue to burn north and east at this point. They expect to have full containment of the Harris and Rice Fires by Halloween. There was no date given for expected containment of the Witch Creek or Pumacho Fires.

One downside to the winds returning to their normal offshore-to-inland flow is that it has made the air quality worse where I live. What happened is that the Santa Anas blew all the smoke from the fires out over the ocean, and then when the winds resumed their normal pattern they brought it all back with them. So I still can’t go outside; the air pollution levels remain at “unhealthy” today.

Here are those links if you’d like more news:
SD County Emergency website
local air quality website

11:56 a.m.
I am at Kiki's house right now, and I can really appreciate how much cleaner the air is at my place. I was hoping to hang out here for a while and visit once she gets home, but I don't think I'll be able to stay. I must head home for my stuffy little HEPA-filtered refuge. When I first went out to get in my car on the way over here, I noticed a fine layer of ash on the hood and roof. I couldn't see it so much on the sidewalk, but my car is black so it shows up quite plainly. Even though these fires are worse than the ones in 2004, the ash in my area is much less than it was then. During the Cedar Fires, the ash was so thick that when you walked outside you left footprints in it.

The kids and I are making sugar cookies for the firefighters right now. We've got a production line going--shaping the balls of dough, rolling them in sugar, and then smashing the balls flat on the cookie sheet with a glass. The funny part is that the glass we're using is a Shrek glass that was from McDonald's (they don't eat there; where did it come from?!) and the bottom of the glass left little "M" imprints on the tops of all the cookies. We decided that having the McDonald's logo on our cookies was a terrible thing, so Ivvy rubbed the tops with sugar to erase them. It worked; the cookies are out of the oven and McDonald's-free.

7:08 p.m.
We took the cookies over to the fire station a few hours ago. Three firemen were there, and told us that things were definitely getting better. They wouldn't have been at the station at all if the fires were still at their worst. They were quite appreciative of the cookies, but I'm not sure I trust them to save any for the firefighters who are still out there--they were eyeing those cookies pretty hungrily. And they called Ivvy a girl. He actually took it quite well; he says he gets it all the time. People just aren't used to 9 year-old boys with ponytails, I guess.

In fire news, I have some very sobering statistics to report. There have been 14 deaths so far, seven of which are directly attributed to the fire. Four of the victims haven't been identified yet. Nearly three dozen firefighters have been injured fighting the fires, but none have been killed. About 325,000 acres have been burned in San Diego County. I don't know anything yet about how many homes have been destroyed; I'm sure that they haven't even began an accurate count yet.

To leave you on a more positive note, generally speaking, the fire situation is really looking much better. Here is the latest fire map:If you compare this one with the one from yesterday you can see that the active fire areas are much smaller. I am hopeful.

San Diego Fires Day Four

10:57 a.m.
I had the worst bout of insomnia last night that I have had in years. I got up twice after not being able to sleep; finally at 4 a.m. I broke down and took a sleeping pill, something I hate doing, but the situation demanded it. I probably fell asleep just as 5 a.m. was rolling in.

With that introduction, I think you will forgive me if I resort to cutting and pasting for this morning's fire update. I took the following text from the SD County Emergency website:

10-24-07 9:30 a.m. Fires update from CAL FIRE: The Harris Fire is now 73,000 acres, suppression costs are at $2.5 million. There have been 7 injuries. 759 Firefighters assigned. The fire was held at the edge of Chula Vista and Spring Valley. The returning onshore flow has moved the fire to the northeast threatening structures along Highway 94 from Jamul to the east and Jamacha to the west. Lyons Peak was burned and the fire jumped perimeter control lines in the area.

The Witch Fire is still 196,420 acres, but now 10% contained, suppression costs are at $2.3 million. There have been 12 injuries to firefighters. There are 1,841 firefighters assigned to this fire. The fire will continue to move east threatening the communities of Julian and Pine Hills. Fire has potential to move north and join with the Poomacha Fire. Fire spread to west and southwest is still a potential. There have been 645 structures destroyed – 250 damaged. 100 commercial properties destroyed – 75 destroyed. 50 outbuildings destroyed – 50 damaged.

