Just before I went for my run, I looked outside to check on the wind and pick a route. When I looked out, this is what I saw. I told M that he should come look at it and after a moment of watching, decided we should box up our pictures and have them ready to go, just in case. So we did.
By the time I went for a run, it looked like this. Went for a run? Well, I must confess this...it doesn't even smell like smoke. The wind is blowing at 20mph and gusting into the 30s. It is blowing so hard that even though that is less than two miles away, we can't even smell the smoke. Notice the blue sky?
When I got home, it was a little more intimidating and since I had seen black hills while on my run, I decided it was serious.
The thing about the wind is that the fire seems to go out and there is lots of white smoke and then suddenly it starts up again.
These are my kids, oblivious to the fire...
At one point, K yelled, "Oh Mom! Look at all the brown clouds!" Oy vey!
You can see clearly the direction the fire is heading...that makes it west, so staying the same distance from us but moving along the north side of the fence, staying in the valley. There are several cities up there, very rural and all the apple groves are up there as well. It is moving very quickly and has already eaten over 1500 acres.
That's my dog...taking a nap. What do they say about animals and disasters? Guess my dog wasn't in on the study.
Look how blue the sky is! It is such a strange feeling...there is a fire so close that when it crests a hill, we can see the flames, there is chaos in the sky...helicopters and planes everywhere...and sirens all the time. Yet, there is not even the smell of smoke in the air and I don't feel like I am in danger. Sounds like a great analogy for a sermon on God's peace? You can see all the danger, hear it, know it's real but feel at peace. Anyway, this is the view south...
This is the view north...
Dropping fire retardant...
South...
By the time I went for a run, it looked like this. Went for a run? Well, I must confess this...it doesn't even smell like smoke. The wind is blowing at 20mph and gusting into the 30s. It is blowing so hard that even though that is less than two miles away, we can't even smell the smoke. Notice the blue sky?
When I got home, it was a little more intimidating and since I had seen black hills while on my run, I decided it was serious.
The thing about the wind is that the fire seems to go out and there is lots of white smoke and then suddenly it starts up again.
These are my kids, oblivious to the fire...
At one point, K yelled, "Oh Mom! Look at all the brown clouds!" Oy vey!
You can see clearly the direction the fire is heading...that makes it west, so staying the same distance from us but moving along the north side of the fence, staying in the valley. There are several cities up there, very rural and all the apple groves are up there as well. It is moving very quickly and has already eaten over 1500 acres.
That's my dog...taking a nap. What do they say about animals and disasters? Guess my dog wasn't in on the study.
Look how blue the sky is! It is such a strange feeling...there is a fire so close that when it crests a hill, we can see the flames, there is chaos in the sky...helicopters and planes everywhere...and sirens all the time. Yet, there is not even the smell of smoke in the air and I don't feel like I am in danger. Sounds like a great analogy for a sermon on God's peace? You can see all the danger, hear it, know it's real but feel at peace. Anyway, this is the view south...
This is the view north...
Dropping fire retardant...
South...
Although it seems like our house is safe, there are many, many houses currently in serious danger. The fire is not contained at all and when darkness falls, they lose the air support. The wind is going crazy and pushing the fire quickly up the hills and the wind is supposed to increase overnight...while the humidity is sitting at just 7%. Please pray for those in danger and for comfort and for the firefighters for strength and energy. God Bless!
