a break and a little fresh air

was out walking along one of the bluffs today to check in on the neighboring fires and stumbled across this fire truck and its crew. i don't have much to say other than we all really appreciate what these guys are doing for us- the area that i live in has been extremely fortunate so far, and i attribute it largely to the efforts of these fine folks.

the fires near me (in malibu) seem to be relatively under control. unfortunately, that is the exception. for most of southern california, the intensity and size of the fires increased. as of early this morning, this was declared the largest mass evacuation of citizens in the history of california. i read in the new york times that the evacuation effort is already more than half as large as that of Hurricane Katrina.

the dull and monotonous buzz of AM radio was in the background at the office today. two of my co-workers that live in antelope valley had to leave suddenly to get their pets when mandatory evacuation orders for their neighborhoods were issued over the radio. i haven't had any updates on their status, but I hope the best for them-- i was feeling pretty safe and removed from the whole disaster at one point this morning, but was quickly reminded of how personal and life-altering this can be when they had to leave suddenly. it is one thing to hear about evacuations and burned houses on the news and read about it on the internet. it is another thing altogether when it's YOUR house and YOUR memories, and it was crushing to see the fear etched on their faces as they ran out of the office.

we attended an outdoor komen breast cancer fundraising event this evening and noticed a yellow/pink haze across the entire sky...i've just read that this smoke-haze is visible throughout the entire southern part of the state.

my sincere condolences and best wishes go out to all of those who have been displaced due to these fires.