Bwaa Haa Haa Haa! Nobody's claiming to be a Repub this morning.

They are all "Libertarians."

Done deal. I am now officially an ex-1039-TEMP at USDA/USFS.

Not their fault. Not my President's fault. Not the fault of the US Senate. Certainly not MY fault.

I'll be posting a whole lot more on this as I digest my bitterness. I try to keep "hate" out of my repertoire, but mercy, mercy, mercy! Turn my cheek to the Tea Party? I think not.

Mac T.
Wilderness Fire Lookout
USFS

Thought USFS-FIRE was exempt from shutdown layoffs? WRONG!

I came down from the mountain today, cold and tired (and sick as a dog) from yet another 5-day shift in the wilderness, to be told that I will most likely be furloughed on Tuesday, if the government is shut down. The Department of Agriculture/USFS has the list drawn up, and most USFS-FIRE 1039-TEMPS are on that list. I am a USFS-FIRE 1039 TEMP.

I'll give the US GOV a couple of days, gratis, in the lookout tower whilst I pack my gear. If I spot a fire, I will report it. I will do what any sane, responsible adult (but not a member of Congress) would do in a bad situation. I'll do my job, clean my workplace, and move out .. all for free.

I will not cheer the un-timely dismissal of some young, brave, seasoned wildland firefighters, also 1039-TEMPS. These are front liners. Some are elite Hotshot crew and smoke-jump crew members. Actually, all are very elite. But certain GOPers cheer this gross dismissal, and do so with whiskey in their guts. These are not front liners, they are REMFS (a term from Vietnam, meaning Rear Echelon Mother Fuckers). May they rot in hell.

And I'll clean the lookout tower it like it has never been cleaned before, on my own time. Why? Because even after the fucking teabagger Congress fires my ass, I'll be the one opening up the wilderness lookout for the 2014 fire season. And that is a promise.

FIRE WEATHER: LAL 3=>4 tonight. LOL! Never happened here! (LAL = Lightning Activity Level)

The "MOTHER-OF-ALL-LIGHTNING-STORMS" never happened here. It did happen in NorCal and other parts of Oregon. So I have NO lightning pics to post. Bummer. Here is a consolation photo (and you saturation purist - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE - shield your eyes):


Oregon Canal System in Deschutes County


BTW: More photos just posted in the Photo Forum
http://www.democraticunderground.com/103620849

A few photos from Oregon (some wilderness, some not)

"Sunrise over an Oregon Canal" (8/21/2013)




"Wooden Ships on Golden Pond" - Kayaks on high Cascade lake (Hosmer)




"Moon over Hosmer Lake" - in the Deschutes NF, Oregon




"C-40 Rendevous with KC-135 for Sip of Gas" - over the lookout last week

Test run for an Atlanta show

I can do two entries:

My faves:

1 -

2 -

3 -

4 -

5 -

6 -

Long, hard, sad week in an Oregon wilderness fire lookout tower.

We were hit very badly Wednesday/Thursday and, then kind of unexpectedly, Friday by badass lightning. Over 3000 strikes, maybe a lot more. At least 100 fires, probably many more, in the Deschutes NF. And a beloved Sisters, OR, firefighter (58 years old) killed fighting a fire near Greenridge as a contract "faller". Falling a snag, I hear - a "widow-maker" as we call them.

The I/A (Initial Attack), smoke jumpers, and helo-rappeller crews have amazed me this week. The Central Oregon dispatchers have become hoarse working the max hours allowable. The helo and fixed wing pilots all deserve DFCs. We lookouts have been on dawn to deep-dark since Wednesday.

I have many photos to choose from, but I'm posting a happy one from tonight. I took this after my boss called and told me to go off duty "early" at 8:00 PM, and go on duty tomorrow at 8:00 AM PDT. A break before the forecast lightning hits again on Tuesday.

A little about this photo. The moiré patterns on the digital negative gave me a clue that the final color JPEG was going to be special. It was a simple shot: sunset through the blinds by the bed on the west side of the lookout, focusing on the detail of the blinds. The moiré patterns did not show in the finished image, but the natural colors were awesome (IMHO). I used a Canon 50mm f1.2 lens with a polarizing filter on a Canon 5D-MK2. The horizontal bamboo strips of the blinds acted as another polarizing filter, thus (physics majors check me on this) the moiré patterns in the digital negatives.

The saturation is natural, so you saturation purists - and you know who you are - please tune out.

Perhaps my best photo effort - ever! "Moonrise over East Butte Lookout"

This was taken tonight from China Hat Butte, two miles from East Butte. Serious relative wilderness (not designated wilderness). Major planning required.

I did a dry run last night. My truck is scratched to hell from the manzanita-choked "road" up China Hat Butte, but what the hell. I constantly looked over my shoulder for mountain lions, which are ubiquitous in the area.

This image is not perfect, but I have about 100 more to sort through.

Looking for fires @ East Butte fire lookout tower

View from the fire lookout tower today