You probably saw this region in the news (and this blog), first for our drought and then our fires. For example, flying near Camarillo the Woolsey Fire provided a tragic sort of beauty looking toward Point Dume.
Woolsey Fire
Wind was whipping the water from the Oxnard area toward sunset beyond the Channel Islands, making for a otherworldly scene.
9575 Surreal Sunset
The coastal slopes of our own Santa Ynez Mountains had begun to recover from the horrific Thomas Fire, but were still mostly bare. Tangerine Falls just to the right of the bottom center, was scrubbed clean and nearly unrecognizable.
9688 Thomas Fire Recovery
By 11/22/2018 the popular Casa de Maria retreat center was struggling to recover from our Montecito debris flow disaster, caused by a torrential January downpour on those bare slopes.
9668 La Casa de Maria 11/22/2018
Hiking the Tucker’s Grove trail later that day provided a welcome reminder of how our creeks usually look. San Antonio Creek was relatively untouched by the fires and floods of that year. Just looking at this pic again now, of the lively boulder alongside it, triggered a deep nourishing breath of serenity.
9695 Silent Boulder Garnish
John & Anne Wiley 
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