update....
Such sad news coming from Yarnell, Arizona.
19 Hot Shot fire fighters were killed fighting a fire near Prescott. These men hike into areas with massive amounts of equipment to build a fire break to start containment. This very crew just did that only a week ago in another Arizona fire.
Such sad horrible news.
When my brother, who is now retired I need to write about him, first started to work for the Forest Service, he was a Smoke Jumper. He and his crew would get dropped into rugged terrain fires to start building fire breaks.
One fire they were fighting turned, flashed and topped in seconds and they had no choice but to dig a hold wrap up in the "tent" of fire reflective material and hope for the best. The whole team survived but they were lucky.
The Yarnell fire is vicious and between the the scrub brush, no moisture and high winds this is bad very bad just bad.
As many of you know from reading my blog, although I have never written fully about it,
my home was destroyed in a wildfire that was started buy some stupid horrible person.
I know first hand what a wildfire can do and how volatile they can be.
My children and I just made it out of our home as fire was raining down on us.
..................................
My Monday post about what is going on around my home in Tucson, Arizona.
We are having extreme hot weather with the long build up to the monsoons.
On Sunday my cell phone sent out several alerts, with severe thunder
and dust storm warnings.
The storm was moving from the east to the south west with lots of thunder and lighting but at my home to the north of the Tucson valley, in the foothills of the Catalina Mountain only about 10 big fat raindrops fell.
But the air is filled with the smell of damp earth, sage and ozone. Lovely !
The temperature dropped 27 degrees from 111 in the two hours the storm
took to move through the valley.
In the hour from 5:30 to 6:30 pm we had 130+ lighting strikes.
There is a wildfire that has started (lighting strike) just to the east of me
in the Catalina Mountains. I can see the smoke to the east of my home in back of
Thimble Peak.
Such sad news coming from Yarnell, Arizona.
19 Hot Shot fire fighters were killed fighting a fire near Prescott. These men hike into areas with massive amounts of equipment to build a fire break to start containment. This very crew just did that only a week ago in another Arizona fire.
Such sad horrible news.
When my brother, who is now retired I need to write about him, first started to work for the Forest Service, he was a Smoke Jumper. He and his crew would get dropped into rugged terrain fires to start building fire breaks.
One fire they were fighting turned, flashed and topped in seconds and they had no choice but to dig a hold wrap up in the "tent" of fire reflective material and hope for the best. The whole team survived but they were lucky.
The Yarnell fire is vicious and between the the scrub brush, no moisture and high winds this is bad very bad just bad.
As many of you know from reading my blog, although I have never written fully about it,
my home was destroyed in a wildfire that was started buy some stupid horrible person.
I know first hand what a wildfire can do and how volatile they can be.
My children and I just made it out of our home as fire was raining down on us.
..................................
My Monday post about what is going on around my home in Tucson, Arizona.
We are having extreme hot weather with the long build up to the monsoons.
On Sunday my cell phone sent out several alerts, with severe thunder
and dust storm warnings.
The storm was moving from the east to the south west with lots of thunder and lighting but at my home to the north of the Tucson valley, in the foothills of the Catalina Mountain only about 10 big fat raindrops fell.
But the air is filled with the smell of damp earth, sage and ozone. Lovely !
The temperature dropped 27 degrees from 111 in the two hours the storm
took to move through the valley.
In the hour from 5:30 to 6:30 pm we had 130+ lighting strikes.
There is a wildfire that has started (lighting strike) just to the east of me
in the Catalina Mountains. I can see the smoke to the east of my home in back of
Thimble Peak.
I keep changing the setting on my little point and click
but I never really get the photo I want.
I just might have to get a different camera to shoot these shots
with higher definition.
Not sure I have the ability to hold a camera up for any length of time
so I really need to do some research on weight and size of cameras.
That is the reason I like the little point and click I use, it is small and very light.
Thanks to my Japanese son for picking it out for me.
..................
Here is your pretty to start the week.
Cactus Wren cooling off in the fountain.
I am so glad I put the fish in the fountain it is just high enough for a nice perch but still close to the cooling water for the birds. Just before I took this photo there were four birds just hanging out taking a break from the heat. (Switzerland)
This week because of the monsoon our highs will be in the more typical 102/104 range
and not the super hot 112 and above we have been getting all week.
stormy. . . parsnip
music. . . Rainy Day, Tatsuro Yamashita
I wondered if the fires were anywhere near you. Keep us posted so we know you and the boys are safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad day for us all.
DeleteWe are fine but lots of destruction with the winds and rain today. Every years the monsoons get really more weird. 13,000 people are with out electric on the south side of town.
When I was 12 I had a kitchen fire when trying to make mum's tea. Chip pan fire. To this day I will not have one in the house - the thought terrifies me.
ReplyDeleteWhen your home is destroyed it is like ripples in a pond, it goes on and on.
DeleteThat cactus wren is so lovely. p, I am so sorry to hear about your loss to fire, and sorry, too, to read about the men who lost their lives!
ReplyDeleteThis past weekend, I experienced my first haboob: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haboob
haboobs are indeed terrifying. besides the climate change there are other reasons why they are more of them in Phoenix area.
DeleteStay safe. Love your pic even if you didn't get the one you wanted.
ReplyDeleteWe are safe but what a horrible day.
DeleteI am hoping for some cooling rain for you.
ReplyDeleteWe had some rain today in Tucson but they need more humidity and rain up north.
DeleteFirefighters are amazing people, putting their lives on the line for us.
ReplyDeleteI saw first hand from what my brother did and then when our town of Laguna Beach was almost burned down. In fact the fire chief said if the winds hadn't died down letting the ocean air flow back into the city giving the firefighters a chance to make a stand, we would have lost most of the city.
DeleteNo rain for us until probably late August thunderstorms, depending on how the jet stream lets your Arizona storms blow up here.
ReplyDeleteHope things get better out there.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a special breed of man (and woman) to fight wildfires. Those fires are so unpredictable and terrifying. It's a terrible tragedy about those nineteen firefighters dying, and I feel for their families, but I've also been thinking about the twentieth member of the team. Can you imagine how he must be feeling as the only survivor?
ReplyDeleteYour lightning pictures are terrific. They may not be up to your standards, but I sure like them. Here's wishing you and the rest of your state a long soothing rain.
That made the news here as well. All those fire fighters, gone just like that...
ReplyDeleteWe have smoke in the air today... makes things look humid, and you can smell the scent of it. But it's coming from a forest fire a long way off in Quebec.
gosh, this made me have goose bumps. how terrible. i will never again complain about winter.
ReplyDeleteis there something now that you can do to make your home safer against fires.
please stay safe!
i didn't know about your home honey, soooooo sad! yert to the square boys.
ReplyDeletehugs, bee
xoxo