Not Out of Woods

So we had a practical dry thunderstorm with lots of lightning last weekend. I am sure you have heard, it started many fires.

A fire started in the canyon across from our property. Fortunately this plane put it out. That was the closest one.



So this was the scene just a few miles up the highway from us. It is now too smoky to see. If you heard about the boy scouts that were evacuated, it was to get away from this fire. There are still fires burning but they are burning very slow since we have an inversion layer overhead. The smoke is basically trapped making for a very smoky scene for most of the north part of the state. We will keep you posted but as of right now there are no fires that are an immediate threat for us.

Dr. D and a well deserved nap on Father's Day.

Celebrating grandpa's birthday.

The garden seems to be enjoying a break from the intense sun. Here are some corn and bean plants growing.

The roses are blooming.

Dr. D with a young black-headed grosbeak.

We keep finding tree frogs that love to crawl up and down the sides of the house.

WHEW

This is never a good site to see out your front room window. Thanks for everyone's concern. It appears that they are mopping up the fire at this point and just checking for hotspots on this 23,000 acre + fire. They project it to be contained by Monday. We have power back and are glad the firefighters were able to get this out before it headed too far up our ridge. Unfortunately, over 70 homes were destroyed at the lower end of the extent of the fire.

The first day of the fire.

When we saw this out our bedroom window at night, we thought it would be a good idea to start packing up some clothes and valuables.

A helicopter dropping on some of the small fires burning on our ridge. So we are obviously breathing a sigh of relief at this point and looking forward to end of the fire season. Dr. D will be working on spreading the word about good fires in the fall and early spring to help avoid catastrophic fires such as these.

Earlier in the month, we traveled down south to cousin Erin's shower.

Miss S with cousin Bruce and Jaime.

Does something look strange to you?

Swimming with Uncle John.

Miss S and Jarvis.

A hug from Auntie Di.

Dr. D at his little brother's (from the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program) high school graduation. So proud of him!

Two of my classmates from kindergarten. It was fun to catch up.

Miss S with Francelia. An amazing woman who has a tremendous memory and is 101. An absolute treasure.

It is always fun to pick up souvenirs on your way from one side of the state to the other. Not so great when they come rolling at you when you are driving on the freeway.

Miss S was able to visit her auntie at work and help her read a story to her students.

Are those Mr. Potato Head's glasses?