#santa ana mountains

[petegans]

Santa Ana Mountains, Summer 2023

[califactsijustmadeup]

Cali Fact #17:

Black Star Canyon gets its name from the fact that David Bowie's ghost lives there. It's true! Just made it up myself

[thomaswaynewolf]

[meatcrimes]

santa ana mountains in san diego county, california

[emperornorton47]

Towers over a Ridge

[best-views]

Black Star Canyon, Santa Ana mountains, California

Waterfall was pretty dry this fall!

[riverforg]

[maxphotoarchive]

Returning from the Beach - June 13, 2024

[thechembow]

The Last Monsoonal Skies

Oct. 9, 2023

The New Monsoon runs from around May 15 to October 15. The warm eastern winds of the past couple of days signal the last monsoonal push in the southwest, with one energy shift after another causing the jet stream reversal. Each day DOR clouds transmute and leave us with OR skies.

The jet stream is coming from the west again and some forecasts show as much as a 40% chance of rain, however this may just be OR clouds that the forecasters don't understand. Temperatures will definitely come down and we will likely see cloud cover.

We are getting ready for a massive gifting trip, which you'll be able to follow here. The goal is major winter snow, which I think all of the west will experience. The skies have been powerfully clear and mostly absent of "planes" for a long time now. All "planes" that came through today had no trails or faltering trails which cut in and out.

[foundationsolution]

Foundation Repair Santa Clara: Protect Your Home with Foundation Solutions

The foundation of your home is one of its most critical components, providing the necessary support to ensure structural integrity. In Santa Clara, the unique soil conditions and climate can pose specific challenges to maintaining a strong and stable foundation. At Foundation Solutions, we specialize in foundation repair Santa Clara, offering expert services to address a wide range of issues. In this blog post, we’ll explore the common foundation problems in the area, the importance of timely repairs, and why Foundation Solutions is the best choice for homeowners seeking reliable foundation repair services.

Common Foundation Issues in Santa Clara

Santa Clara’s diverse landscape, ranging from flatlands to rolling hills, combined with its specific soil types, can lead to several common foundation problems:

Expansive Soils: The region’s clay-rich soils tend to expand and contract with moisture changes, causing significant foundation movement and cracks.

Earthquake Activity: Santa Clara is situated in a seismically active zone, making homes vulnerable to foundation damage from earthquakes and ground shifting.

Poor Drainage: Inadequate drainage systems can lead to water accumulation around the foundation, causing erosion and weakening the structure.

Soil Settlement: Uneven soil settlement can result in foundation sinking or settling, leading to uneven floors and cracks in walls.

Tree Roots: The growth of tree roots near the foundation can exert pressure, causing cracks and shifting.

Why Timely Foundation Repairs Are Crucial

Addressing foundation issues promptly is essential to prevent more severe problems and costly repairs. Here’s why timely foundation repairs are crucial:

Prevent Structural Damage: Early intervention can prevent minor issues from escalating into major structural damage, saving you time and money.

Maintain Property Value: A stable and well-maintained foundation helps preserve and even enhance your property’s market value.

Ensure Safety: A compromised foundation can pose safety risks, including the potential for structural collapse. Timely repairs help ensure the safety of your home and family.

Avoid Water Damage: Foundation cracks and gaps can allow water to seep into your home, leading to mold growth and water damage. Repairing these issues early helps avoid these problems.

Our Comprehensive Foundation Repair Services

At Foundation Solutions, we offer a wide range of foundation repair services tailored to address the specific needs of Santa Clara homeowners. Our comprehensive approach includes:

Foundation Inspection and Assessment: Our team conducts a thorough inspection to diagnose the root cause of the foundation issues and assess the extent of the damage.

Customized Repair Plans: Based on the assessment, we develop a personalized repair plan that addresses the specific problems affecting your foundation.

Foundation Crack Repair: We use high-quality sealants and epoxy injections to fill and seal foundation cracks, preventing water intrusion and further damage.

Underpinning and Piering: For foundations experiencing significant settlement, we offer underpinning and piering solutions to stabilize and support the structure.

Seismic Retrofitting: We provide seismic retrofitting services to reinforce foundations and improve earthquake resilience, crucial for homes in seismically active areas.

Drainage Solutions: We install effective drainage systems, such as French drains and sump pumps, to manage water around the foundation and prevent erosion.

Soil Stabilization: Our soil stabilization services help mitigate the effects of expansive soils, reducing foundation movement and damage.

Why Choose Foundation Solutions for Foundation Repair in Santa Clara?

Selecting the right foundation repair company is vital to ensure high-quality results. Here’s why Foundation Solutions is the premier choice for foundation repair in Santa Clara:

Experienced Professionals: Our team of experts has extensive experience in foundation repair, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every project.

