Ice And Fire

From today's hike in the mountains.

 

Indoor winter projects finally came onto my radar this week as this was the coldest, windiest weather this winter. Project One was to repair a closet that had a bit of mold on the ceiling. This was caused by a leaky roof that was replaced over ten years ago, but I never addressed the closet - out of sight, out of mind. When I finally got up there, the joint tape was barely hanging on and the joint compound was crumbling. I scraped off all the compromised material, bought some compound and tape and re-plastered the ceiling joint. After sanding, and while contemplating whether to paint or not, I heard my father's voice saying, "If you're going to do a job, do it right." So I took down all of the closet shelving, rebuilt one of the brackets, and then painted the closet a fresh white. Job done, but not a very impactful makeover.

Now I'm on to the basement which is in dire need of reorganizing and repurposing. 

Yesterday's walk had to be the coldest yet due to the wind gusting at 30 - 40 mph. Still no chance of temperatures reaching the freezing point, but I'm getting out there. 

My hat alone was not enough. I needed my hood to block the wind.


I've spent the past few days stressing, calling, and texting with Glenn in LA. The Palisade fire is just to the south of her and she and her friends were ready to evacuate if needed. I can't imagine the stress everyone there is under. The WatchDuty app has been invaluable for getting real time updates on the fires. 



Friday night, the northward advance of the Pallisades fire caused all of us anxiety, so the girls and their 2 cats evacuated to Anaheim and spent the night in a hotel. Today the winds have shifted so they are going to a friends apartment to hang there until these fires are under control.

Glenn sent me this short video of what she saw as she left her apartment. Scary scene!

The fires have been greatly knocked down today, so nerves are settling.

I was gone for 14 hours today, leaving at 6 am to meet the group and hike (on snowshoes) in the mountains near Lake Placid. It was a beautiful day with little to no wind and the cold didn't affect me much. In fact I had my hat and gloves off for much of the hike even as the temps were in the 20's. I generate a lot of heat when climbing uphill!

Me, at right, taking a photo of the view from Mt Van Hovenberg

The photo I took. I always try to have something in the foreground for interest.


The trail was truly magical.

Our group getting ready in the posh lodge.


I'm looking forward to a slow day at home tomorrow, but you never know what the day will bring.


Comments

  1. MargaretJanuary 13, 2025 at 11:12 PM

    Those snow photos are stunning--what gorgeous scenery! I haven't been walking enough lately and now the weather is colder. I must get motivated though! The LA fires are terrifying and disturbing as is the misinformation (lies) that many right-wing politicians are pushing. :(

    ReplyDelete

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