Cal Fire

More than 6100 firefighters are battling 11 significant wildfires in California. As firefighters continue to work to contain the current fires more fires continue to start throughout California.

Northern California will be 3-5 degrees above normal today, but relative humidity will be higher than yesterday. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms with limited rainfall, with chance of dry lightning, is expected from the Cascade-Sierra Crest east starting this afternoon, including Eastern Siskiyou County prompting red flag warnings. Moisture will continue to increase late Monday, leading to scattered storms that produce a mixture of wet and dry strikes across our northern and eastern areas starting midday Monday and continuing into the overnight hours. As the moisture increases over the area Monday night through early Wednesday the storms will produce more rainfall, reducing the threat of dry strikes and new fire ignitions. Strong gusty outflow winds are possible with any thunderstorm. Dry southwest flow will return by late Wednesday and continue through the end of the week causing temperatures to rise and relative humidity’s to drop.

Southern California will have scattered showers and thunderstorms over the mountains and deserts this afternoon through Tuesday afternoon. Some shower and thunderstorm activity may also affect the coastal and valley locations of Southern California through Monday night. There will be cooler temperatures into the upper 70s and 80s across the mountains and upper 80s and 90s in the valleys Monday and Tuesday. Minimum humidity will be mainly between 12% and 25% across Central California and above 30% across Southern California today. High pressure will strengthen and expand westward bringing a gradual warming and drying trend to the area Wednesday through the end of this week.

Give your family the best chance of surviving a wildfire by being ready to go and evacuating early. This includes going through pre-evacuation preparation steps (only if time allows) to increase your home’s defenses, as well as creating a Wildfire Action Plan for your family. Being ready to go also means knowing when to evacuate and what to do if you become trapped. For more information visit readyforwildfire.org.

Staff Sgt. Robert Cox

Staff Sgt. Robert Cox from Ventura County was one of 16 people killed last week when a Marine Corps military refueling plane crashed in a soybean field near Itta Bena, Mississippi. The plane was out of Marine Air Refueler Transport Squadron 452 based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York. They were headed to a Navy facility in El Centro, California.

Cox, 28, was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina with the 2nd Marine Rider Battalion. He joined the Marines in 2007 as a reservist at age 18 and deployed overseas four times. He was about to celebrate his tenth anniversary with the Marine Corps this month.

Cox was born in Santa Paula on May 1, 1989, and attended schools in Fillmore, Ventura, and Thousand Oaks. He also attended combat training and communication electronics school and later worked as a radio operator with his unit in December 2008 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He attended Moorpark College, studying Anthropology, and Ventura College in December 2011. He also studied Arabic.

His awards include two Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals, a combat action ribbon, a Marine Corps good conduct medal, an inherent resolve campaign medal; three sea service deployment ribbons, two Afghanistan campaign medals, two Armed Forces reserve medals, an Iraq campaign medal; a global war on terrorism service medal, national defense service medal, Navy meritorious unit commendation, a Navy unit commendation medal, a NATO medal-ISAF Afghanistan and letter of appreciation.

On board at the time of the crash were nine Marines stationed in Newburgh, as well as six Marines and one Navy corpsman stationed in Camp Lejeune.

Those based at Newburgh were: Cpl. Daniel Baldassare, 20; Capt. Sean E. Elliott, 30; Maj. Caine Michael Goyette; Gunnery Sgt. Mark A. Hopkins, 34; Gunnery Sgt. Brendan C. Johnson, 45; Sgt. Julian M. Kevianne, 31; Sgt. Owen Lennon, 26; Cpl. Collin J. Schaaff, 22; and Sgt. Joshua M. Snowden, 31.

Cox, a critical skills operator, Sgt. Chad Jenson, 25; Staff Sgt. William Kundrat, 33; Sgt. Talon Leach, 27; Hospital Corpsman Ryan Lohrey, 30; Sgt. Joseph Murray, 26; and Sgt. Dietrich Schmieman, 26, were based at Camp Lejeune.

Photos by Bob Crum.
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The weekly topic is frequently derived from a reader's question. Such as this weeks topic, “I bought a new camera: Now what?” Now what indeed! Well sir, my normal camera instructional fee is $427.67/hour. But, having just enjoyed a strawberry margarita, I'll discount the 67¢.