Advanced Techniques: We use the latest technology and methods to provide effective and durable foundation repair solutions.

Customer-Centric Approach: We prioritize our customers, offering transparent communication, competitive pricing, and a commitment to exceeding expectations.

Licensed and Insured: Foundation Solutions is fully licensed and insured, providing peace of mind and confidence in our services.

Guaranteed Workmanship: We stand behind our work, offering a satisfaction guarantee to ensure you’re happy with the results.

Case Study: Successful Foundation Repair in Santa Clara

A recent project involved a Santa Clara homeowner experiencing foundation settlement and cracks due to expansive soils and poor drainage. Our team conducted a detailed assessment and implemented a comprehensive repair plan, including underpinning, crack sealing, and the installation of a French drain system. The result was a stabilized foundation, improved drainage, and a safe, secure home.

Contact Foundation Solutions Today

If you’re experiencing foundation issues in Santa Clara, don’t wait for the problem to worsen. Contact Foundation Solutions today for a professional assessment and expert foundation repair services. Our experienced team is here to provide you with reliable solutions to protect your home and ensure long-term stability.

At Foundation Solutions, we are committed to providing top-quality foundation repair services in Santa Clara. Trust us to deliver the expertise and care your home deserves, ensuring a stable and secure foundation for years to come.

Tagged Foundation Repair, Foundation Repair Santa Clara, Foundation Solutions

[petegans]

Santa Ana Mountains, July 2023

[theaologies]

spinning my chair around and sitting in it backwards: GOOOOOD MORNING CLASS

FIRST AND FOREMOST: this is not a panic post. It’s an informational preparedness post. Don’t panic. Just be prepared for this like you’d be prepared for an earthquake but you know it’s coming and it’s wet.

I’m 30, lived in Central Florida for the first 26 years of my life, and have experienced more hurricanes and tropical storms than you can imagine. Never in my life did I think I would have to discuss HURRICANE SAFETY again after moving to LOS ANGELES from FLORIDA and yet HERE WE ARE-

(This information is accurate as of 8/17 at 9am PST)

SO models are still early but it seems like as of last night, Pacific Hurricane Hilary is rapidly intensified AND has shifted its track pretty severely inland. Originally SoCal was predicted to get some bands off the coast but this does NOT seem to be the case anymore

As our good friend Jim Cantore mentioned above, if Hilary DOES make landfall in SoCal, it will be the first tropical storm to do so since 1939. Fucking yikes.

THE GOOD NEWS:

It isn’t looking like Hilary will make landfall anywhere as a strong hurricane. If it makes landfall in central Baja it looks like it’ll be a Cat 2 which isn’t great but still- better than the Cat 5 it’s currently strengthening to.

As for SoCal, we’re not predicted to get anything over a Tropical Storm. And mountains tear up tropical cyclones like crazy. It’ll (probably) be weak and, wind wise, no worse than the Santa Ana’s

THE BAD NEWS:

Our Cone of Uncertainty is currently pretty wide- this fluctuation matters as it determines which side of the storm hits us. Is this significant? Yes. The right side of a Hurricane is considered the “dirty” side- it’s the side that is most likely to produce severe weather, such as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. It’s still too early to determine what side will affect us the most but it’s something to keep in mind.

Also, I can’t speak for the rest of SoCal, but I would not bet on the LA infrastructure doing well even with a weak tropical storm. Which is why I have brought you here today, to run down the IMPORTANT HURRICANE CHECKLIST

NOTE: I made this several years ago for FLORIDA so not all of it will be accurate to SoCal. Most of us live in apartments and have no say over tree trimmings and the likes. If the storm is feeling like it’s going to get bad, I would recommend moving important things and electronics away from windows and hanging out in areas of the apartment that have the least amount of windows. I don’t think boarding up windows or anything will be necessary but here’s information if you need/want it

ANOTHER NOTE: if you have the means, please check up on your unhoused neighbors and immediate community groups that do so, as well. As always, they will be the ones most affected by severe weather. Tarps, anything that rises up off the ground, waterproof bags, etc would be good to grab for them. I am not an expert here and would recommend following the lead of your community groups that work with your unhoused neighbors to find out what will be needed most.

I don’t at all think we’ll see any shutdowns so if the rain does get bad be prepared for dangerous driving conditions. I know it’s dangerous to drive any time it rains in LA but, you know. The Weather Channel isn’t predicting a TON of rain at the moment (for LA) but, just like our winter/spring this year, be on the look out for flash floods.

