The fire continues here in Santa Barbara. Last night it grew from 200 acres to 2400 acres. We watched as it went from a small area of our horizon to engulfing almost the entire mountains to the west. It is not coming south so much though, so for now, we are safe. However, the fire has been reeking havoc in other ways.
1) Electric. Last night smoke affected the main power line to Santa Barbara, and we were without power for 5 hours. We had scheduled with friends, Jared and Katie, for dinner. They came over and we had a great time playing Apples to Apples and eating by candlelight. The babies also had a great time playing. Also, we did not open the fridge or freezer and so everything was fine. My popsicles didn't even melt. Yea!
2) Air Quality. It may not snow in Santa Barbara, but it sure looks like it today. Ash is dropping from the sky and it is "overcast." The picture below is from yesterday. Because of the poor air quality, Clark and Lilly aren't coming to visit this weekend.
3) Society in general. With the power out and the fire looming on the horizon, it has been reassuring to see neighbors helping neighbors and being generally social. In my own way, I really enjoyed the power outage last night. It was truly dark for once and everyone was congregating and talking. A lot of people left though.
Yesterday afternoon, the winds were easterly; hence, the billowing smoke.
Mmmm... Makes me want to breathe deeply.
Sunset
Today, the smoke covers the whole sky. The first picture is from the Independent. You can find updates on the fire here.
Here is the current info:
2 comments:
Oh, yuck! My car was covered with some ash, but it must be horrible up there. We had some gnarly fires last year that made the sky orange and rendered the air unbreathable.
Hang in there. Hope you're able to find some fun indoor activities for the kiddies.
Hey, haven't heard from you in a bit, how are things in your neck of the woods?
Hope you're all alright. :)
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