Waves and Fire

Today has been a very mixed bag. H and I drove down to the Long Beach marina for some quality mother daughter time. Even though it felt hot over by the ocean, it was nothing like the 95 degree heat of Arcadia. We shopped, had a nice lunch and walked along the water. I even saw a seal pop up. We drove home, cranked up the a/c and took naps. I thought it had been a perfect day. I woke up to breaking news of a fire in the foothills above Arcadia. We called some good friends up in the hills and they were about to evacuate. Around 7:30 pm, we went out to do some errands and we could see the fire. I've lived in the San Gabriel Valley on and off since I was a teen. I have never seen a wildfire so clearly and so close. There were 100 hikers and 60 boy scouts trapped behind the fire for a while. They were safely evacuated. However, the fire is out of control and I fear for my friends' and neighbors' homes. We can see the fire from our driveway, it is that low in the foothills. You can see flames rising into the air. Over the past 6 hours, the flames have grown and moved from west to east, south to north and then to the south again. I'm hoping that the morning will bring better news for the residents of Sierra Madre and upper Arcadia. Please keep a good thought.