post-ICANN
I missed Jerome à Paris, who blogs at European Tribune. I was going to swap Internet Policy up close and smelly with Eric's annotations for some time on the subject of financing off-shore wind projects, which he's actually pulled off.
After our last meeting Elmar, Werner and I use the VeloLib system and rent bikes and cycle away from the local landmark (Montparnass tower in high definition uglyness) towards a distant landmark (Eiffle Tower), and return, where Werner leaves for Geneva. Then Elmar and I continue in another direction, resolutely towards the Seine, passing the Sorbonne and dropping in by accident on the largest legal research library in Europe, where we two are allowed in the back way to the reading room, the Arab Institute and finally Notre Dame, where we rack our rentals and sit for a beer while the sun sets.
Metro back and final goodbyes, Elmar to Dortmund and I to ... the Indians Fire, now joined by the Basin Fire Complex.
When I left for Paris, the Indians Fire (a place in the Santa Lucia Mountains, between the Big Sur Coast and the Salinas Valley, where I've spent time as a boy) was 35,000 acres and when the prevailing upper level winds took the smoke plume over King City, we'd no shadows at mid-day.
That fire is now twice as big, there are fire evacuees in our camp, and another fire that started five days ago during a lightning storm, at the Big Sur Coast, is now 30,000 acres, and the two fires are probably going to join in a day or two. Many places I've camped in or hiked in or fished in as a boy are burnt already or will be burned in days. The Tassajara Zen Center will probably burn.
The air in the central coast is grey, the outline of the nearest hills is indistinct. It is unhealthy to breath so we're going to move camp Tuesday or Wednesday.
The english expression is "where there is smoke, there is fire". The flames can't be seen, but the smoke plumes from the Indians and Basin fires sure can be.
I feel like I've come home to ... a global warming daymare. However, the kids are happy to see me and MB is excited to be paid senior staff for a campaign that (finally) has a chance, a good chance, of winning, and I've got a ton of work to do.