The Rice Fire is 7,500 acres and 15% contained. 1 firefighter has been injured. Cost to date to fight the fire is $585,000. Red Flag conditions during daylight hours. De Luz and Fallbrook are evacuated. Over 400 structures in De Luz and Northern Fallbrook area threatened.

The Poomacha Fire 25,000 and 0% contained. 659 firefighters assigned to this fire. Cost to fight this fire is $350,000. Fire increased in size due to extreme fire behavior, lack of resources and high winds. Some resources are beginning to arrive, but no significant perimeter control has been initiated due to structure protection priorities.

I have also found out that seven deaths are now associated with the fires, one of which is directly attributed to the Harris Fire. The others apparently occurred during or as a result of the evacuation process. Another significant note is that the Witch Fire is not burning on its western perimeter at all anymore; the winds have shifted and it is mostly burning to the northeast. The same goes for the Harris Fire. I am hoping that this will make them easier to contain since it signals that the Santa Ana winds have died down; the cooler, moister, and much slower ocean winds have much less potential for whipping the flames. It also means that the fires are no longer threatening the most densely populated areas.

The map below shows the total perimeters of the fires in SD County. The orange is the total area that has burned while the red spots are where the fires were still active as of 8 a.m. this morning. You can download your own zoomable pdf version of this map from the SD County Emergency website--it's in the list on the right side of the page.
5:48 p.m.
Things haven't changed too much since this morning. The winds are still blowing in from the oceans, which is bad on the one hand since they are pushing the fires back in a different direction, but good on the other hand since they are much less fierce and much less dry. This http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifmeans they can't add as much fuel to the fire as the Santa Anas did the past three days. People are being evacuated along the 94 freeway now, and some people who were evacuated earlier and then allowed home are finding they have to leave again due to the wind changes. The Witch Creek Fire and the Pumacho Fire have joined up in the northern part of the county, near Palomar Mtn.

Even without any fires due east of me, and even with the wind change, the air pollution remains at "unhealthy" levels according to the local air quality website. My lungs are definitely suffering. I noticed earlier that my front door has a full one-inch gap at the bottom--no weatherstripping whatsoever. I stuffed my bathmat into the space. No wonder I could still smell smoke occasionally, even with my filters on. This is an old house, full of cracks and spaces and crooked window frames. There is also a vent built into the ceiling of my kitchen that is really just a big beveled hole in the roof. How can I block that? At any rate, I still feel extremely lucky that boredom and some hopefully temporary lung troubles are the worst I'm suffering from all this. So many people are dealing with much much worse.

San Diego Fires Day Three

The previous post was getting too long. Those of you who haven't read it need to start there first. Here is the SD Emergency site where you will find the most up-to-date info about the fires. Here's a link to google maps with a fire outline and evacuation info (thanks Joe!).

10:34 a.m.
I am having a progressively more difficult time writing about the fire situation here. There is so little good news. A new fire has started up on the La Jolla Indian Reservation in the north area of the county, and they are sending people to the Palomar Mtn. Observatory, which frightens me. What will happen if the mountain catches on fire? They will have nowhere to go. I am trying my best to trust that those in charge know what is safe. So many areas have been evacuated now I can’t even recount them here.

One thing I noticed this morning really helped me feel better--three local clinics have opened up on a no-appointment-needed basis, and are charging those without insurance on a generous sliding scale. Bless them. I am feeling more and more helpless and useless as I sit holed up in my apartment with my air filters on. I want to help, but I really don’t know what I could do. I can’t volunteer at the shelters because I have to stay indoors for my stupid lungs. I am frustrated.

