Not Burning

My parents live in San Diego, but they're not in danger of burning, at least not just yet.

We were in San Diego and Northern Mexico over the weekend on a wine-tasting bus tour. The wineries, located in the Guadalupe Valley, were lovely. We visited the Doña Lupe Winery, a small, mostly organic winery, and the much larger L.A. Cetto Winery; we drank a bottle of Merlot from Doña Lupe last night, and it was spicy, flavorful, and a lot of fun. Went down a treat with some light meat-sauce spaghetti.

Anyway, on our way back on Sunday, the Santa Ana winds were kicking up a lot of dust, so at first we thought it was just usual smog and dirt. By the time we got to Tijuana, it was pretty clear that there was more going on. There was ash coming down like a light snow, and the air outside the bus was full of particulates. It seemed to clear up as we got to San Diego airport, but as you can see from the maps, that was mostly a false lull.

Schools throughout San Diego were closed Monday and Tuesday, and the authorities told people who work in Escondido (like my Mom) to stay home. My aunt and uncle, who live in Fallbrook, packed their stuff and moved in with my parents. So far, their house appears to still be standing. Keep those fingers crossed.