Picture of the Day - Adelaida Skyscape

This morning dawning upon me out in the Adelaida area west of Paso Robles. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Second-Growth Oak Woodland Photo Study

Today while house-sitting a friend's home on a large acreage lot in the Adelaida area west of Paso Robles I took a walk with my dog and along the way captured these images in a second-growth oak woodland which features several species of oak as well as some rather large poison oak and manzanita bushes and trees . This silvan habitat was a century or so ago clear-cut to be used in the Klau-Buena Vista Mine complex several miles away. It has since come roaring back and is quite beautiful as one can see in the following images.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)

Picture of the Day - Kevin Ivie

This afternoon Kevin Ivie, a fellow Atascadero High School Class of 1989er and one of my very best friends of my junior high through high school period of my childhood met up for lunch at Bistro Laurent in Paso Robles, CA. This was our first meeting since December 2009 when we reunited after not seeing each other since high school in June 1989, a 20-1/2 year gap. Kevin lives in the Austin, TX, area where he and his beautiful wife and his two lovely daughters make their home. We had a wonderful time reminiscing and talking geo-politics and current events. Between the two of us I believe we solved all the world's problems if only they listened. Seriously though, just to taunt his wife I wish to mention what Kevin enjoyed today on my treat, to wit, the Blue Crab Salad with Avocado and Lemon Oil.

On a sidenote I just wish to point out that Kevin is pretty much built just like he was back in high school just like Doug Nettleton and Kenny McNamara, which is totally unfair and all three of whom utterly disgust me. ;-)

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Quote of Day Debut - Raymond Chandler

I am starting a new feature here entitled Quote of the Day. To inaugurate this new feature I'm making it a Double Quote of the Day.

"There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.”

~ From Raymond Chandler's 1938 short story "Red Wind"

"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

~ From Anonymous

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Gateway Incident 2011

This afternoon somebody on a property at the entrance to Heritage Ranch got the bright idea to mow grass with a tractor during the heat of the day during a July heatwave. Thus started the Gateway Incident at the intersection of Gateway Drive and Nacimiento Lake Drive.

I decided to take a break from my work and go check this fire out in my new car. I captured the following images upon arriving at the scene of the fire and they are shown in the order they were taken. The fire burned about 10 acres before it was extinguished.

The fire when I first arrived at the entrance to Heritage Ranch.

Cal Fire Tanker 75 based at Paso Robles Air Attack Base.

Heritage Ranch Security conducting traffic control as retardant rains down.

The flames got established under the canopy of the oak woodland.

Another retardant drop from Tanker 75

The fire spotted or burned through the retardant and made a run up this hill.

The new head had two very active flanks.

This turned out to be temporarily a rather dramatic turn of events.

There is a home on this hill hidden in all that smoke.

Fire crowning up through an oak tree.

By this point the fire had slopped over the far side of this hill.

Engine 4694 from Monterey-San Benito Unit of Cal Fire (BEU).

Cal Fire Tanker 100 hitting the right flank of the slop-over.

Tanker 100 crossing the "T" of the slop-over.

Fire creeping under the oaks as Cal Fire Engine 3460 arrives on scene.

Man fights fire with a garden hose while wearing flip-flops standing in the black.

San Luis Obispo Co. FD Water Tender 43 (WT-43) arriving on scene.

Copter 406 out of Bear Valley Station located on Hwy. 25 in San Benito Co.

Captured Coper 406 and Air Attack 340 in same image.

Fire skunking around under the oak.

Grass stubble can burn surprisingly actively even after a recent mowing as this received.

Cal Fire Engine 3460 based in San Luis Obispo Unit of Cal Fire (SLU) mobile attacks.

Copter 406 presses the attack as the fire ebbs.

Copter 406 is fitted with a snorkel as opposed to the "bambi bucket" alternative.

Engine 3460 prepares for mopping up operations.

Engine 3460 mobile attacks in the black.

Copter 406 hammers one of the last hot spots.

Cal Fire Gabilan Crew 3 is from Monterey-San Benito Unit (BEU).

Cal Fire Gabilan Crew 3 disembarks from their crew bus.

Gabilan Crew 3 is an inmate crew based in Soledad, CA.

Gabilan Crew 3 moves out.

In this image I got my first ever trifecta of copter, dozer, and engine.

Copter 406 hitting a hot spot with Dozer 3442 on hilltop to the right.

First and only black smoke from this fire which was fortunate.

Shed burning furiously

Gabilan Crew works as shed burns nearby.

My very first helicopter and hand crew photo I've ever pulled off.

Copter 406 heads back for one last dip in Lake Nacimiento.

Burning shed being doused as hand crew continues mop-up.

Extinguishing the shed

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).