Paradise Reflections

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Another Paradise Above

September 09, 2021

This week I tried to capture images of things that were of special interest to me, but were all over my head. I am very well attuned to the screech of the red-shouldered hawk, since I started taking photos of the ones around my home in Richmond. I was pleased to hear the same call from trees near our MDS quarters. Since I am usually busy inside, I have been waiting to hear those calls at a time when I could actually grab my big camera and run outside to try to snap the pic. I also often hear the roar of the big DC-10 fire tankers on their way to or from the huge fires to the east of Paradise. It is even harder to catch these planes since they are often past by the time I can grab my camera, make sure I am in the right mode, switch off the autofocus, find the plane in my viewfinder, focus manually, and then take the shot. Thirdly, given the extremely clear air around here, I have enjoyed trying to capture Jupiter, Saturn, and Orion (in the morning). The Moon is back in the night

The Trauma I Don't Know

September 08, 2021

One of the main reasons I like working with MDS is to make myself face trauma. I am one of those fortunate people who have never had to deal with the kinds of devastation faced by so many of our clients. Unfortunately, my trauma-free life has left me ill-equipped to feel the depth of empathy I need to be able to relate to people who have lost everything except their lives. Like many, I feel tremendous sadness for anyone affected by a hurricane, earthquake, flood, or fire. By the time the disaster has left the front page. . .er. . trending headlines though, I find it easy to stop thinking about that specific event, and quickly move on to other concerns. For first responders helping at a scene of destruction, they do experience an often overwhelming sense of helping during helplessness. An organization like Mennonite Disaster Service has an immediate response mission, but I think the most important role for me is their continued presence with the communities in which we serve. One

My Role with the Project

September 04, 2021

I am one of two cooks at the MDS project here in Paradise. My assistant is Josie Swartzentruber, not Swartzendruber like my relatives. Our task is to fix breakfast and dinner for the rest of the crew. We also set out items that the crews pack for their lunches. Lunch is actually the first item of business. As assistant cook, Josie is responsible for putting out the lunch fixin's. I did that for 5 weeks up in Grand Forks, BC two years ago at this same time of year. It is probably the toughest of our tasks, since she has to set it up before 6 a.m., and take it down by 6:30-ish so she can transition to helping set up breakfast. During that time, I would be starting coffee and anything that takes a lot of time, like breakfast casserole. Once the lunch items are put away, we start putting out things like a fruit tray, and other cold items. Breakfast is out and ready to roll no later than 7 a.m. After breakfast, we clean up, get dishwashers going, and sit down to review the

Caldor Fire Destruction

September 02, 2021

The large smoke plume I photographed several days ago was actually most likely from the Caldor Fire, which is in the news for threatening the Lake Tahoe area. I have included a link to a damage map from the CalFire website. Every red square is a house that has been destroyed. I am sure there will be lots of work for MDS and other similar organizations for years to come, and that doesn't take into account any future fires. With this much terrain scorched, there tends to be lots of flooding during the rainy winter months and the snowmelt in the spring. One disaster often brings on many more. Here is the link to the Caldor Fire Damage Map. You can click on it to move it to other locations. CalFire Damage Map

Ghosts from the Fire

September 01, 2021

As one who has never experienced a large wildfire, my impression of what happens is that everything is burned to charred stumps. This can and does happen, but the reality for most large fires is that the fire is very chaotic, destroying large areas but leaving other areas less affected. In nature, this leaves open meadows where different kinds of vegetation can flourish. When people move into forested areas, they usually want the trees to stay, and demand protection from any fire that threatens. This results in an increase in smaller trees and shrubs, which provide ample fuel to guarantee much larger fires when they occur. If you look at the first picture, you will see many healthy trees in an area that was ravaged by the fire. I would not infer that there was any recent disaster here in the back yard of the former assisted living facility where MDS has set up their operations center. If I point the camera a little lower, you will see the actual situation. Theses are just a f

Day Trip part 2

August 30, 2021

After galivanting around the Oroville Dam, We headed back into "Gold Town" and bought some local produce at a Saturday Farmers' Market, then we had lunch at a very nice cafe that had this perfectly restored classic Streamline Duke trailer. There are also a lot of really nice antique cars around here since they don't need to salt the roads in the winter, and there isn't much rain, so no rust! Paradise and Surroundings After lunch, we headed out to see three of the MDS project houses. They were all in the area of Concow, which was one of the first communities hit by the fire just an hour or so after it started. Concow is not really a town, but more of a census designation. There were many large houses located in extremely scenic locations, as well as small off-grid houses located where the owners could find a spot. The fire did not discriminate. The rapidly spreading fire engulfed the area in a rather spotty manner. Wind-whipped embers started numerous small f

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