Santana Winds and Dry Brush

On Saturday morning Dear and I took a hike up from Sycamore Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains to a Scenic area overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Pt. Mugu. We were struck with how dry the brush was and Dear commented on how easy it would be for a fire to spread through this type of brush. This is a collage I made of some of the dryness we hiked through. We are now having a Santana Wind event in Southern California and there is a large fire burning in the Angeles Forest East of Los Angeles. I’m sure the terrain there looks a lot  like this, too.

What are the Santana or Santa Ana Winds?

The Santana Winds or Santa Ana Winds, most common in the late summer and early fall, begin with dry air moving in from the interior of the U.S. towards Southern California. As this air flows down into the Los Angeles-Orange County Basin through the low gaps in the mountains (notably Cajon Pass on the east end of the San Gabriel Mountains and Soledad Pass south of Palmdale), it compresses and warms about five degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000 feet that it descends. Though these winds are much cooler high in the mountains, they can become hot and dry and assume gale force when descending into the Los Angeles-Orange County Basin. They are often the source of air turbulence for aircraft approaching Los Angeles International Airport.

The original spelling of the of name of the winds is unclear, not to mention the origin. Although the winds have been commonly called Santa Ana Winds or Santa Anas, many argue that the original name is Santana Winds or Santanas. Both versions of the name have been used. The name Santana Winds is said to be traced to Spanish California when the winds were called Devil Winds due to their heat.  The reference book Los Angeles A to Z (by Leonard & Dale Pitt), credits the Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County as the origin of the name Santa Ana Winds, thereby arguing for the term Santa Anas.  This might be supported by early accounts which attributed the Santa Ana riverbed running through the canyon as the source of the winds. Another account placed the origin of Santa Ana Winds with an Associated Press correspondent stationed in Santa Ana who mistakenly began using Santa Ana Winds instead of Santana Winds in a 1901 dispatch.

Special credit for the research assistance of Librarian Nancy Smith of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System Reference Center, Los Angeles Public Library.

I hope this is helpful information when you hear news about Santana winds in Southern California helping to spark fires.

After our hike through all this dryness we were rewarded with these glorious views of the Pacific Ocean…

 

We were blessed with a few cool days and now with the Santana Winds blowing in we’ll be seeing the temperature rise again this week.

Wherever you are and whatever your weather have a wonderful week.

Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the Lord for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:30-34

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.

Today’s Flowers #10

 

I think I was more excited about the green grasshopper than the flowers. The color of the flowers is very delicate, too. I took these on a walk in Willow’s neighborhood last week.

To see more flowers from around the world visit our host and hostess Luiz and Denise!

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.

We Thank Thee, Lord, For This Fair Earth ~ Hymn

 

We Thank Thee, Lord, For This Fair Earth

We thank Thee, Lord, for this fair earth,
The glittering sky, the silver sea;
For all their beauty, all their worth,
Their light and glory, come from Thee.

Thine are the flowers that clothe the ground,
The trees that wave their arms above,
The hills that gird our dwellings round,
As Thou dost gird Thine own with love.

Yet teach us still how far more fair,
More glorious, Father, in Thy sight,
Is one pure deed, one holy prayer,
One heart that owns Thy Spirit’s might.

So while we gaze with thoughtful eye
On all the gifts Thy love has given,
Help us in Thee to live and die,
By Thee to rise from earth to Heaven.

Words: George E. L. Cot­ton, in Hymns for Use in the Cha­pel of Marl­bo­rough Coll­ege, 1856.

Ht: Cyberhymnal

I want to wish all my Canadian Bloggin Friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know some of you are celebrating today and maybe some of you will be celebrating tomorrow. May God bless you richly with a thankful heart and gratitude towards Him!

Pink Saturday

 

I took this photo of the sweet pink flower on one of my walks this past week.

When I was at the local Goodwill this week I spotted this truck in the parking lot and decided it would be my Pink Saturday Post today. It was just too unique to pass up…

 

I didn’t get a chance to see Rosemary. I was done shopping and the truck was still parked next to me when I left.

 

For more Pink Saturday Posts visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.

Friday’s Fave 5 ~

1. Breakfast at Julienne with some of my family on Saturday morning. I had poached eggs on a Parmesan crusted potato thingie (potato cake)  with guacamole and Pico de Gallo. Yummy!

2. A walk at dawn at the beach with Dear.

3. Seeing Photos and hearing about my kids and their cousins time at a cousin’s reunion they planned.

4. Walking most days with Willow and dropping a few of many pounds that need to come off! We saw 10 deer on Thursday that’s about how many more pounds I want to drop by U.S.A. Thanksgiving!

5. Having things quiet down with our loud neighbor who we suspect is on Meth… The photo shows the boyfriend’s clothes that she threw out from the railing above our garage when he walked out on her. I took a broom and moved them over to the front of her garage after I took this photo :0)

For more Fave Five or to join in click over to Susanne’s.

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.

Cousins in Seattle

 

Two of our 3 nieces on Dear’s side of the family travelled to Seattle from New York and Los Angeles last weekend for a cousin reunion. Our third niece Kacie is still in highschool and didn’t make the trip. The great thing about this reunion is that it was all initiated on the cousins’ part not the Aunts’ and Uncles’. The Aunts and Uncles were in Southern California and all the cousins but one were in Seattle. What a blessing for our family that we all love each other.

Top left photo our son Dan, niece Annie, niece Jenna, our son Josh. Top right in the back our DIL Laura, Jenna, Dan, Annie and Josh. Our daughter Katie with her boyfriend Ben. Bottom Dan, Annie, Jenna. Bottom right our son Josh and Dil Laura. Is it just me or do these cousins resemble eachother?

Bear with me as I experiment with these collages. I stole all these photos from my DIL Laura and just love seeing my kids and nieces so it’s been fun creating these with their faces that I don’t see as often as I would like to…

 

Hey Josh! Look what I saw at Trader Joe’s today. If you were a wine lover I would have bought you a case!

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.

Skywatch #13

 

I was so excited that our skies in Camarillo, California got a little worked up last week instead of being their plain blue or haze. I always enjoy seeing clouds above me :0)

 

For more skies from around the world visit the Sky Watch blog here.

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.

Vintage Thingies Thursdays ~ Red & Yellow Tablecloth

 

This is another tablecloth from my MIL Verna. I love the bright cheery colors in this one. Verna had quite a stash of goodies. This cloth is really too small to use on my larger tables. It would be great on a small table for 4. I think it would look fabulous with some green or yellow dishes.

For more Vintage Thingies visit Confessions of an Apron Queen.

Photobucket is holding my photos hostage from 2007-2015 and replacing them with an ugly black and grey squares demanding money to release them, so frustrating.