Southern California is burning! Watching the news on TV was terrible, as blocks of houses were destroyed in single fiery swoops and people mourned the loss of their homes and goods.

The smoke and ash even made its way to Orange County, where there are no fires (knock on wood.) I've never experienced anything like it. It felt like the end of the world... a thick orange fog hung everywhere in the air and the sun didn't even peek through much. If you left a window open, you would smell the fire and smoke from the inside of your house. And after just standing outside for some time, a thin layer of ash would deposit itself on you. Incredible.