Fire Season
Already??
The Canyon Fire
Friday afternoon, I received a worried phone call from my aunt. She had seen the Canyon Fire on the news and was wondering how close to it Dale and I were.
The fire had broken out in the rugged canyon country east of Piru, near the Los Angeles County line. Initial reports said it was only 30 acres. But soon, evacuation warnings and orders were being issued for zones on either side of the county line. Driven by heavy fuels, the fire mushroomed to well over 500 acres, then 1,000 acres, finally stretching to more than 5,000. It made a run toward Castaic, which is situated northeast of Piru along Interstate 5.
Thick columns of gray smoke rose above the mountains, visible from our back patio in Santa Paula. Over the next few days, as firefighters made progress in controlling the flames, the gray column flattened and became a polluted white haze that settled over the Santa Clara River Valley. I couldn’t take Ruby for a walk without developing a sore throat and a cough. We stayed indoors as much as possible, retreating into the relatively rarefied air of a working AC system.
I reassured my aunt that we were well to the west of the fire, 20 or more miles away. And though temperatures had climbed into the 90s, close to 100, we had the luxury of not dealing with dreaded Santa Ana winds. In fact, there was little wind to speak of, and what wind did rustle the foliage was coming in from the coast.
I checked in with the Mountain View Inn and Restaurant to make sure they were okay. According to the evacuation maps, the inn lay just outside the closest evac zones, as did all of downtown Piru. General Manager Rick McDaniel assured me they were doing fine. Whew! (At the time of this writing, the Canyon Fire has been [almost completely] contained and all evacuation warnings and orders lifted.)
In the meantime, the Gifford megafire burning along Highway 166 has grown to more than 118,000 acres. According to Cal Fire, there are at least 16 active (major) fires throughout California. The six largest have together burned a total of 167,300 acres. And numerous brush fires continue to pop up all around Southern California — most of them (thankfully) contained before they burn out of control.
Currently, drought conditions persist throughout Southern California, and the autumn forecast isn’t promising much more rain.
After the phone call from my aunt, it occurred to me that I never fully unpacked our go-bags and cherished belongings from this last winter’s “fire drills.” I’m half expecting that we’ll need to evacuate the area at least once this coming winter. I hope I’m wrong. I’m hoping we can hang onto these coastal breezes and nightly fogs for as long as possible. After all, it’s not already fire season. It’s still fire season.
Minor Rebellions and Recommendations
These days, enjoying life feels like an act of rebellion. And we have become low-key rebels. We watch the hummingbirds, finches, orioles, and blue jays bounce around our bird feeders. Occasionally, a hawk will swoop in low over our patio, hunting the local rodentia. Stalking the neighborhood rooftops are enormous ravens that seem to have stepped right out of Poe’s “Lenore.”
We taste wine and write up reviews, we flesh out ideas for the Screwtop Academy website, which continues to evolve. I’m still working on my novel. (I want to have that bugger done by 2026.) We watch old TV shows and movies and delight in the nostalgia. We listen to the Retro Cocktail Hour, broadcast by Kansas Public Radio and probably the coolest, funkiest mix of tiki, exotica, Afro-Cuban, bossa nova, surf, soundtrack, and jazz music you’ll hear — with a Space Age twist. We highly recommend checking them out at retrococktail.org or KPR, or through the Mixcloud app.
And then there are vacations, day trips, and holiday parties to look forward to. Times spent with family and good friends, days that end before we’re ready for them to.
If living well is the best revenge, there’s still some beautiful vengeance to be had in the Golden State.
The Wine Challenge
Speaking of living well, we can’t recommend enough visiting the Mountain View Inn and Restaurant, or their sister coffee shop/bar, Corazón de Piru. Check out their Instagram feed for upcoming events, including the Wine Challenge on August 23, when Heritage Valley wines will go up against other area vinos to see who comes out the winner. We know who we’re betting on!
A Few Thoughts to End This Post On
As you go through the week, fighting traffic, doing chores you hate, dealing with co-workers, trying to budget around budget-breaking inflation, taking care of family, please remember that you are loved and appreciated. Dale, Ruby, and I hope we can get together with each of you sometime soon.
Although, as of today, Ruby is officially a teenager and she’s beginning to show a bit of attitude. Ahem.