Politely said, this column is about photography, not camera instruction. There are too many brands and models. It's OK to dread reading the camera's instruction manual. Instead, YouTube is a great resource. In the search box enter your camera brand and model and voila... a tutorial! CreativeLive.com and Lynda.com are also great resources. They cost some jingle, but a small price to pay for knowing how to operate your camera. I cannot overemphasize the importance of knowing how to operate your camera! Get intimate with it!

Then utilize Psalm ISO 200. Three Wise Elements of the Mighty Trinity of Exposure; Aperture, Shutter Speed and the Holy ISO. Memorize it! It's the escape from the entrapment of “Auto” mode where your photographic creativity is held captive. No more “P” mode shooting.

Also, the three camera modes that will greatly enhance your “creative” photography are Tv (shutter priority), Av, (aperture priority) and the dreaded “manual” mode. Practice! Practice some more!

With summer well underway, another frequent question: “How to take interesting travel photos?” After all, you're going on perhaps a once-in-a-life-time trip to the Antarctic, Machu Picchu or Spistbergan, so certainly you want some magnificent photos. I get that!

First, regardless of where you go... even Albuquerque... PLEASE do not put yourself in every shot! Put a Post-It note on your camera: ONLY two SELFIES per day! Your travel photos will improve exponentially. Believe me!
If the scenery is recognizable, we'll know where you went. Also, posing for a selfie down at the Antarctic and blocking the view of the mermaid sunning on the iceberg behind you is a lousy shot. We only want to see the mermaid!!! Got that?

Besides shooting tons of photos of the abundant scenery and special points of interest, of course it's appropriate to take a few shots of family or friends traveling with you. Note, however, that candid photos of you and/or your traveling companions admiring the landscape, or the mermaids chilling on the icebergs in the background, is usually better than posed photos. Motto: cheesy is sleazy.

If your vacation is taking you to a place with interesting culture, like Mali, Fiji, or the Bahamas, consider shooting photos of the people involved in local events or occupations. This is story telling with photos... photojournalism. However, to avoid spending your vacation in jail, first learn about photo taboos of the locale. Don't ask how I know this!

A gazillion photos have been shot in our nation's national parks. So what? You're there so why not collect your own photos? Secret: Get away from the crowd... hike a little... even brave bushwhacking... find your unique angle of the iconic topography. Remember: Light is paramount! Set the alarm clock for 5 a.m. for scrumptious blue light photos... the light right before sunrise and after sunset. Also, golden hour photography... the time right after sunrise or before sunset should always be considered. BTW, experience dictates that mermaids look stunning during the golden hours. Just sayin'.

Shoot a lot and don't don't delete photos in the camera while shooting. It discombobulates the memory card. Delete at home. Take plenty of extra memory cards and fully-charged batteries. I do not want to hear that just as you were about to shoot the rarely seen freckled mermaid at the Galapagos archipelago... your camera battery died. The mere thought is horrendous!

Happy photoing.

Send comments, suggestions and/or questions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

On Tuesday, July 18, the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) will close one eastbound lane of Highway 126 at Hopper Creek, just west of Piru, overnight to make repairs to a railroad grade crossing. VCTC’s contractor, J.A. Placek Construction Co., will begin installing temporary traffic control devices and light towers at 7 p.m. One eastbound lane of Highway 126 is expected to be fully closed in the area from 8 p.m. on July 18 through 4 a.m. on July 19.

On Wednesday, July 19, VCTC will repair the railroad crossing at Highway 126 just east of the El Dorado Estates neighborhood in Fillmore. This work will also require an overnight closure lane closure. Temporary traffic control devices and light towers will be installed starting at 7 p.m. One eastbound lane of Highway 126 is expected to be fully closed in the area from 8 p.m. on July 19 through 4 a.m. on July 20.

During the closures, eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane. Drivers should expect delays. See map below for location details.

“We will partially close Highway 126 to make needed repairs to the Santa Paula Branch Line,” said Darren Kettle, executive director of VCTC. “By scheduling these closures during nighttime hours, we hope to minimize the inconvenience to motorists and businesses in the 126 corridor while ensuring the railroad crossing remains in safe, working condition.”

The Santa Paula Branch Line, owned by VCTC since 1995, is a stretch of railroad track running from east Ventura through Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru to the Los Angeles County Line. It crosses Highway 126 in two locations between Fillmore and Piru. During the closures on July 18-20, VCTC’s contractor will repair and replace a defective concrete railroad-crossing panel.

About the Ventura County Transportation Commission
The Ventura County Transportation Commission is the regional transportation planning agency committed to keeping Ventura County moving. Program information is available at goventura.org.