Yesterday morning, I took Metro to downtown LosAngeles. Here's the view looking north from the Redondo Beach station at 9am. This is just the beginning of the Sylmar fire.
By the time I returned a few hours later, 3 more major fires had erupted, this time to the east. As I waited on the platform in Watts to transfer back to Redondo, the sky was completely orange in all directions and smelled strongly of smoke. I'd been battling a funky respiratory thing the last couple of weeks--I could really feel it. My car was covered in ashes. As I drove home, Bad Religion's song "Los Angeles Is Burning" played on the radio....."palm trees are candles in the burning wind..."
At home, Dale told me the sky had been so dark earlier, it was like twilight.
This morning, the sunlight was stained orange and everything was covered with ash. It reminded me of cane-burning on Maui.
****post update****
I just re-read my post... It is way too "waa-waa-waa-all about me" sounding. My total sympathy to all those that lost their homes (and lives) in these awful fires. I sound like a total jerk complaining about some ash on my car.
6 comments:
Well, I don't know that song mentioned in your blog, but the word "Watts" got California Love stuck in my head. Maybe if LA looked like in that video, there wouldn't be any fires. It's all metal.
I'm pretty clueless about rap and hip-hop, so I checked the video on YouTube....pretty trippy! Yeah, no chance for fire there, huh? All Mad Max and stuff.
Anyway, I did pass through Compton, Watts AND Inglewood on the train yesterday...and I was digging them bomb ass hemp beats... LOL
You know, one of the great things about blogging is that this is ground-level journalism, and we don't have to pretend to be objective. Let the professionals do the global versions of the story, and the bloggers will provide us with the boots on the ground giving us their moment-to-moment perceptions. No need to apologize for that.
No, you don't sound like a jerk at all! It affects everyone, and I feel bad for all y'all living out there...
I posted some photos on my facebook page this a.m. of the ash on the car and our table in the back. So sad that this is happening!
You don't sound like a jerk at all.
But...what brought you downtown? Something fun I hope?
DB & MHP..thanks for the understanding...I get a little nervous sometimes that I might be taken the wrong way and offend people.
Judi--I'm gonna post about my trip in a few days! Stay tuned....
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