Sep 1, 2009

Pyrocumulus Cloud...

... is the term of our times.


This is a view from all the way in North Hollywood, from las Saturday. I thought it was smoke, but thanks to other bloggers I've learned that it is actually a cloud created by intense heat.


Last Thursday I was hiking with a group in Griffith Park. As we were getting higher the fire seemed to intensify, but that was because it was also getting darker. In the middle ground are the lights of Glendale.


I took this photo on the Sam Merrill Trail back in the June Gloom days. I meant to return, but never got around it. Of course it's out of the question right now.


This image is from another hike a couple weekends later, in Eaton Canyon.



And that's a little iVideo from yesterday, with its own soundtrack. That dirty gray stuff in the sky is the smoke. By the way, if you can tell where the music is from you are a true nerd.

Addendum: I drove around for a few hours today, went up to Lopez Canyon, down on Foothill Blvd, but couldn't find a really good vantage point. I realized something unexpected: The air and sky are so full of smoke and ash that sunlight acquire the same warm tone that is usually reserver for the "magic hour." Everything has a warm glow. Quite beautiful, actually.

4 comments:

Margaret said...

That's an interesting way to incorporate what's going on with the fire into a larger theme. Very clever, Ms. Vanda. And I wasn't nerdy enough to figure out the music. Darn it. I really thought I would be.

J said...

Are you sure that's not smoke? I mean, there was a fire recently...

Vanda said...

No, that's definitely not smoke. Not the one in the top picture. There is smoke too, plenty of it, but it looks less, uhm sculpted. More wispy, messy, like in the video.

Cafe Pasadena said...

XXcellent vids & story.
I think y'all have finally found a word to replace the favored bacon & pork.