Fire in San Diego

It has been wonderful to get messages of concern from friends and family who have been made aware of the fires that are raging through parts of San Diego County. I have been fortunate so far, but know so many people who have had to evacuate or deal with the daily threat of poor air quality.

It takes me back to the fires from October 2003 (which is where today's photos are from), which came scarily close to where I live. I remember the first smell of smoke that morning; immediately shutting all the windows in the house, I did my best to keep any more ash from coming inside. Holed up inside for a few days, we were told not to go outside unless it was absolutely necessary. The sky looked like something out of a scary end of the world movie. Wondering whether I would have to evacuate or not forced me to take a quick inventory of what I had; would it fit in my car? Could I live without it? And of course, where would I go to and what would I return to. Plenty of time to think about scary things like that, with the scariest being when would the air clear up so that I could breathe normally again. We take the ability to breathe for granted, but at times like this, we are reminded just how fragile we are.



Once things began to clear, I remember heading out to watch a movie. It was wonderful to get out of the house, as I was going stir crazy. I remember how eerie it was to see the downtown so empty. Those that were walking around had breathing masks on.

Continued prayers and thoughts for those affected by this recent tragedy are appreciated.

See more San Diego photos on my main website.