Today Northern California's Ponderosa Fire exploded sending firefighters scrambling to safety zones as running crown fires ran through heavy fuels of forest and brush. The nearby Chips Fire also blew up this afternoon with its head jumping containment lines and barreling on eastward. A bit to the southwest the Pass Fires (two lightning-caused fires) blew up disgorging a huge amount of smoke as well.
Satellite image late today showing the smoke of the Ponderosa Fire in southeastern Shasta County and northeastern Tehama County. Note the smoke with visible pyrocumulus cloud coming off of the Chips Fire in Plumas County. Note the smoke coming off of the Pass Fires with visible pyrocumulus cloud in the northeast corner of Mendocino County. Note monsoonal convection over the Sierra Nevada and western Great Basin. Image courtesy of NOAA.
This morning I had the rare privilege of being awake for the dawn of a new day over Paso Robles, CA, and it was a particularly beautiful dawn at that. Combined with remnants of the previous day's surge of monsoonal moisture lingering over the area and my having a ridge-top vantage point from where I spent the overnight period playing card games with friends I could not have taken a poor picture of this scene had I tried. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).
This morning I took my first ride ever in a semi truck tractor courtesy of my friend whom shall go unnamed here. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).
A flash flood containing a great deal of fallen timber and mountain rock ranging in size from sand grains all the way up to boulders rumbled down Mill Creek Canyon and through the San Bernardino Mountain community of Forest Falls, CA. It appears most of this flash flood remained within the banks of Mill Creek. However, there was some flooding with mud deposition in parts of Forest Falls. No injuries were reported from this incident. This flood was caused by thunderstorms up in the mountain nearby resulting from the vigorous summer monsoon season California has experienced this year following a couple of mild summers with much less of this activity than normal. Below is a rather interesting video shot by a local resident showing this flash flood. To me the most dramatic and interesting aspect and element of this video is the sound of the flash flood caused mostly by all the rocks in motion within the water itself.
I recently had the supreme privilege of finally watching the Mike Judge movie Office Space. I had seen part of it on regular television in the past and the memorable character of insufferable workplace boss Bill Lundberg left an indelible impression upon me. However much of the movie I saw at that time the real star of the film escaped my notice. That was certainly not going to happen watching the movie in its entirety. In a scene-stealing performance worthy of the likes of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, actor Stephen Root plays the unforgettable and indefatigable character of Milton Waddams the perpetually beleaguered and befuddled and put-upon oddball co-worker in the fictional workplace office that is the centerpiece of this film. This character, created by Beavis & Butthead creator Mike Judge originally for a series of SNL animated movie shorts entitled Milton, is my current obsession. Just as I possess an Inner Cartman and an Inner Butt-head I likewise possess an Inner Milton. For those of you unfamiliar with what I speak of here I offer you a montage of clips below shown in the order they appear in the movie. Unfortunately, the montage is taken from a recording of it playing on television as opposed to a direct recording. This will have to suffice for now unless and until something better appears at which time I'll switch this video out. Enjoy!
Early this morning my buddy Kay Dow (with whom I attended high school) and I headed out to Kiler Canyon Farm CSA and helped with the weekly harvest. She and I both are locavores and enthusiastic members of this Community Supported Agriculture enterprise located at the very end of Kiler Canyon Road several miles southwest of Paso Robles, CA. Owner/Operators Quill and Chapponica Trimmell and Dan and Kayleen Trimmell (I attended high school with Kayleen, too) graciously invite their member/investors to join in the weekly harvest. They and their staff (Keren and Rory who also happen to be my neighbors in Paso Robles) patiently train such guests how to conduct their assigned tasks. Later during the harvest morning (Wednesdays) the Trimmells fete all the harvesters with a generous farm breakfast of home-made and local food, most of it food from this farm. This day was no exception as the training was patiently done (it was nice to need less of it on this second harvest experience for me). It was also nice to work early thus avoiding the heat predicted for today. See me Visiting Kiler Canyon Farm last Spring. The following images were taken in the order presented below.
The morning calm and long shadows were a nice contrast to my usual lifestyle of urban life in Paso Robles (as small-town as that is).
Sunflowers figure prominently in the floral decor of this farm.
I love sunflowers so get used to seeing them in this photo sequence.
From Kiler Canyon Road's end looking back towards the way into town.
Floral sunshine
Keren and Rory
I helped with the squash harvest.
Corn I presume.
Kiler Canyon Farm is located in a tranquil and secluded dell west of Paso Robles.
Keren and Rory working in the packing shed where the share baskets are loaded.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).
I'm a sucker for these sorts of picturesque video shorts featuring incredible natural scenes accompanied by appropriate and potent music. This one prominently features the Ruapehu volcano in New Zealand that my mouth has always enjoyed uttering. Pronounced "roo-a-pay-hoo"!
