So it's taken me a few days to post these, but here are some photos I took as we drove down I-5 on Saturday. The Digier Canyon fire threatened some homes, but didn't burn any. It burned around Fort Tejon.

At first, we thought it smelled good, like a campfire. But after we got through it, the stench stayed in the car all the way to the beach. We had to roll down the windows for a while to air out. It sure was stinky!

When I was a kid, I was a master saleswoman. I sold Girl Scout cookies door to door. I sold wrapping paper, magazine subscriptions and holiday gifts for school fundraisers, also door to door. I had a daily paper route, for which I road my bike around my neighborhood and expertly threw papers onto people's DOORSTEPS — even second floor apartment balconies.

What happened to those times? Now, kids send order forms to work with their parents, who set it on the break room counter and hope people sign up to buy something. The newspaper now comes flying out of a car window as the car sends pollutants into the air.

Mind you, I am happy with getting my newspaper delivered to my home. But why can't it be a kid on a bike earning some extra bucks for summer camp?

Working as a child taught me about responsibility, work ethic, respect, and how to make and budget my own money. But now it's "not safe" to send kids out to sell door to door. They might get robbed! Or kidnapped! Or hurt!

Now kids just sit at home watching TV and playing video games bought by mommy and daddy's hard work. What is up with this picture?!

(Sorry to vent ... )