These wildfires are about 30 miles to my home. There is no danger to us from these. Another fire that burned last summer has been putting out fire and smoke again this summer...that is pretty unusual. There are many very large fires close enough to create a sky of smoke across Oregon. The visibility is poor, the smoke is heavy and oppressive. The everyday temps are in the 90's. I understand that we may get an onshore wind that will push the smoke east. I sure hope it does...I would like some fresh air.

The fire danger is extreme, and of course I am concerned. Wildfires are a horrible situation to find yourself in. 

This is the third summer in a row that the wildfire situation is this bad. What does this mean? That maybe this is the new normal.

Wildfire! NO, but a close one!

This is a Great Gray Owl. The species is the largest owl in the world, length from 24" to 33". The owl is surprisingly light for the size...due to the plumage. This owl is a year around resident in the forests around my home.

Now to the story....one night at 2:20 am...bang, bang! No electricity! Flashes of orange electrical light from the utility pole on the fence line. One of these birds had decided to land on the top of the power pole...on the "hot" wires. Yes, it did die instantly.

I was very concerned with the possibility of wildfire.The grass is completely dead from about 90 days of no rain and a hot summer. I was extremely lucky that no sparks started a fire. Why? When there is no electricity, there is no water from the well. The fire station would take a long time to get here, and by then everything would be on fire. I could try to bucket water to the location from the pool, and wet down some old towels. The grass is still standing dead, and waist high. I should have nagged hubby to cut it last June.......

About the Owl, it makes me sad because the birds are rare and that bird probably used many utility poles to hunt from, and they are good hunters. The feathers were pretty burned up, but the body stayed on top of the pole....and that is why there wasn't a wildfire.

Is it Summer Still? Yes!

OK, tomorrow is September 1st. The kids are back to school on the 2nd...here. Actually, it really is summer still, regardless of the calendar. Hot and dry, very dry in fact. The fires nearby will be getting active, last week after my last post, the acreage grew to over 2,400 acres. The truth is that the fires will not be declared out until the fall rains start. That is a hard truth that most people don't know. 

Well, college football season started yesterday... the University of Oregon, bested poor South Dakota here at Eugene. Go Ducks!

Forest Wildfire Smoke

I snapped this picture with my phone about 6 pm today. The smoke is from a group of 3 fires that are close together. The wind suddenly changed direction, and the 90 degree day made the fire really blaze...and grow.  Burned fir needles and burned leaves were falling all around us. I am concerned about the possibility of a hot spark falling into the tall dead grass in the background (neighbor's). The fire is about 8 miles away.

If you look closely behind our tractor, there is a deer, she watched me take the photo...........

You must think, am I worried? I am a retiree of the US Forest Service and I wonder why they are spending so much time messing around with this fire...and they have 1000+ firefighters assigned to the fire. There are 8 helicopters, and I saw 2 retardant planes on the fire about 6 pm today. The spending is exceeding a million dollars a day.

I water around the house, and take all precautions to have our buildings in a defensible space. Personally...I detest wildfires, and the way they destroy the forest. I absolutely hate the smoke.

Drought in the Pacific NW... Oregon

I have been wondering about our long, dry, summer (yes it still is summer). Today, I checked out what the experts are saying about it. It is the driest summer since 1871, when records have been kept in Portland Oregon. We have had no rain at all since July 1st. The forecast is for another 10 days or so without any rain...there is a large high in the Pacific, that is not moving. Instead, the weather is going into Canada and back down into the plains. When fall finally comes I wonder what the records will be. We are feeding the winter hay to the cattle, and the wildlife are desperate for something green to eat.

This area's climate is rainy Pacific NW. We had a wet, wet, spring that lasted until July 1st. The yearly rain total is probably close to normal with the spring.

Wildfire danger is extreme, if one starts it is going to be a whopper. I hope not, I detest forest fires.

Central Oregon Adventure 2012

I have been gone for several days for a vacation in Central Oregon. I took the cabin on wheels and parked in a campground. This photo is of the Pole Creek Fire near Sisters, OR. The size is now over 25,000 acres. It burned like crazy last Friday, when I took this photo with my cell phone. We (Jane and I) were many miles southeast of the fire. I took this photo about 30 miles south of Bend, OR near Sunriver. It is very dry here and wildfire is a real threat. I am back to regular blogging.