Smoke got in my eyes.
So as you may have heard, big chunks of Southern California are ablaze, driven by strong winds. Most of that activity is quite a bit south of the store, so we’re not in danger, though I’m surprised we haven’t yet had our semi-annual brushfire just over the hills behind us yet.
However, on Monday I’d gone to a grocery store very near my house, and between going in the store and coming out of the store, a grassy embankment on the other side of the parking lot had caught on fire. It’s right there next to a freeway offramp, and I’m guessing the culprit was “tossed out cigarette butt.” Thankfully, the fire department was right on top of it and took care of the fire in short order.
Employees Jeff and Aaron live much closer to the Piru and Fillmore events, so think kind thoughts for them, as well as for everyone else affected by these fires.
On Sunday, the winds had blown lots of smoke and ash our way, turning the skies orange, and I took a couple photos outside the shop:
I didn’t color correct this image, or alter the contrast or brightness. I took these photos at about 3 in the afternoon. It cleared up later that day for a while, and it was actually sunny, but since then the skies have been consistently cloudy, the air thick with ash and smoke.
As long as I was out there takin’ photos, I grabbed a pic of that tree the city planted in front of our shop:
The tree had grown crooked, so the city employees in charge of this sort of thing set up an elaborate system of wooden poles and rubber straps to set the tree straight, to no real avail.
And that branch that sticks out way to the left, there…it’s just the right height and length to poke at the doors, or rest on the hoods, of any car that parks there. I’ve spoken to one of the city guys to do something about trimming that branch, but no go so far. I’m thinking about doing it myself, but I can just see me doing a nickel up the river in the ol’ graybar hotel on the tree vandalism rap.
Also, if you take a close look in one of those street photos, you can see where our shop was from 1983 ’til 1990:
Yes, it’s a massage parlor now. It was a massage parlor before we were in there, too…there was even a working shower in the back. Could have used showers in our later locations, come to think of it. “Sold…POGS…must…wash off…shame….”
And just look at that…their tree isn’t deformed. Man.
