Monday, January 18, 2010

Watercolors

A storm blew in yesterday afternoon -- the opening act of today's main attraction storm system. Most of South Pas looked gray except for this lovely tableau on Meridian.

The National Weather Service says these storms may be the biggest since 1998's El Nino floods. Meteorologists predict 8 to 16 inches in our nearby foothills-- the communities below the epic 250 square mile burn area of last summer's Station Fire. (8 to 16 inches?!) The Los Angeles Fire Department and Bureau of Street Services are providing sandbags to burn-area residents. Dial 311 to find a fire station or Street Services location near you, or check out the LAFD's blog or the Bureau of Street Services. If South Pasadena residents need sandbags, contact the South Pasadena Fire Department.

But maybe these clouds have silver linings. Heavy rain will certainly jumpstart all those little seeds scattered across our wildfire-scarred mountains...

Update: Friend of GOSP Mister Earl commented with a link to this hilarious UCLA student video about how Los Angeles reacts when it rains. It's worth a look, though folks outside the region might not be in on the joke...

26 comments:

Gunn said...

A nice shot and an impressive tree and CAR.
Great color(s) too.

Yakpate said...

The rain seems to have brightened all the colors... I especially like the little pop of yellow in the lower left.

But that car... I enlarged the photo and it looks like it has just been washed and waxed, without a single water spot on it... yet another vintage gem, this one in heavenly blue!

Yakpate said...

Little pop of yellow in the lower RIGHT... this is what happens when I sleepwalk to my computer!

Mister Earl said...

Another great photo. How you found that car all alone with the blue and the red of the car and the building, I don't know.

For an understanding of what rain does to Angelinos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu1mn13l7xQ

Wayne said...

You do have a knack for these shots don't you Laurie.

Apparently we're looking at a week of rain here. At the moment we've got very high winds into the bargain.

dbdubya said...

That's about a '53 or '54 Ford that's been beautifully restored.

The series of storms this week may be only the beginning of what could be at least two weeks of heavy rain for all of California. The jet stream has dropped south and there's a concern that this week's storms will dump several feet of snow in the Sierras and the following storms, which will be from the "pineapple express" and much warmer, could melt the fresh snow causing dangerous runoffs in the central part of the state. While this is good for filling the reservoirs, it could overtax the system.

Laurie's information on sandbags is for Los Angeles residents. Nearly all Fire Departments provide sand and sand bags for residents. They are available at the South Pasadena Fire station for local residents.

Leslie Saeta said...

This photo could make a lovely oil painting ... such inspiring colors!

Laurie Allee said...

I updated my post with a link to the South Pas Fire Dept, DB. I originally mentioned the LA info for burn-area residents but it's helpful include our local information -- especially since these storms could cause flash flooding.

Bellis said...

Ann, Your Youtube link is hilarious! Laurie, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you staged this shoot - the colours, the lighting - it's a work of art.

Laurie Allee said...

Leslie, feel free to paint it! (And Jill, too!)

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, Bellis. I have this running joke with myself that there MUST be a ghost art director setting up shots in front of me. Sometimes they seem too good to be real!

Laurie Allee said...

Okay, everyone watch Earl's youtube clip. It is hilarious.

San Diego Farmgirl said...

HAHAHA, funny clip, thanks, Mr. Earl!

dbdubya said...

Actually, the Station Fire impacted residents who receive fire protection from Los Angeles (Sunland/Tujunga), Glendale (a portion of La Crescenta), and Los Angeles County (the rest of La Crescenta, La Canada, Altadena, and Tujunga Canyon). No doubt the residents of those areas know where to go. But, in heavy rains South Pasadena also has flooding and mudslide problems, hence the sand available at the Fire Station. Thanks for providing the links.

Bellis said...

Sorry, Mr Earl, that I called you Ann - I have a feeling that's not your first name. I've put that clip on my Facebook page because it's so hilarious - but will my European friends get the joke? Little do they know how strange a thing rain is here. Fritz Coleman jokes that people phone him from the freeways to ask what the funny wet drops on their car windscreens are.

Mister Earl said...

Funny, Bellis! My real name is Speedo, but they often call me Mister Earl. But you can call me Ann. ;-)

Laurie Allee said...

WOw, it's nasty out there. TRaffic signals are out in South Pas, looked like a big swath of town east of Meridian was completely out of power.

DB, the LA Times listed those LA links for all burn area victims and I believe they cross link to other cities' specific info -- at least that's what the article inferred. During the Station Fire the San Gabriel Valley bloggers all got so many hits, emails and comments from people all over the region looking for information that the media was slow to report. It was surreal when I had people from Sierra Madre emailing me for information about whether or not they were in danger of evacuating! That was a terrible lesson in media lag time.

Little Bit and I are going to make popcorn and watch Sleeping BEauty, though she'd rather be outside jumping in puddles and catching a cold. Storms are no fun for preschoolers!

Mister Earl said...

Laurie: Is Friends of GOSP a 501(c)(3), tax-deductible organization?

Check out my Facebook today. You'll probably like it.

Shanna said...

We have to sand bag every rainy season because of our hillside location. When we first lived here and water was rushing under the front gate, I had to do something fast because the front yard was filling up with water. So I invented what we now use routinely. Here it is:

Sand bags made out of plastic trash bags and kitty litter!!!!

You just put several inches of kitty litter in the plastic trash bag (I think the black bags look the best) then twist the plastic. They are light weight and stack very easily! We have about 15 or 20 across our front sidewalk right now and will probably add to them tonight.

Laurie Allee said...

Hey, anyone else having land line phone troubles? I have crazy static/buzzing/humming since this morning. We had phone troubles in the last big storm.

Mister Earl said...

I've often had static on the phone when it rains. Also today I have had some sporadic power spikes that have shut down my computer and radio a couple times.

Anonymous said...

Yo, power spikes. But the rain has stopped for now, so I guess that's one down and two to go?

Anonymous said...

It rained here three times last year, each time lasted about an hour... and a public holiday was declared!!

Laurie Allee said...

Welcome, Eternally Distracted! (Everyone else, run over to Eternally Distracted's blog right now and enjoy her fabulous wit.)

I'm glad that the rain has calmed down long enough for my dogs to stop pooping on the patio bricks. (They don't feel like going all the way around to the back of the house when it's pouring rain. But neither Jon nor I like cleaning poop off of patio bricks. Weather! Dogs!)

Anyone know about current evacuations? La Canada/Flintridge was lifted but what about the remote areas of Altadena?

Til tomorrow, everyone...

Anonymous said...

What a brilliant photo! You have a great eye.

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, coolbru. And welcome!