The Mayor and the Falcon

     The Mayor was on a Southern California inspection trip this time last week to view the damage of the Thomas Fire in the vic. of the city of Thousand Oaks and the city of Malibu.  We drove south on Highway 101, the north/south artery that reaches the coast around Santa Barbara.  We drove through Thousand Oaks and could view the extensive damage from the freeway where the fire jumped across 6 lanes of the roadway, roaring across the asphalt before consuming parts of the landscape.  The blackened hills are a testimony to the scorched earth that remains aftyer being swept by the wind-driven flames.  Many structures were spared, no doubt because of the easy access by fire personnel mounted on their engines and tanker trucks.  Seeing is believing when it comes to fire.  No smoke was visible as the fires have been subdued and contained for over a week.
       While in the neighborhood, we decided to visit the town of Los Olivos(the olives).  The small, quaint town maintains a country flavor given its modern connotation as a vineyard growing area that produces fine varieties of grapes.  As we drove on Highway 154 north from Santa Barbara, we climbed over San Marcos Pass.  Driving along, we noticed a bright object seemingly stuck in the northern sky.  Driving at about 50 mph, we could see that it was slowly climbing into the morning sky.  Whatever it was, it had a blazing tail.  The Mayor then realized that a missile must have just been launched from Vandenberg AF Base in nearby Lompoc/Point Conception.  Within seconds, a white plume of smoke could be easily seen, confirming the assumption that a space vehicle had been launched.  The smoke dissipated, and the bright flash disappeared from view.  Turning on the news, we learned that this was a Space X launch, the 19th of the year.  This missile carried 64 satellites of various types.  The booster rocket was successfully retrieved , marking a record 3rd recovery for this particular rocket.  Elon MUsk was delighted to say the least.  This sight was a pleasant surprise and was in sharp contrast to the fire blackened country side found farther south in Thousand Oaks.  Many contributors added satellites to the capsule, including the company PLANET of San Francisco.  More about that later.