This time, it wasn’t a pretty sight.
Helen (adorable wife) and I fly to Southern California once or twice a year to visit our family and every time we go, I understand why the place is so crowded. The weather is always perfect with temperatures in the low 70’s, little or no humidity, a beautiful blue sky, and scenic ocean views along the coast. What is there not to like? On our recent trip, we experienced something a bit out of the norm.
When we returned from our trip to Edisto Beach a few weeks ago, our activity level increased a bit. We enjoyed a wonderful camping trip with a group from our church in the Big South Fork Recreation Area which I will share with Easin’ Along readers next week. We also had to unpack Gracey to get her winterized and ready for a winter’s nap, then pack for California. All of this activity left little time for blogging, so I wrote a short post to let readers know that we were heading west and would be back online soon. Shortly after that, I received several emails from readers concerned about our safety with wildfires nearby. Fortunately, we were out of danger, but the flames were close enough to give us pause.
The first sight of the fires occurred the day after our arrival. We love to walk with our grandchildren to school every morning and, as soon as we reached the crest of a hill near the school, we could see a huge cloud of smoke coming from the Woolsey fires raging in Malibu, approximately thirty miles away as the crow flies. Although we knew about the fires and considered ourselves a safe distance away, the sight of the smoke provided a shock to the system. I held my granddaughter’s hand a little more firmly. Television newscasts covered the fires until well past bedtime.
The next morning everyone was up early to participate in a Veteran’s Day observance at the children’s school. Being a retired veteran, I was proud to be involved in the activity as well as extend my gratitude to the other participants for their service. My grandson also participated as a member of the Cub Scouts. Before the ceremony, the children walked the track around the playground which was decorated with American flags every few feet.
An Honor Guard from the high school ROTC program entered the schoolyard to begin the program, then everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The principal gave a short address to the children explaining the history and purpose of Veteran’s Day, then handed the microphone to each veteran and asked them to give their name, rank, and significant assignments in defense of our country. There were many veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. As far as I could tell, I was the only service member from the Viet Nam era. Later we learned that one veteran could not attend. He was a firefighter who said goodbye to his children early that morning to battle the wildfire.
On Saturday, smoke hung heavy over the coast. The winds blew in our direction and the faint smell of smoke greeted us. My son and I made our way to Baja Sharkeez to catch the Tennessee vs. Kentucky football game while the grandchildren attended a birthday party with their friends. Inside Sharkeez, none of the televisions carried our game so we asked a bartender if he would tune one screen near our seats to the SEC Network. It took him a minute to find the game, but he came through for us and we settled in to witness the Vols whip up on the Wildcats. We left happy but could still see smoke in the distance.
By Sunday afternoon, the winds had shifted to blow from the ocean, and the fire smell no longer filled the air. Helen was eager to spend some time on the beach with the grandchildren, so we loaded up everyone and moved out. Southern California beaches are very wide and well suited for everything from volleyball to weddings, and this day featured both. When we walked along the Strand, we passed a young couple preparing for their wedding adjacent to the beach. The wedding crowd sat patiently between two volleyball nets while the bride and groom stood for pictures. I’m sure they were grateful that the smoke was now north of us.
Monday morning and the day of our departure arrived too swiftly. Sadly, California is a long way from Tennessee, and visits with family always seem unfairly brief. We enjoyed breakfast with the children, posed for some pictures then drove to the airport. During the drive, I could still see smoke above the hills and wondered if the firefighter who missed the Veteran’s Day ceremony was still battling the blaze.
Although this trip was different from some of our previous visits, I departed California with a reminder that First Responders deserve the same gratitude we give our Veterans.
We’re Easin’ Along…safe and very grateful to both.