I’m thinking about making brownies or something for the firefighters. There is a fire station right across the street from my house, and their parking area has been full of cars for the last few days; I’m assuming that the volunteers have all been called in. I know it’s a tiny and somewhat silly gesture in the face of things, but it’s all I can think of to do. No one has called to have me take in their animals, which surprises me due to the huge number of evacuations that have taken place.

1:26 p.m.
I'm a little less frantic than I was this morning: I have been on the phone much of the day (not on my cell as they've asked us to save that for emergencies only). I've also recruited another friend to help in my baking-for-firefighters efforts. I called the non-emergency fire line and the woman who answered the phone said that yes, they are allowed to receive treats from the public, and that they would be thrilled to have them. When they get back, that is. Currently, all the firefighters from my station here are up at Pomerado Rd. fighting the Witch Creek Fire. That's the really huge one up there.

For the curious, my house is about 10-12 miles from the Harris Fire, but I really don't think I'm in any danger. I'm also about 4-5 miles north of it, and the winds seem to be blowing straight west. The bad part is that while my neighborhood and much of central San Diego don't seem to be in any danger, the Harris Fire is heading for a very populated area. Much of Chula Vista is being evacuated right now. Below is a photo (taken yesterday) sent to me by my friend Joe. The big lake you can see to the right near the grey triangle is the Salton Sea, so you can kind of get an idea where the border of Mexico is; the bottom-most white smoke should be the Harris Fire, which is pretty much on the border line. The thickest white smoke in the middle is from the Witch Creek Fire. The paler brown ones near the bottom are in Mexico.




7:59 p.m.
My friend Jen just went home; she came over almost four hours ago and we spent the whole time working on her Halloween costume. I was so grateful to have something to do and to have company in my stuffy little abode. I am going to go to Kiki's house to watch a movie if they are still up for it.

Firewise, I have some scary statistics: over a half-million people have been evacuated. The good news is that at least 50,000 of those have been allowed to go back home. The Witch Creek Fire, the big one up north, is still only 1% contained. It really looks as if it won't be stopped until it runs into the ocean. It has burned 200,000 acres so far. The Harris Fire has burned over 70,000 acres and continues to burn northwest, which is scary since it's heading straight for some densely populated areas. It doesn't seem to be moving as fast as it was--although that is purely my own observation from following fire maps periodically throughout the day. Don't take that as a fact. Earlier today I got my first heartbreaking message from a good friend whose parents lost their house to the fire. And she doesn't know yet whether her own house survived or not. This is so difficult--even though I am relatively safe it is still entirely nerve-racking knowing that so much destruction and loss is happening all around me, especially to people I know and love.

There was another hazy and vivid sunset tonight; this time the sun began glowing an angry bright red before it was anywhere near the horizon. This photo I took from my kitchen window doesn't convey the intensity at all--my camera couldn't register the color, just the relative brightness of the sun through the masking smoky haze.11:44 p.m.
I just checked the latest fire map: the Witch Creek Fire seems to have slowed or even halted its westward rush and is mostly growing to the north. This bodes very well for the densely populated areas that lie in the westward path of the fire. People in the communities of Del Mar and Solana Beach were allowed back home earlier this evening. Unfortunately, since it's now spreading northward, it looks like this fire will join up with the Pumacho Fire (the one that started near Mt. Palomar on the La Jolla Res). The Harris Fire is 10% contained, and continues to advance slowly to the northwest. Residents of Chula Vista have been allowed back home. I believe the winds may be dying down, which would be a godsend. Let's hope.

San Diego is on Fire

This is 2003 all over again. I hope to god that it doesn’t turn out as disastrously. Yesterday, I was out downtown with Lisa and we noticed that the air was extremely smoky, enough to irritate our throats and lungs. Back at her house, we found only a little information online about three fires in San Diego County. The smoke seemed to have diminished somewhat by evening, but I closed all my windows and turned my air filters up as high as they could go before I went to bed. I can smell smoke anyway as I type.

