The Day When the Sky Turns Orange

September 9, 2020 is an unforgettable day in the history book of year 2020.

People in the SF Bay Area woke up to a dark morning.  No sun. No light,  No usual bird chirping.

I thought I woke up too early. It could not be so dark at 6:30am in the morning!! I went back to sleep.  Woke up at 7:45am and the sky was still dark.

I went outside to check things out.  Our street was eerily silent.  Everything stayed still.  My street cats were waiting for me outside.  Their biological clock told them it was breakfast time but I was sure they thought it was supper time.  They ran away after finishing their meal.  I think they went back to sleep.

The smoke and ash from all the wildfires in Northern California drifted above the clouds instead of hanging below.   It is so immense that it is actually blocking out sunlight and turning the sky a shade of ominous orange.

My photo was taking at 10:49am this morning but it could have been mistaken for 10:49pm.   It is about 12:30pm now and it is still unbelievably dark outside.

I cannot image what is like to be close to the fires,  My heart is with all those who are stuck in the fire zones.  I hope you are safe.

Folks are posting incredible shots of this strange orange day.  As scary as it is, it is an incredible once in a life time phenomena that we are experiencing today.

As we go about our daily routine in darkness, we should also think how we can help to protect our environment.  Wildfire may be a natural occurrence but the cause often is manmade.  Today is a preview of what the end of the world would look like.  If we do not do our part and effect change, this day can become permanent.   What will happen if we wake up to a dark morning everyday?  No sun.  No heat.  No life.

Northern Lights, Fairbanks, Alaska

Northern lights (aurora borealis) is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude regions (around the Arctic).

According to Wikipedia, "auroras are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost."

In plain English: the light that's visible to our eyes is a result of electrically charged particles colliding in the atmosphere.

For this reason, there is no guarantee that you will get to see auroras. And even if you see it, there is no guarantee that it will always be as dramatic and brilliant as seen on postcards.

On the night that we went on the tour (12/28/17), it was forecasted to be a level 2, which meant low activity. Nevertheless, the sight of beautiful emerald lights appearing in the night sky, was breathtaking no matter how faint.

I'm so happy that I was able to capture it with my camera.

How about those colors?  Green is the most common color of auroras. When particles collide with oxygen, yellow and green are produced. Interactions with nitrogen produce red, violet, and occasionally blue colors.

Was it worth staying out in minus 17 degrees Farenheit to view the auroras?  You bet!  And I would definitely do it again.

Thank you Mother Nature!

What's Up in the Sky?

The SF Bay Area was treated to some spectacular sunset every night for several weeks from September to October this year.

Sun sets every night.  We just take it as part of life - like sunrise and moon phases - and don't think much of it.  However, not every sunset stops people dead on their tracks like the ones we had recently.  Thanks to beautiful cloud formations to reflect the sun rays, the sky offered us gorgeous display of light and colors.  People just stopped what they were doing and stared at the sky.  I did the same.  What a treat!

It was visually powerful and took my breath away.  No words.  Just appreciate.

This is a wonderful world.

We Are the World

This has been a heart wrenching week watching the events of the disaster in Japan. There is absolutely nothing we can ever plan and prepare for events like this.

When disasters happen, especially the natural ones, it reminds us that it’s not THEY who are suffering; it’s US – all living things on this planet – suffering from something that’s so non-preventable and non-stoppable.

People from around the world are helping out to the extent of their capability. Some donate money and goods; some donate time and expertise, and some put themselves in danger to save others.

The little dog that stood by his injured canine friend shows that all creatures have compassion, loyalty and love for each other. So, treasure our lives, treasure the friendships and treasure the time that we share with each other in this world.


Couple of Ways to Help:

To help humans: www.redcross.org
To help animals: www.hsi.org

October 17, 1989

If you were in the San Francisco Bay Area that infamous day, then you will remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at 5:04:15pm when the earthquake hit.

I was in the Controller’s office preparing payroll with her when everything on the table started moving then the floor started shaking. We looked at each other not registering for a moment. Then, the big glass window started flexing – yes going in and out like it was going to blow. There was a rumbling sound coming from nowhere. I remembered the Controller let out a scream and docked under her desk. She didn’t even invite me. I stood for one or two seconds longer then I bolted out her office like a bunny, flew into my office and dove under the desk. That was when the big shake really started and it seemed like it was never ever going to stop. I remembered I even cried out Mommy!!! because it was very scary and I thought that was it. If you were here that day, you know exactly what I mean.

