Found in late November


I don't know what these trees are.  Being California, it's either a fruit or a nut.  And I can't explain why they are so green and fluffy in late November.  I'm ashamed to admit that before the lock downs, I didn't pay much attention to what was going on beyond the city limits, unless it involved a trip to nearby towns and cities. Agriculture around here is more industrial than bucolic. 

Late summer corn field revisited


After putting them aside for a few months, I have picked up my film cameras again. Compared to digital, they seem expensive and impractical. But I love the experience of using them. And while the result can seem rougher, I feel it also looks more authentic.

This is my current favorite, a Minolta X570 with a 45mm f/2 Rokkor on front.
The camera cost me US$ 70 for the body and I think another 70 for the lens, I could have gotten the lens for less but I was looking for one in really good shape mechanically.

Aaaaand the fire smoke is back.


I went to a nearby park yesterday afteroon. Our AQI was at 102. (Unhealthy) I guess most were inside, hoping for better air. My housemate and I were arguing over whether this was from the fires up north or from the Napa Valley which is west of here. It was a bit hot out too, not what we were hoping for on October 1.  But October is always an iffy month. I remember one October night when we were sitting in the parking lot beneath Coit Tower in San Francisco. There was an orange moon rising above the Berkeley hills to the east.  It was around 9  PM and 80F. Everyone there agreed is was rather magical. 

Dried out but not as much on fire

Currently I feel like these roses, still together but badly in need of water. Or maybe too far gone?

The smoke has cleared up to the point where not only can we see blue sky, we can also see clouds again. But fire season is not done until we get the first significant rain. I mentioned to my housemate that if we have a few more years like this one, the fires will stop because there will be nothing left to burn.
One big unintentional irony- most of the property damage is occurring in rual areas where folks tend to be politically conservative and non-believers in climate change.  Fire, being completely without discrimination,  burns where it will, regardless of your beliefs.