The Golden State of the Golden State

It's been a dry winter, with only two thirds of the rainfall considered "normal." Thus, much of the grass has already dried to its late-summer golden hue, including the grass here on the levee where I walk. The city has sent crews to mow it to the ground as a precaution against accidental fire, but it is still like tinder.

The number of burning fires is now reduced to just under 300 from over 1,000 a couple of weeks ago, and, with the advent of the delta breeze a few days ago, the air is now clearer, the sky is blue again, and the sun doesn't have that reddish cast it had during the worst of the smoke.