This morning I was woken up before 7 a.m. by a call from my brother: he is visiting family in New England and heard that his brother-in-law needed to evacuate. Could he stay at my house if the shelter was full? Of course. I called Stephen twenty minutes ago and he said that Poway hasn’t had a mandatory evacuation yet--just an “advisory” one. He is safely ensconced at his parent’s home and will call if anything drastic changes.

I have been trying to find out more online. What I can glean is that there are nearly a dozen wildfires burning in Southern California, at least six of which are in my county. One fire has been attributed to a downed electrical line. The reason so many fires have erupted all at once is due to weather conditions known locally as “Santa Anas.” Santa Ana conditions bring extreme dips in humidity coupled with high temperatures and high winds blowing in from the east, rather than off the coast as they do under normal circumstances. What this means is that the risk of fire skyrockets and once the fires start they are very difficult to contain.

I have lived in San Diego off and on (mostly on) since 1989. While fires have always been somewhat of a problem in this area, I had never witnessed what they are now calling “firestorms” before 2003. Now, a mere four years later we are experiencing this form of disaster once again. Drought conditions are worsening; how can anybody deny that major climactic change is afoot? I’m frightened for what it bodes for our future.

Updates on fire conditions can be found here on the local news site. The SD County emergency site has the most up to date information, particularly about evacuations and such.

I will update this post as I learn more. Be safe.

11:56 a.m.
So far over 100,000 acres have burned; interstate 15 remains closed for several miles between the 78 and the 56. Those of you who live in the area should consider offering help if you are not directly impacted by the fires: shelters, especially the big one at Qualcomm, are in need of blankets, towels, shampoo, and pet food. Lisa and I have put our names on the list for the Humane Society to take in extra animals. Many evacuees are not able to take their pets with them to shelters, so think about calling the HS with your info to help. We are also taking water to the Qualcomm shelter, as well as some pet food.

2:26 p.m.
The names of the fires (in relative order of size) are the Witch Creek Fire, Harris Fire, Guajito Fire, Rice Canyon Fire, Coronado Hills Fire, McCoy Fire, and Descanso Fire. The Witch Creek and Guajito Fires are burning right through the corridor that wasn't burned in the 2003 Cedar Fire. There is also another unnamed red dot on the map up by the Rice Canyon Fire, and two friends who live in rural zones have told me that new fires keep igniting all over the place. It looks like 1/5 of the entire county (area-wise, not population-wise) has been evacuated at this point, even some areas along the coast. Lisa and I are leaving right now to take water, pet food, towels, and blankets to Qualcomm. I'm going to wear my heavy duty particle mask while I'm out. I'd rather look like a freak than damage my already struggling lungs.

6:38 p.m.
I just got home. I am very happy to report that there was a huge line of people at the stadium waiting to make donations. Stuff was piling up so much they had to keep taking truckloads of it away. I've never seen so many pillows in my life. In the queue on the way to the drop-off point, there was a woman driving a car full of five large dogs--three Malamutes and two Newfoundlands. Beautiful puppies! I rolled down the window and asked her if she had enough food for them all--we had a 20 lb. bag of dog chow in the trunk. She said she was ok. On the way home, the sunset was a dramatic glowing red orange. It was spectacularly beautiful, except that it made both Lisa and really solemn, because we knew what kind of destruction was causing the riotous haze.

And now the winds are picking up--it's awful--the palm trees are wearing all their fronds on one side as the wind pushes into them. Another night of 50-75 mph winds spells disaster, and the particular problem with Santa Ana winds is that they don't die down during the night at all like the normal winds do. They are actually increasing. The two biggest fires, the Witch Creek and Harris Fires, are barely 5% contained right now. I just found out that the Harris Fire is ZERO% contained. The smoke is filling up the entire southern sky with a muddy haze. It's terrible to see.They said on the radio that none of the firefighters are being allowed to go home--they are staying on and working in shifts. Half of them rest as the other half go out to confront the flames. And we are witnessing the largest evacuation San Diego has ever seen--more than a quarter of a million people have now been displaced. But here is a spot of good news: the Coronado Hills fire, near San Marcos, has been 100% subdued and people are being sent back home. It was one of the smallest fires, but I'm grateful for any victory at all over this conflagration.

