Top of the world

Not really, but with a view like this it feels close to the top. A hugely windy and gusty day, I could barely hold myself on the planet, or the towels for window-cleaning. This is a challenging house even on a calm day, and most of the time the wind just howls along the cliffs here. There are 7 skylights on the roof; today I felt brave so I went up to do them. Even with my considerable mass, there were many gusts that staggered me and tried to whip the hat off my head, chin-strap notwithstanding, the towel off my shoulder and the scrubber right out of my hand. Makes it hard to gawk at the view, never mind stepping back to admire my work.


Here's another view from up there:

As we drove down the coast to the job, we saw some strange fog configurations, I guess due to the wind and high pressure off the coast:


After the job we drove into Big Sur, and saw the evidence of the fires. Scorched, bare hillsides, lots of trees with blackened trunks and burnt leaves everywhere.


We are hoping for gentle, regular rains this winter. Already there are massive preparations against the mudslides that are bound to take place all through the area.

On the knitting front, I finally finished the Imogen Jacket. It is softer and more drapey than the original, since the yarn I used is a blend of merino, silk and alpaca. It's very light and incredibly warm.


I ended up with an extra skein of the yarn, which is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Peru, in the Raven series colorway "Thraven" so I cast on for a Shetland Triangle. I swear, I am congenitally incapable of lace, even at a giant gauge like this. It took me about 6 false starts with ripping back and even now requires lifelines, stitch markers and lots of whiskey. Oh wait, maybe that's the problem.

Smoky Skies

It's bad. The weather satellite at NOAA shows the smoke blowing directly over us and just hanging. If it is this bad here, imagine how bad it must be down in Big Sur. I just wonder about all the animals. I read that some of the condor chicks were lost.
We take our wonderful air quality for granted; it's sobering to see how easily it is taken away.