Another Smoky Day, Another Beach

Our escape today took us a little farther south to Pacific Grove, just below Monterey. Before we went to the beach we stopped at a favorite Vietnamese place, got some takeout and ate in a nearby park. It was lovely. The air is reasonably clear there, even though they have their own fire only a few miles away. People were going about their lives normally. The restaurant owner seemed to have vaguely heard that there was a fire in Santa Cruz, but it clearly wasn't the most important thing in his life. It was such a relief to be away from the constant pressure of The Fire. There are people who don't even know about it! There are people lined up to shop at Goodwill, observing Covid regulations, but not worried about falling ashes and the constant smell of burning.

This view is from the footpath along the coast in Pacific Grove, looking toward Lovers' Point. Lots of bicycles, some skateboards, families out walking on a sunday afternoon. Everyone masked up, probably because there were signs everywhere warning of a steep fine for non-compliance. It was overcast, but so nice to stroll and breathe the ocean air. These little outings are our salvation.

They made some small progress fighting the fire. I heard there were no new blazes today. There is a good fire break outside town. The fear for tonight is the chance of another thunderstorm, which could bring more lightning strikes, more fires. It's calm out there right now, although there were a few drops of rain a couple hours ago. We can only hope it will be a non-event.