Ash Everywhere, Pool Ruined!

Check out our apt. complex pool and hot tub. Looks more like a pond, as a result of the winds and nearby fires. Julie is considering taking a swim now, if only for the exfoliating factor on her skin...

Santa Ana Winds & Malibu Fires

You've probably heard the news about the fires today in Malibu, which is about 20-25 min. away from Camarillo. The Santa Ana winds come every year from the desert to the So Cal area, and the fires were most likely started by electrical wires that had been blown down. A friend told us that arsonists or pyromaniacs will sometimes start the fires when the winds come so that they're harder to contain. They say the winds have been between 50-80 mph in some areas. The smoke has drifted our way, darkening the sky and dropping ash like a very light snowfall (see the pic of Julie's thumb). Right now I can smell smoke here in our apartment. We drove around a bit today, trying to see what we could see. Most of these shots are of the northern outskirts of Camarillo, and it was only about 2 in the afternoon and sunny when we took them.

There's Some Weird Trees In Californy, Pt. 1

California has a lot of different kinds of trees. Some are huge and majestic, others are pretty gnarly and just plain weird. Before we moved out here, I didn't know I liked trees so much. Maybe I was influenced by Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings books, in which trees play a big part. Here's a few that Loretta and I saw on a walk tonight at dusk, hence the slightly dim lighting. What the...?! This tree looks like it fell down or was cut down. It's actually fully alive and only laying down...
Weird roots! If you believe that God created and designed everything, as I do, then you may look at something like this and conclude, "God is weird." I mean that in a good way. For another example of His weirdness (or, His Weirdness...) check out Loretta's long ear.

Some more pics of where we live

Here's an outside view of our wing of the complex. That's our balcony with the guard dog peeking through the bars. ;)

This is the exercise room, which we used last night for the first time and nearly died.

The pool and hot tub, neither of which have we used, but it's nice to know they're there.

Community grill area, available to all Rosewood renters for individual use. We use it quite a bit.This is the lounge area in the rental office where you can go watch TV or play pool or use the computers. They also have little get-togethers or movie nights for all the renters.

My job

Here's where I work, Coastal Embroidery, for those who were wondering. These are the machines we use and in one you can see a letter jacket being sewn. The guy in the picture is one of my bosses, Don Tillquist. He and his son Brian run the business, although Brian is the actual owner.

Beware of Dog...

Here's a shot of Loretta "guarding" the place from the balcony...

A view from on high

The other night at sunset we took a drive up into the hills to the north of us to try and get a panoramic view of Camarillo. This shot is actually two put together. It was a pretty steep drive but our trusty Pontiac Sunfire was up to the task. I only smelled something burning coming from the engine for a few seconds or so... In the far distance somewhere is the ocean.