The night of November 30th/ December 1st, Monrovia was hit with the Santa Ana's. That's not too uncommon. It happens several times a year. On occasion there is even enough wind to make the power go out and a few branches fall from trees. I remember around Christmas time when I was little, we were at a Christmas party at my mom's coworkers house. Her house overlooked the San Gabriel Valley. The night was perfectly clear and we could see the lights glimmering all the way to the other side if the valley. I remember that as the festivities were going on, I kept going back to the window to see the Christmas lights cast the shadows of chaotically blowing leaves onto the streets and houses around them. That night I sat with my mom and watched the trees blow through the Living Room window. The winds howled and the only sleeping I did was in bed with my parents. Back then, the wind terrified me. Now, I LOVE it!
So, when the Santa Ana's surprised me that night, I actually enjoyed hearing the howling down the chimney, the trickle of the leaves across the cement outside my bedroom window, and the occasional rumble of an overturned trashcan. I didn't sleep well, but I was resigned to the fact that there was nothing I could do about it. Little did I know, that when I woke the next morning (to no power- no surprise), that the San Gabriel Valley had been hit with hurricane force winds and the whole valley was a complete disaster. Tree after tree had been snapped in half. Dozens of cars, in just my city, had been smashed. You could hardly navigate the roads because of all the debris. Every street, every park was affected. The whole valley was at a standstill for two days- school canceled, work canceled, restaurants closed, no electricity. In fact, I had some students who were out of electricity for a whole week. It was quite a sight to see.
I should have gone out and taken pictures. I didn't. Since school was canceled and I had some free time on my hands, I did do a nice 6 mile run with some girls I work with- the Santa Fe Running Club. They all dropped off their kids at my house with my parents and Erik, while we all went for a run and grabbed some lunch. Cairo, Jonah, and Xander (whose school was also closed) included, there were 8 kids, ages 5 years to 5 months. They had a grand time running in and out of the house, helping to pick up the leaves, playing in the sandbox, and just enjoying all the shenanigans that come along with a herd of kids.