When the earth finally stopped shaking, all of us rushed out of the office to the parking lot. There was a surreal quietness outside - no sounds, no alarms, no birds, no cars... Everything seemed frozen except the ground was still swaying…

We regrouped and everyone looked pretty shaken (literally). I called mom and dad right away. I was lucky to get through because the phone lines were jammed soon after that.

There was still electricity in the office but no radio signals (so eerie to hear just statics…) so we didn’t know what was happening at first. Then slowly, we got news that BART stopped running; the Nimitz Freeway buckled; and the unbelievable news that the Bay Bridge had collapsed. It felt like we were being attacked by aliens like in The War of Worlds.

So I was stranded in Oakland (my then office was on Hegenberger Road). No bus, no road, no BART, no bridge, no way home. I went to a co-worker’s house in Alameda since I had nowhere to go. I finally got hold of my parents around midnight and found a ride back to the other side of the bay. Albert was on his way from Oakland to SF to go pick up his wife so he swung by to pick me up. We took the San Mateo Bridge and as we approached the western span, we saw the entire SF skyline pitched black. It was like the whole city was swallowed by a monster.

Home never seemed so warm with lights on and everyone safe. Our house stood tall and nothing fell. We were truly blessed. I said a prayer before going to bed. It was an awesome act by Mother Nature but why some have to suffer?

I woke up and went back to work the next day as usual. The office was surprised to see me but they were even more surprised when I handed the Controller the timecards all calculated and ready for payroll that day. How that happened? Well, in my rush to get out the office, I grabbed my bag and the timecards for whatever reason. I went over them while stuck in Alameda. No, it was not job dedication. I think it was more of a natural response and a subconscious act to maintain some control over my life. No matter what happens, life goes on.

I Think Kermit is in My Pond

What Is This? RK called and said he saw a monster in our lilly pond (ok - a 100 gallon plastic tub). It's a 3" something with a tail and 2 legs. It's big and it's ugly!

RK sent over a picture of this monster. He couldn't believe it's a tadpole. It's too big and where did it come from?

I think it's a chubby tadpole becoming a frog. But RK is right, where did it come from? Our tub is tucked away at a corner against the fence. There is not even a tree around. Yes, the swimming pool is near by but it won't bring on frogs let along tadpoles. A tree frog? A toad?? A monster??? By the way, why only one? Aren't tadpoles groupies?

In Our Lilly Pond: We have 20+ some odd happy goldfish, and 4 -6 crawfish that escaped from becoming food (I hope they're still there), but that's about it. Hmmm... just don't eat my fish, ok?

Can someone explain how it might have ended up here?

... and can I kiss the frog?

Spring in the Air

After a wet rainy January and a cold wintry March, we finally see SPRING in April. Beautiful sunny sky, cozy warm air (depends where), light breeze not wild wind (except when the fog rolls in).... ahhh...so lucky to have this week off!

Woke up early and found the garden blooming. Dad's hard work on the garden really pays off.

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow you down

Big winter storms stacked up and poised to pound our area one after another. Weather forecasters have been busy screaming hazards and warning heavy water pouring down from the sky, but the one that hit yesterday was a wimp. I can sense a trace of disappointment among news broadcasts – no big weather news to report after all the build-ups. Oh well, back to the Iowa caucuses….

Sometime during the night, the second storm hit and it was a mighty one, I think. I slept through the great one. When I woke up, it was very dark inside and out. For few moments, I thought the night was awfully long (good for beauty sleep). But, augh! It was because no power!!! My alarm clock, luckily not AC-powered, said I’M LATE!

En route to work: gray sky, thick clouds, cold rain, fierce wind, down trees, nonworking traffic lights, wet smells, steamy windows, stop and go trains... hey, what happened to that sunny, bright, pleasant weather just three days ago?

But, good to have big storms now and then. We need to fill up the reservoirs and a good cleansing to start the new year. More importantly, the news people have something to talk about now.

Screaming Magnolia

Almost overnight, RK's neighbor's tall tree transformed from bunch of dry twigs to a beautiful bouquet. The sight was amazing! The flowers were so pretty that I couldn't even take ugly pictures!

So what the heck is this tree? After googling all sort of combo - flowering tree, blooming tree, big flowers, flowers before leaves, etc... I think this is a Magnolia tree!! If I'm wrong, let me know.

Why flowers before leaves? I tried looking it up but decided to forget it and just enjoy before they're replaced by green leaves.