Awesome!! I have not seen anything like that on the news so far. I'd love to see one of those planes and I'd especially like to see one heading over my house if I were in the fires. The fires are truly frightning and growing all the time. I can't believe some idiots didn't evacuate when told and are now asking to be evacuated. Too late, buddy. My son is flying out to visit my brother and his brother (aka my older son) next week. He flies into San Diego but will be driving through LA (along the coast) up to Ventura. I know they have some mountain biking planned but not in those mountains! Thanks for posting, Sharon. I'll have to watch the videos later from home. The flying Mounties to the rescue! I guess they will fill up at a lake closer to the fires rather than fly down filled with water? Hmm, I wonder.

Thank you for your kind comments. Yes this time of the year here is full of colour rather than being drab. And another beautiful plant that grows everywhere, covering fences and carport roofs is the pyrostegia or flame vine, with orange flowers that bloom brightly all winter. Here's one covering a neighbour's garage roof. Gina you should be able to grow poinsettias in your climate. I'm not sure of the temperature range they need but they grow like weeds here. I once used some tall poinsettia stalks that we had pruned down in February one year as support stakes for tomatoes I was growing. Darned if the stakes didn't take root themselves and created a little grove of poinsettias growing in our back yard. And they're still there, now about 10 feet tall. Beachlily I will take some new photos of Bibi, who is truly beautiful now that she had put on weight. I think she is allergic to beef, or at least cat food containing beef as she was unable to keep it down. Now I give her only fish and chicken and she's not been sick since, so she's rounding out. SharonCb

Lars it seems there is no one chart which describes the temperatures accurately here as there is such a difference from one end of the island to another. The south is much warmer and Santa Cruz - the capital city about a half hour drive from here on the east coast - has another temperature range again. Here's the official temps for Santa Cruz from the Spanish Office of the Environment: Coldest month Dec....mean temperature is 66.2 F. (19C) Warmest month Aug.....mean temp is 77F. (25C) Yearly mean temp is 70.16 F. (21.2C) That's taken from a study 1971 to 2000. Another range of temperatures comes from the north airport - Los Rodeos, and still another from the top of the volcano area. Sufficient to say that it's shirtsleeve weather during the day most of the year - except when it rains, or if you're hiking up on top of the mountain when there's snow LOL. One of my ex-work colleagues in Ibiza lived for years in Costa Rica and her sons now live permanently in San Jose. She told many stories of her interesting life there. One of my cousin's sons has also settled somewhere in Costa Rica. I hear many Canadians have retired there because of the beautiful climate and peaceful life. Lars if you like hiking then this is hikers' paradise. Our German friends love coming here and spending many days climbing all around the ravines and the volcanic area. There are many hiking groups here which organize and transport folks with buses to the main starting points for hikes from the easiest to those reserved for experienced alpine climbers. It is a common daily sight to see people walking around wearing German hiking shoes, shorts, walking poles and knapsacks. They will have just come off a bus after having been somewhere up in the mountains. The large older crater area at the base of the volcano is called "Las Cañadas" and it has an amazing lunar-like landscape, part of which was used in filming the original Planet of the Apes. You can see plenty of images of that on this Google image link. Teide is the name of the volcano. There was a cable car which ran nearly to the top which may still be in operation. My brother once took it and walked right up to the existing crater where it was hot, and the air was thin. Another beautiful hike is to the mountain hamlet of Masca. (Click to enlarge the photo at top left corner.) There the roads are so steep that I am nervous even driving in a car. There's a very steep hike from there down to the sea, where a small boat will pick up the hikers, but it's really for only the most experienced mountain climbers. Needless to say I haven't done that myself but I love to see the photos LOL. Ilisa I think everyone is feeling the cold right now even in Europe. A friend just e-mailed me that it's -0.4F in Munich, Germany right now ! Guess I shouldn't complain when I have to wear an extra sweater at night ! SharonCb

Nancy, Marigene has posted more or less the method used here to make them. The main difference is that there is a special potato used here for those 'papas arrugadas'...wrinkled potatoes, called 'papas bonitas' And they grow....get this....only here in the Canary Islands or in the Andes mountains. But you can make do with some of the smallest potatoes you can find and follow that method to get a similar type of result. Unfortunately they won't have that special flavour. But after you buy your plane tickets to here and are settled in the island, I promise I'll take to you to places that do them best! But don't come this week because it's pouring down rain and the heaviest downpours I've seen here! SharonCb