Griffith Park, in the center of LA, burned yesterday.  Apparently a homeless guy fell asleep while smoking in a brushy area of the park.  This was an absolutely beautiful area of LA, situated in the center of the city, where people could escape the city.  It was home to the newly renovated Griffith Observatory, the LA Zoo, the Wild Bird Preserve, Traveltown and numerous garden areas.  Only the Bird Preserve and the garden areas were harmed, but the grounds surrounding all the rest are now just burned out stubble.

Living in Pasadena, I don’t visit these areas often, but it will still be sad to drive by and not see the lush hillside greenery.  And I feel badly for all those who live in apartments in the city and use these areas as their backyards.  When the foothills burned here in Pasadena it took years before the green returned.  And the large trees won’t be back in my lifetime.

I’m worried that this fire is only the start of a long summer fire season.  And I’m very uneasy that the hills near my house will burn this year.  We’ve been lucky that we haven’t had any fires nearby for almost 20 years.  Everything is sooo dry and there are lots of people out there who don’t have a clue as to how dangerous just a little spark or flame can be.  I dread the 4th of July.

Meanwhile, it is still extremely hot.  The humidity is very low (5-10%) so it doesn’t feel muggy, just hot.  It’s supposed to cool off a bit and get down into the 80’s tomorrow and gradually into the 70’s by Sunday.  I don’t mind the heat all that much, but my plants do.  I’ve had to water every day and have lost a few plants.  Patrick and Veronica came by the other day and she inaugurated the pool for the season with the first swim of the year.  The water is still not warm enough for me, though.  Needs to be at least 10 degrees warmer for me to go in.