natural fireworks on Independence Day

I've been thrown into the real adventure immediately. Having arrived at LAX on July 2n, been picked up by my cousin and driven to 'the Santa Barbara home' I've taken to heart during other visits, I was confronted with burning hills. The Santa Barbara mountains - they are not far from the sea (this creates an extraordinary climate) suffered from a severe gap fire, one of those Californian horror scenarios. High flames were visible at different places and the sky was dark grey from the smoke. The blood red son gave an apocalyptic feel to it all. foto by Toby Keller - see more fire night shots at Tobys Site on flickr Burnblue

We had a wonderful dinner with the family although it was affected by the nature katastrophe: the electricity went off. The next day the fire became more threatening. The air was unhealthy to breathe and ash and burned leaves landed in the garden and covered the house and cars. The night we evacuated ourselves to Toby and Jades house were we camped on the floor. The fire had reached a place 2 miles from the family's house and all people north of our area were evacuated mandatorily and received gas masks.

See an article of today in the LA TIMES.

For the 4th of July the fireworks in Goleta were cancelled. Americans couldn't be kept from celebrating independence day, though. So everybody barbecued outside in the garden and went to the public spaces to watch the fireworks of Santa Barbara downtown. The steak is one thing that is so much tastier in America. Gotta collect against prejudices.

It was a strange feeling not being able to take beer to the park like you would take beer in Germany! I mean: hide the bottles for the transport, look suspiciously around if no one looks and sip from a bottle hidden in the arm of your jacket. How exaggerated is that. I just shook my head...