Summer is Here

I heard the sirens. Nothing unusual about that. I heard more sirens. Still nothing unusual. The sirens kept coming. My that is a lot of sirens. What are those tourists up to now?

I heard the helicopter. Nothing unusual about that. I kept hearing the helicopter. That is annoying so I tuned it out. Not unusual though.

I got thirsty and went to get a drink of water. I saw smoke close to the near horizon as I turned toward the house. Now I heard two helicopters and I could not tune them out anymore. Sound off sound on. Amazing, my powers of ignoring things.

As I walked onto my deck I saw a lot of smoke just below the tree line of my neighborhood. My that is close and it sure is windy. Hmmm.













Is this a grass and brush fire or is someone's house on fire? Now I hear sirens, helicopters and the wind. That is somewhat annoying but under the circumstances, nah sound off. The smoke is white which tells me it is most likely a brush fire. I have lived through the elections of several Popes. I know what the color of smoke means.

I run the houses below me through my head to determine whose yard or neglected and unmowed lot may be on fire and the path it could take along densely planted property lines or abandoned sections of large lots. The helicopters whiz by with dangling buckets dripping water.














That helicopter sure got back for a second drop awful quick. The ocean is not that close. Now the other helicopter is back. I can see two helicopters at the same time. The ocean is not that close. Where are the helicopters filling their dangling buckets of water?

I move to the other side of the deck and peer over the Confederate Jasmine vine that grows on the railing and always threatens to engulf the house.


















The helicopters are dipping their dripping buckets into the rich neighborhood across the highway were all the power lines are buried below ground.

Someone's swimming pool is being drained one giant dangling bucket at a time. Hmmm. I take care of two houses with pools right where those dripping buckets are being dipped. How tall are their palms and how long is that line holding this big bucket? I wonder what the wind speed generated by helicopters is hovering over a landscaped garden and swimming pool. I sure hope it wasn't one of the houses I take care of whose pool was emptied with a giant swaying dangling bucket dripping from a helicopter.

The fire department here does excellent work putting out the numerous brush fires that start in our dry savannah introduced native landscape. I guess the grass is dry enough to burn now.

















I have noticed that there often seems to be a fire on a parcel of land that is about to be developed. There is a lot of development going on and our natural introduced dry savannah landscape on wild lands does catch fire so much easier than irrigated tropical landscapes. Coincidence I suppose.















Lucky for us that our new firehouse is located right across the street from the new development going in. The large building in the center behind the burnt bush is the new Wailea Fire Station.