Today, The Teen had a birthday! He’s eighteen which is almost impossible for me to believe. We had a lot planned but much of it was affected by the #sandfire, which some of you may have heard about. So far, it’s burned about 30K acres.
On Friday, we saw Cabaret which was hauntingly excellent. Seriously, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Saturday, we had planned to see a concert at the park but it was cancelled when the fire took a turn for the worse. This is how the sky looked (no filter).
Today, the sky was better so we headed to the beach but got stuck in traffic when the freeway closed due to the fire changing direction. We still managed to have a nice dinner but with so many friends affected by the mandatory evacuations our minds are with them and the numerous fire crews working this fire. Plus, there are a lot of ranches in the area so the safety of the animals is also a concern. After three days you’d think there would be some improvement but the drought has made the hillsides so vulnerable.
Right Now:
We are home safe and watching the news and just praying for everyone. I am not sure about work tomorrow. I only have one way in and out and right now, that area is not looking good.
This Week:
Not too much going on but there are a couple of fun things planned. We have a pool party one night and a college “going away” party on another night.
Reading:
This is my summer of reading. I’ve read so many good books. I am currently reading End of Watch by King. I was late to the party but that’s okay. It’s really good. Also reading Cronin’s The City of Mirrors. Also good but taking me more time to get through.
Watching:
I did manage to watch the latest Cloverfield movie. It was pretty good but once I got to the end I was like, hmmm. I did not like the ending. I heard that there was an alternate ending and of the two, I liked this one better.
Making:
Not a thing. We’ve been eating out and although it’s nice not to have to cook I am getting tired of it.
Grateful for:
This fire response. I’ve seen fire crews from all over. While stuck on the freeway, we saw squads from cities hundreds of miles away racing towards this fire. I wanted to get out of the car and cheer them on. So grateful for their presence.
That’s it from me. I hope you all had a good weekend.
Book Chatter 
Happy B-day to your 18 year old! That is always a momentous occasion in a teen’s life.
Thank you! He ran out to buy a lottery ticket and he registered to vote. Thank goodness they raised the smoking age. He isn’t a smoker but…
Happy birthday to Evan!
Praying that you and your family and friends stay safe!
The fire has moved on so we are out of the woods. It got so scary there for awhile. It’s still burning but in the forest. A state of emergency was declared yesterday. I’m sure the fire fight was very expensive with the number of planes in the air. We saw plane after plane dropping fire retardant and it never stopped.
They grow up so fast, don’t they? Stay safe!
These 18 years really flew by.
Happy Birthday to The Teen!! Stay safe!!
Oh gosh Ti, I’m scared about the fire. How far away are you from it? I pray they can get a handle on controlling it. How scary. I will keep watching the news on it. Happy Bday to the Teen too.
We had some space between us and the fire (about 5 miles) but with the wind and all that stuff swirling around it was not looking good. The fire has moved out of our area now.
Wow, congrats to the Teen on his official adulthood! Is he excited to — what can 18-year-olds do? — buy cigarettes and vote in the fall?
First, happy belated birthday to The Teen. From what I saw on Facebook, it looks like he ate well.
Second, I hope you all are safe and continue to be safe. Our prayers are with you.
We still managed to have a good birthday celebration even though our plans didn’t quite work out. The fire has moved away from us so we are good. For awhile, it seemed like our entire town was burning. The 106 degree temps made it bad, too. I am so grateful for the firefighters and the coordinated air response. There is no way they could have gotten a handle on that fire without planes in the air. It was declared a state of emergency yesterday so more support is coming.
Happy birthday. I bet he’s ready for college. Did I miss where he is headed?
I hope the fires are put out soon; it’s so scary when I have to write about all these losses for insurance newsletters, etc. Devastating.
He didn’t get into the college he wanted to attend so he is attending Pasadena City College for theatre and then will transfer in a couple of years. With his theatre internship, which is in Hollywood, this works best.
My cousin and my niece have both been sending me photos of the fire and it doesn’t look good!! They told me it is far enough that they don’t have to evacuate but that was couple of days ago. I hope that continues to be the case and that this goes away soon. This sucks. Take care!
It was somewhat close to me but we still had one ridge between the fire and us. It looks like they have a handle on it now. So many acres burned, over 37K.