evac and back

We couldn't sleep. None of us could sleep.  I kept looking out of the window at the flames from the Palisades fire, and the huge red glow in the sky (about seven miles from where we were staying, and about the same from our house).  And once it was light, then we were back watching endless live TV footage, very much of it of planes and helicopters dropping water on the Mandeville Canyon fire - which meant getting aerial views of a house belonging to a friend of ours.  We so hope it makes it: we were so impressed by the firefighting techniques, whether from the air or the ground - an absolute case study on what a difference is made when the wind is gentle enough to let aircraft up.  

Moth is, in fact, illuminated by a large globe.  We headed home to pack up some more things and take them to relative safety -for these big fires are by no means tamed yet, and the winds are getting up again over the next couple of days - so we remain very nervous.  But we have power back, and the back yard looked wonderful - a reminder of why, despite all, we live in Los Angeles.

And, of course, because we have jobs here ... and that means that we have offices into which we can decant our possessions.  Indeed, back down at USC, it was hard to realize that there are fires raging away - which in turn perhaps explains the ongoing tone-deafness of our administration.  So ... one day, or at least some of it, in which to do my teaching prep - assuming, or at least hoping, that there'll be no fiery interruptions.  

The sonic backdrop to this week will be the pinging of the Watch Duty app - which gives us updates and more updates on the fires, and the sound of sirens.  

Wish us a quiet night.