Devastation

This was the view from my house shortly after I spotted the smoke column. The winds were gusting from 15-25 mph and the fire started growing at an alarming rate. We were still reeling from a fire the previous week. There were no lives lost and no injuries, thank God, but beloved pets were lost and probably livestock because the fire was burning so fast that people could not reach their homes to get them out. 106 homes were lost and 45 outbuildings so the physical loss is great, but the emotional toll is greater. Some of those had been home to generations of family. There is no replacing all the memories and keepsakes that were lost forever. My heart goes out to all of you. Stay safe my friends.

Erfrischend

Auch in Deutschland macht sich der Klimawandel bereits in Form von ungewöhnlich hohen Temperaturen bis 40 Grad bemerkbar. Da freut man sich über jede Abkühlung, so wie hier an diesem Brunnen in Haldensleben.
In Germany, too, climate change is already making itself felt in the form of unusually high temperatures of up to 40 degrees. So people are happy about any cooling, like here at this fountain in Haldensleben.

In Avignon

Letzte Woche war ich für ein paar Tage in Frankreich unterwegs und habe eine Menge gesehen. In Avignon habe ich dieses sehr schmale Haus entdeckt, dessen Seitenfassade noch eine Überraschung bereit hielt.

Last week I was in France for a few days and saw a lot. In Avignon I discovered this very narrow house, whose side facade still held a surprise.

Aftermath

In September 2020, a fast-moving fire tore through a heavily forested area northeast of Fresno, California. Hundreds of campers enjoying the Labor Day weekend were forced to flee and many were trapped by the shore of a nearby lake, waiting to be rescued. A total of 214 people were airlifted from the area. The Rock Creek area shown here was a popular spot for family camping trips, but is now closed and devastated by the Creek Fire that destroyed 380,000 acres of forest and over 900 structures. A grim reminder of the increasing devastation of wildfires.