10-23, 6:37 a.m.
This is worse than 2003 by far. The Witch Creek Fire is 0% contained and is going to burn its way to the ocean. It's even spread north, now, too, and last night at 9 p.m. it had already burned 145,000 acres. Who knows what it has grown into overnight. The Harris Fire is 5% contained. It hurts to write this.

Dog Therapy

I have encountered an unusually large number of dogs during the past several days. I like this very much. I love doggies in all their furry waggy joyful gleeness. I wish I could have a few of my own; since I can’t, I thoroughly enjoy the time I get to spend with other people’s pooches.

A few days ago I got to take Jen’s dog to the beach. Since Ken (yes, he has a people name, which should amuse those of you no end who are acquainted with my brother) is a retired guide dog, he sometimes has trouble getting in touch with his doggy side. This trip to the beach was the very first time ever I saw him actually approach another dog. He did great--tail wags, butt-sniffing, wide-mouth smiles, the whole routine. I’m so proud and happy for him. He even played once. It was amazing. He crouched down on his front legs and did that spastic backward jumpy “come catch me” thing while woofing and grinning foolishly. It was such a joy to see him enjoying himself so much. He played in the water and even chased a few other dogs around for a while.

And then he peed on some guy’s shoes. It turned out ok; the young man was very nice, as was his girlfriend, although she was laughing her head off the whole time. I myself was having an immensely difficult time not laughing through my profuse apologies, but I felt it would be rude to laugh more than his girlfriend did. The whole thing happened in slow motion. You see, Ken’s favorite thing to do at the beach is to run around to all the piles of seaweed, sniff them in several places, and then pee on them. Evidently he also sometimes has a little difficulty discerning what is seaweed and what is not. I looked up at one point to see him standing over this couple’s belongings in his “I’m gonna pee on this!” stance. I ran over as fast as I could, yelling at him to stop, as the girlfriend attempted to gently pry him away, but he’d already pretty much nailed one of the shoes. At least they’re washable. The boyfriend even sat down and gave Ken a lot of good-natured rubbing and kisses after the whole incident blew over. What a nice guy.

Friday night we were at a pub for a small going-away party for Molly from Stone. We will miss her terribly. Who am I going to make movies with now? At any rate, a couple in the "beer garden" area brought their two goofy-cute Basset hounds with them. They were awesome-- all wrinkly and pudgy and floppy-eared with the most soulful deep doggy voices ever. They apparently are regulars at the pub, and are quite vocal about their excitement about being there. At one point the boy dog just sat within a circle of about five of us and bayed his head off. It was adorable. The owner lady kept apologizing for the noise, but I told her not to worry, that he was making a valuable contribution to our conversation.

And then, early Saturday afternoon during the beautiful rain that had woken me up that morning, I looked out the window and saw a couple walking a very playful medium-sized beagle mutt dog. The best part was that he was wearing a black raincoat. With a hood. Holy crap, it was awesome! He was such a happy raincoated doggy. And then yesterday, to top off all the gleeful puppy-ness, I met the most amazingly sweet and cuter than hell Boxer puppy at the bagel shop. Her name was Sadie, and she was the adorabalest most wonderfullest dog ever. Ever. I’ve always loved Boxers--they are so damn goofy and silly and they have a tendency to lie down on their tummies with their back legs splayed out like frogs. Oh, how I love them!

Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs

I went to Ralph’s today with a friend, because she told me that they sell the full lineup of Count Chocula, Franken Berry, AND Boo Berry cereals now. All three of ‘em! I was a little disappointed; they only had the Franken Berry in stock, but it’s probably just as well. I don’t think I could actually eat much of any of them, really, and certainly not three whole boxes worth. But I did buy myself a shocking pink box of the Franken Berries and I just finished a bowl of them a few moments ago.

