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My last blog post was September 12. So…six weeks ago. More than six weeks actually, which seems impossible. Just last week I was driving back to California from Oregon, right?

Nope. I just double checked…apparently it is truly the end of October. A ton has happened since I last wrote. I’ve started a new job. Lived in a new city. Thrown myself into the hustle-and-bustle, always-on-the-go lifestyle of a work week. Started acclimating to the San Francisco energy of fast-work-breaks-and-now-back-to-projects, the go-go-go approach.

Balanced that mentality by moving to the hills. Been spending my off hours emphasizing the “off” — off the grid, out of cell phone range, away from a lot of wifi. I wake up to foggy mornings and turkeys crowding the driveway. Have seen foxes, skunks, deer and hawks daily. Hiked local mountains and reminded myself of why I love this region.

Meanwhile, California has been burning to a crisp. North of the Bay Area was devastated by fires that started in the deepest parts of night, and grew impossibly fast, fueled by rare windstorms. Even forty miles away from the main fires, the first morning of smoke was so thick it woke me from deep, 4am-and-dead-to-the-world sleep. I have family throughout that area, so…cue ten days of harrowing phone calls and constant concern in the back of the mind.

Through good luck and unexpected miracles, nobody I know lost their lives or their properties…but it was a close call. Too close for comfort in some cases. Lots of rethinking and prioritizing in the wake of near-misses. Mental work that is a work in progress, as it should be.

Meanwhile, enjoy a few random pics from the past few weeks. Including a few sneak previews of the annual Olson sibling holiday card photo shoot.

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