Santa Barbara fire creep

[tippy5]

6 days of grey soot skies. I am pacing indoors. Playing a little to assuage the bleak, dirty, environmental conditions outside. I just heard that the smoke will be here for another 14 days. Should I take guitars and get to LA? It has been 250 days since it last rained in So Cal. The fire is now the size of Chicago. Coming my way, northwards on the mountain ridge. Not super worried for me because I live across this ridge fire on the mountain. It would need to mow through the heart of the city to get to my guitar stash here near the beach. A significant number of hurting people, livestock and properties. 800 homes burned down so far. I now know what Santa Rosa went through 3 months ago.

Back to playing acoustic with a mask on.

[Inyo]

Short notice here--but if anybody's interested, jump on over to KEYT Santa Barbara News Channel for the 6:00 and 11:00pm (Pacific Standard Time) live news stream from Santa Barbara; probably updates on the local fire situation will be covered.

I used to reside in Santa Barbara a number of years ago. I recollect how residents there spoke of past furious fires that raged right down to the Pacific Ocean from the neighboring Santa Ynez Mountains, incinerating hundreds of homes.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by tippy5

6 days of grey soot skies. I am pacing indoors. Playing a little to assuage the bleak, dirty, environmental conditions outside. I just heard that the smoke will be here for another 14 days. Should I take guitars and get to LA? It has been 250 days since it last rained in So Cal. The fire is now the size of Chicago. Coming my way, northwards on the mountain ridge. Not super worried for me because I live across this ridge fire on the mountain. It would need to mow through the heart of the city to get to my guitar stash here near the beach. A significant number of hurting people, livestock and properties. 800 homes burned down so far. I now know what Santa Rosa went through 3 months ago.

Back to playing acoustic with a mask on.

The fire itself may not necessarily reach you, but the sparks from it can travel quite a ways and start new fire. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley before everything north was built up. Every September (and I mean EVERY year without fail), shortly after school started for the year, we had brush fires ringing the hills. People had to wet down their roofs so the sparks from the fire wouldn't start their houses up. Then, in the early spring around March, we would get torrential rains that would wash away houses in the canyons where all the brush had burned away, and flood the streets. I don't miss it.

Tony

[patrickgm60]

Thomas fire has grown to 230,000 acre and is only 10% contained. Could wind up being the largest fire in modern CA history.

My son's exams at UCSB were postponed until January; he's headed home now, a week early.

[jpd]

If any of you down in the S.Cal fire path have cable with the *Weather Channel*....you can get updates and see latest reports. We followed that channel up here with the Santa Rosa fires

[ManyMartinMan]

Given that the bulk of the fires are south of you - towards L.A., I would think moving anything that needs to be moved north would be the better idea. However, having lived in SB for years before moving back to L.A. I wouldn't move anything unless ordered to evacuate which, as you said, is unlikely.

[varmonter]

My sister in law lives in SB. She is waiting the
Announcement to evacuate. Has been packing
Everything precious to her into a rav 4. Our thoughts are with you.

[muscmp]

i'm in ventura county and it has been a miserable 8 days of fires, constant terrible winds, blowing ash and smoke, now the heat; and they say it may last throughout the week. i feel bad for the SB folks as i have a lot of business and personal friends there. i even got an email from seymour duncan that he and his company were keeping an eye on the fire and orders may be delayed. wish them and all of SB county the best.

play music!

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by jpd

If any of you down in the S.Cal fire path have cable with the *Weather Channel*....you can get updates and see latest reports. We followed that channel up here with the Santa Rosa fires

Having been through having to evacuate because of fire, I can recommend also for online, is InsiWeb
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ ....is a valuable information resource

[lowrider]

I just checked the Weather Channel and it showed the wind dying down. Is this true? Hope so!

[tippy5]

Wind is dying down here at home in smokey Santa Barbara but there is another "Santa Ana" event coming. Today the smoke is about half as bad as yesterday. I have invited friends on the foothill to camp in my vacant front house. We were not hit as hard as Ventura the first night, 9 days ago. Ventura lost 400 homes that had 60knot hot dry winds, like Santa Rosa "Diablo" winds.

20 miles north, here in SB, we have 6,500 firefighters protecting Ellen's, Oprah's, John Kay and many other 3-50 million dollar homes. They are only able to do this strong strategy/work because the wind is not strong. Love these firefighters!

SB doesn't get Santa Ana hurricane winds. We have our own variety called "Sundowners", which are not happening now. I have lived through 3 large fires that were poised to burn through the whole city (92,000) but they switched off at 9:30 at night.

Hot dry winds have replaced earthquakes here in CA. The old CA weather I have enjoyed my 62 years has definitely changed. The jet stream seems to get stuck bringing snow to a lot of you. Change is happening fast.

[lowrider]

Yes, change is happening fast. but we choose to ignore it.

[tippy5]

Yaeh... What to do? Likely watch the overblown bubble deflate.
Not unlike staying in the stock market and not getting out.

One part of me wants to get out the rut. Sell and sail.
I could then move to a couple acres in Luttrell Tennessee and play music on the porch.
Maybe a 5 month condo rental in St Croix for the winter?

Deep down some of us Californians know we should pursue other options.

I often talk to my kids about moving to Nevada, or other places, because CA has gotten too expensive and crowded.

Maybe the bubble will burst?
I will be playing music and wishing I got out while the getting was good.
Probably then I will be playing more blues.
Wishing I was writing fun fast songs with American players elsewhere.