Sadly, things have changed since the sugary-cereal-laden halcyon days of my youth. The box graphics are totally different--Franken Berry is larger than life and the whole box is scarily pink and fuschia colored. There isn’t a picture of actual cereal anywhere on the box. And they changed the marshmallows! I know this shouldn’t really disturb me as I’m a fairly strict vegetarian and can't eat the marshmallows anyway. But they added a bunch of little white ghosts, purple bats (which were rather cute, I must say) and some indistinct blobby blue things that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what they were meant to be representing.

So I had to pick through the bowlful of cereal and remove all those puffy little interlopers in an attempt to regain the nostalgic cereal experience I was yearning for. Was this stuff REALLY that color when I was a kid? I can’t believe I ever ate it without worry. It is a truly violent shade of hot pink that in no way should ever be put in anyone’s mouth if they know what’s good for them. However, it’s probably all that horrific carcinogen-laden red dye that helps produce the sweet pink strawberry milk after it sits in the bowl for a minute or two. Still, I think I feel rather ill now... Maybe I’ll just put the box up on my wall as a Halloween decoration and forgo any future attempts to actually ingest it. The trip down memory lane simply isn’t worth the gastrointestinal distress that follows. Beware the berries of Franken, my friends.

Northwestern Exposure

The Seattle area is beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. But any of you who have ever been up there before already know this. I am now back home, and I must say that I am not especially fond of the warmer weather, the trees that display only one color of leaves in the fall, the dearth of rainstorms, or the asphalt and buildings that engulf my home. It rained nearly one hundred percent of the time I was up north, and I loved every minute of it. I told my friend Steve that I need to buy a little pennant that says “RAIN” on it in big campus-style letters so I can cheer for it as it pelts down from the sky. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy RAIN! I even got to experience a little hail. Wonderful.

S & P (they sound like a gas station, don’t they?) live in an amazing place. Issaquah is much smaller, population-wise (well, most likely geographically as well) than Seattle. Therefore it has a lot more nature gallumphing its big puppy-dog self all through town. Trees and streams and bazillions of plants popping up everywhere. Even the light posts have overflowing baskets of flowers hanging from them. S & P’s apartment building is set back and down the hill from the main street (not that it’s a busy one) so you really don’t feel like you're in the city at all when you are inside their apartment. It’s more like summer camp. You can see no other buildings, just a steep hill facing them, and their back wall, with its sliding glass doors and balcony, overlooks a very small patch of lawn, teeming woods, and the beautiful Issaquah Creek. You can take a walk from their place along the creek and then further down the hill toward town.

On Sunday, Monica came up to visit, and we all traipsed down the path to look for fish, since it is spawning season for the salmon. We saw about a half dozen in the shallow water downstream of the small dam, their fins breaking the water and making little wakes. One salmon even tried to leap up the fish ladder while we were there, but it didn’t make it. It made it up one “step” and then got washed back down again. We kept walking down til we got to the fish hatchery that is just downstream. Thousands of salmon are diverted each year into the hatchery so that the eggs and young fry can be protected from predators until they are old enough to be released into the wild. The fish’s numbers are still really struggling and they need some extra assistance from humans (we're the reason they're struggling in the first place!). We spent a lot of time watching the salmon leaping and splashing their way up the ladders in the hatchery. It was thrilling. They had built numerous windows into the concrete structure (photo above) and you can stick your nose right up to where the fish are milling around and jumping and thrashing and slapping their tails. It’s quite spectacular. Actually, the most spectacular sight was the stream itself where hundreds of fish had queued up, trying to get upstream when the hatchery’s gate was closed. A barrier has been built across the stream adjacent to the hatchery to prevent fish from bypassing it, so when the gate is closed, the fish have nowhere to go. But they keep trying! Check out the SalmonCam that shows the barrier across Issaquah Creek.