And again, this is all JUST IN CASE. It’s better to be prepared than not. SoCal’s infrastructure is not at all prepared to handle a tropical event so who knows! Anything is possible. If I was in Florida I wouldn’t at all be worrying about this but I’m not anymore and our wet winter absolutely fucked our roads in LA so I’d rather everyone be safe than sorry.

I’m sure it’ll all be fine and now you just have more safety information, which is never bad! Because frankly climate change is very real and I would not be surprised to see this happening more and more in the coming years. And it does have me worrying that El Niño this year is going to be worse than we imagined.

[thomaswaynewolf]

[dduane]

While doing some work on what will be the new version of the "welcome" slide on the front page of DD dot com—to which image a lot of pertinent things will be added in the next little while—there's been time for some casual consideration of the perennial question: "What's the protocol on horizontal separation when doing parallel final approach to a two-or-more-active-runway airport with a Middle Kingdoms universe-native dragon?"

Hasai there is formated* with / flying chase on a transiting 747** of KLM's fleet—what the heck, what's one more monarchy among friends? Nobody in Arlene or Darthene airspace would so much as blink an eye—and is about 300 feet off its port wingtip, if I'm any judge of such things.**

...Yet the former pilot currently rummaging around in the kitchen—already being familiar with the specs on the Dragon's wingspread—said suddenly, "I'd really rather one or the other of us was on the next runway beyond the currently empty one. Because what airport's that on the other side of those mountains?"

...Not a question I'd considered, frankly. But bearing in mind how this particular set of streams sometimes crosses—

—the odds are better than even that the airport on the far side (at least sometimes) is KLAX.

So if we pull LAX's Jeppesen plate...

...Hmm. They're as plain as they need to be about the runway lengths, all right, but they're not real forthcoming on how far apart the 6/24 and 7/25 pairs are. (Finally I had to sneak over to Google Maps and try to eyeball the separation, and it looks like about 150-200m on each pair to me.)

"And are the Santa Anas blowing when we land?" the voice mutters. "You know, where you get gusts up to 80 sometimes? And my wingspan's two hundred and twenty feet and change, and his is five hundred and twenty? Mmm, no. He can have 6L/24R all to himself and I'll be coming in on one of the 7s with the rest of the heavies, which he is not one of, thank you very much. And I thought you were going to make tea...?"

(eyeroll) You see what I put up with. Anyway, now I need to go do something about the upholstery on the terrace, and find a flowerpot big enough for passing alien visitors to root in...

*Not a misspelling, but a form of the pilot-speak term "formate": to be in, get into, or maintain a formation with. As in "The Red Arrows showed up formated in their signature 'diamond-nine' configuration."

**Many thanks to @rikraft for pointing out my equipment problem! And yeah, the replacement/genuine 747 has some bizarre bullshit going on with its engine cowlings: the polygons of the basic .obj file are showing through. I'll be having a word with the object maker when I have two spare minutes to rub together... :)

[emperornorton47]

Mount Santiago

[rjzimmerman]

Dozens of Homes Burned in California, as Wildfires Rage in the West. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

Fueled by dry and windy weather, three massive fires in Southern California have now burned dozens of homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee from communities east of Los Angeles.

One of them, in the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles, ballooned by Wednesday morning to 48,000 acres, from a few thousand acres the day before. The blaze, known as the Bridge fire, has destroyed 20 homes in the Mount Baldy area, 13 in the community of Wrightwood and six cabins in rural areas, the chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Anthony Marrone, said at a news conference. An additional 2,500 structures are threatened, Chief Marrone said, and more than 10,000 people have had to evacuate their homes.

“This is currently the largest active fire in the state of California,” he said, adding that the fire was not at all contained and that its cause was still under investigation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has dispatched the National Guard to help with evacuations, and firefighters have been deployed from Northern California as well as from other states to help with the conflagrations.

Another fire, burning since Monday in a rural area of Orange County southeast of Los Angeles, has damaged or destroyed several homes, automobiles and other structures in the El Cariso Village neighborhood of Lake Elsinore, a city in Riverside County. The blaze, known as the Airport fire, grew to more than 22,000 acres as of Wednesday morning and triggered mandatory evacuations and school closures.

“I could see where flames were coming up to my property,” said Joel Pavelka, 55, who lives high up on the ridgeline of the Santa Ana Mountains.

In San Bernardino County, the authorities said they had arrested a 34-year-old contract delivery driver for FedEx as a suspect of arson in the Line fire, which damaged some homes near Running Springs overnight and was still burning on Wednesday near Big Bear Lake. [The Line fire is about 23,000 acres.]

All told, more than 70 large fires were blazing across the United States on Wednesday, mostly in the West, as a severe heat wave blanketed the region. So far this year, fires have torn through almost 7 million acres of land across the country — the largest acreage to have burned by early September since 2018, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.