Fires

Several people have asked if the Southern California fires are in our area. There are currently 16 fires going in the LA and San Diego area. Part of the problem has been the strong Santa Ana winds (up to 100mph) which are starting to calm. The fires have destroyed 1,500 homes and half a million people were evacuated (apparently the largest evacuation in state history). The largest fires are close to San Diego. There are a few that are to the east and west of where we are in Pasadena, but they are not very close. The sky has been a bit smoky, that's about all. You can check out this link to see a map of the fires (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/2007-10-23-california_fires_N.htm).
When we were driving down across the mountains to move into our apartment on Monday, we passed near the San Bernardino fire. As we came down the mountain pass, clouds of smoke curled upwards and filled the sky. The sight was eerily beautiful. Down the mountain, the sky was brown. Dust flew across the road and trees bent and swayed as we drove past half a dozen overturned trucks and half a dozen firetrucks heading toward the fire. Strangely, we also past several road crews planting trees along the freeway bank. Interesting timing.
Anyway, things are okay where we are. We got moved into our apartment. I put up a few pictures (www.flickr.com/photos/ruthiemarie). At the bottom are a few pictures I took as we were coming down the mountain.