Oh, yes, and then there were the fires...

It's truly a sight to behold when the southland's on fire. The sunlight filtered through the smoke casts an orange glow upon the landscape, and ash falls like snow in certain areas. Afterwards, the hillsides look like lunar landscapes; gray with the stark and twisted black shapes of the manzanita and scrub oak the only indication of a former verdancy. But, afterwards the signals of resiliency and rebirth surface, creating Hope and Fortitude. Hope in the new life that will come with the first green flush of spring, and then the realization that Hope will require courage, of which Fortitude is the graced response.