At one point, the stream was so full of salmon it was more fish than water. Silvery fish bodies, all oriented upstream and swaying gracefully as the water washed over them, formed a nearly solid mass in the creek bed. Many had to struggle and thrash around to get over the really shallow parts. All waiting, all patiently biding their time until they got their chance to leap at the barrier holding them back. And the leaping display was incredible! Pam and I actually both felt a little upset after a while, watching so many of the fish futilely propel themselves out of the water again and again. We placated ourselves with the hope that fish don’t feel frustration, but they were still probably pretty tired out.

During my trip, we also went into the city to watch a really amazing concert--The National--at a great venue called the Showbox. I have decided that I like the band rather a lot. The lead singer’s voice is deep and expressive and wonderful. This is their myspace page, where you can hear more of their music than on the previous webpage. It's actually pretty un-obnoxious as far as myspace pages go.

I also got to go on a short hike in the rainforest on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. It was raining prodigiously, as is only fitting. The trees were covered with so much moss in some places that they looked like they were melting. There was water everywhere, falling from the sky, shining and dripping from the leaves, running along the trail, running under the trail; it was glorious. The trail on the main short loop from the road was actually a built-up path, but it looked totally natural. The path was built out of large, chunky sections of wood and then covered with soil and gravel. Moss and other vegetation has grown all over everything, but occasionally you see glimpses of shiny wood or the water passing right under your feet. Without the raised path you would be slogging your way through a mini-swamp. Everything man-made along our short hike had been so taken over by the water and the vegetation, so darkened into shades of glistening brown and green and covered with fuzzy drapings of moss, that the bridges and railings look like they just grew there.

I apologize profusely that I have no photographic evidence of any of this; I didn’t bring my camera and S & P’s batteries were not working in theirs.

My friend Monica lives in a yurt. It’s beautiful inside; lots of natural light and a high, pitched ceiling. I actually do have a photo of this, caught split seconds before the camera gave up for good.Here is the lovely and talented M singing us a song she wrote recently. I believe I forgot to mention that Monica has one of the most astoundingly beautiful voices I have ever heard. And she lives in a yurt. I’m surprised that she’s only got four or so young men pining for her at the moment--who could resist a charming, musically gifted woman who lives in a yurt? Incidentally, she also lives in the town where they filmed the TV series “Northern Exposure” so you may already know what it looks like. It’s very quaint; I know that’s an overused real-estate term, but it fits. I loved the tiny-town feel of it without the tiny-mindedness that so often seems to accompany it. If I ever moved up there, something that has been increasingly on my mind, it would probably be to this town or somewhere in the vicinity. It is a lot drier there than Seattle and Issaquah, due to the intervening mountains in between, and that could bode much better for my health. This is all pure speculation at this point, at any rate, so don’t worry about me packing up next week.

The rest of my trip was a happy blur of driving in the rain, drinking good beer in local brewpubs, talking to friendly strangers, walking by the creek, eating yummy homemade food, drinking lots of hot tea, and playing with two amazingly cute felines. And best of all, soaking in all the green luscious nature that crowded around from every direction; the omnipresent water; the sky filling up with multicolored, riotous clouds; the falling leaves raining down like a fairy tale; the kind of place that I feel most at home.

Double Fabulous

Hey, everybody, I'm in Seattle right now! Or close enough--I'm in Issaquah, which is pretty darn close by and has even more trees and fewer buildings. There is a lot of rain going on at the moment, and just a few yards away is a neato beautiful creek full of really big fish trying to make it far enough upstream to spawn. I'm having so much fun I may never recover.

And to top off all the excitement, this is my 100th post. Happy centennial to me! Happy centennial to me! Okay, for you literalists out there, I am perfectly aware that a centennial celebrates one hundred years of something, and I have definitely not been blogging for anywhere near that long. But there is no word that I know of that describes celebrating one hundred occurrences of something, so it's what I'm sticking with and you'll just have to live with the woeful inaccuracy of it all.