It started quietly enough. The lightning that came through on August 17 made little thunder here where I live in Quincy, CA. The sky was merely overcast, no big cumulonimbus clouds with anvil tops, no gusty winds or rain or hail, no brilliant flashes from lightning bolts. But Mother Nature can be subtle in Her appearance and movement yet devastating in Her strength and punches.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
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The next day I went out for a bicycle ride. This was the first hint of what lay in store:
Smoke rising from lightning-caused wildfire, soon to be named the Claremont Fire.
Looking south from town.
By the following day we were getting socked in by the smoke:
Taken same day as title photo, from same location, looking a bit more to the north-east.
Nasty as it was, it did give me an opportunity for some experimental photography:
Exposure (light level) on my camera turned all the way down to capture the color of the sun that morning as seen by the eye.
On the morning of the third day it was becoming merely ob-noxious:
The fire spread fast, coming up out of the Middle Fork of the Feather River and moved north and east, devouring dry timber and brush and anything that would burn. Mandatory evacuations for sections of Quincy were ordered.
By the fourth day:
The Claremont Fire burns down the ridge on the eastern outskirts of Quincy. Photo, looking south, taken from near the intersection of Highway 70 and Chandler Road, afternoon of August 21.
We were still safe in my immediate neighborhood, but the ambience was Most Unpleasant.
I didn’t even go out on the 22nd. Ventured out one block away from the house on the 23rd for this shot:
There is a light beacon (for our airport) on the top of this dimly visible hill. I couldn’t even see the light that morning.
On the 24th a tiny bit of relief came in the way of rain, but it didn’t help much:
Better ‘n nuthin, I suppose.
For the next few days I just stuck around the house, going out only for groceries. Who would want to go out in this?
From shopping center parking lot, adjacent to my house.
Lo and Behold! There did come one day of clearing:
This is the same hill top as seen in three shots back. Although this hill has no official name, locally it is known as Beacon Hill.
Here’s that light beacon.
Alas, the clearer days lasted about that one day.
Welcome to September 2020, Quincy.
Be grateful for any patch of blue sky you can get.
By yesterday it was pretty much yucky once again:
View of The “Q” Hill, from Main Street, downtown Quincy, looking east. Can you see the Q?
There it is. Barely.
So…. yup. It’s still smoky this morning and who knows how much longer it’s going to last? Maybe weeks, but for certain not much more than that. So, take advantage and take a photo of an orange moon.
Maybe the moon is made of cheese. Cheddar cheese, that is.
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
Thank you.