Friday morning the smoke from the Lockheed Martin fire was worse than it had ever been, houses across the street were obscured. I felt totally oppressed and fled up the coast. It seems not very smart, in retrospect to drive into the smoke to get away, why not go south? But part of me wanted to see how bad it was and I have the general impression that the beaches are cleaner north of town and windier too. Although I was in the car I did wear a surgical mask, which seems to do a little bit as far as filtering out particulate matter. Just after Anno Nuevo the smoke cleared and I pulled into a beach at Gazo Creek, a turn before Pigeon Point. It was windy and sunny and the air was unfamiliar in it's clarity. The beach was almost deserted as I took off northward, camera in case slung over shoulder, sunglasses in place, and hoody over my baseball cap. The word intrepid comes to mind, no doubt. When I was quite young I thought that I might become a beach comber and was disappointed to find that this was not an actual job, like fireman or nurse or even ballerina. I do still love to just walk along a beach (sparsely populated and clean if you please). So I did just walk and breathe and breathe and breathe.
What is better than watching the tide and listening to the wind?
Rock with a peep hole into the wild blue yonder.
Looking back south from Gazo Creek
In the thick of it.
The evening news had nothing about the increase of smog. This morning's Santa Cruz Sentinel had an article about it. Going to a similar article on Facebook I found a comment that said the increased smoke was from back fires set by the CDF, the writer had run into a fireman at Costco who reveled this tidbit. But not the worry the Monterey Bay Air Quality Board found nothing unhealthy about the pollution levels yesterday, except in Bonny Doon proper.........
Tri Bond update: we have had two sessions where no bun lost any fur. Sydney and Amelia seem to be trying to sort of figure out if maybe they might be friends, Tyler is simply staying in the other room when the fence comes down.
15 comments:
the houses across the street were obscured? across your street? this is so much closer to you than i was imagining. looks like a storm is on it's way this afternoon, hopefully it packs just the wallop you need. we'll do a rain dance. do you have little bunny respirators?
There is nothing better than the sound of waves hitting the shore. I can spend hours listening to the changing tides.
great way to spend a day and get outta the smoke!
glad to hear the bonding is getting a bit better. tyler sounds like the typical smart male, stay outta the way while the women work it out.
hope Sydney and Amelia become best bunny buddies.....
hope the smoke clears up soon...
lovely to walk along the beach, lovely photo of the rock with the hole...
Thanks for the beach and wave shots!! Between you and Freckles and Deb I am having serious big-Pacific-beach obsessions!
Yay for the bunns ... keep it up guys.
A-we are about 12 plus miles away. We are hoping the storm comes up here, the weather guy last night didn't think it would, but he's ben wrong about a lot of things. No bunneh respirators, they are just laying low and not exercising out of doors.
DKM-know just what you mean:~)
MOC-Yup, they are funny and in charge.
CGP-would that be the greatest?
RG- come on down!
That's great news about the bunny-bonding. You don't worry about the smoke affecting the bunnies, though? I know they're inside, but how much does that help?
We asthmatics are worriers when it comes to pulmonary matters. ;)
BG-we do often run our Hepa air filter.....
I forgot that you live close to the fire! A surgical mask is a great idea. I wore one too last year when we had a bad fire. The beach looks wonderful and I think beach comber should be a paid postion! Hugs to the bunnies. Inge
Nice trip, marvelous rock, glad buns are all good. It's a natch for the girls to work it out, also most excellent no fur flying. I think you made the most of a bad situation and had quite an adventure.
I hope you kept that rock--how cool!
Fires, making the air all smelly: bah!
Tri Bond: so good to hear they haven't lost fur lately. They're moody little beasts, so be prepared for the occasional skirmish when somebody's in a pissy mood.
JSD- The mask does help, I have seen a few other people wearing them. I always keep a few around if I have to treat sick patients.
PJ-Just you wait until the bunstallment!
G-Yes I kept the rock and a couple more besides. Today we had clear air and blue sky, it was such relief. Ha, ha, ditto to what I wrote PJ.
So sorry that you are so close to all that smokiness. I hope the fires die and it all clears out soon.
Loved your beach account (and the little video of watching the waves come in... I miss being close to the ocean. We have lots of water, but no waves near by...) I could walk along the shore forever I think.
Those kinds of stones with natural holes in them are quite rare - and if you find one, it is said if you close one eye and look through the hole with the other, you are able to see into faery.... (let me know if you can and do! :-)
It is a wonderful place! I did a big trip in the Monterey Bay some years ago... time to return ! :)
kisses and a nice week
MaRegina
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