To the right, the sky is an eerie shade of pink and orange. To the left, a huge plume of black smoke funnels up, spreading a gray mass across the otherwise clear sky.

And I didn't have my "real camera," only my cameraphone.

Earlier today I was at a luncheon discussing the "smart grid" and various methods of generating electricity. Ironically enough, mere hours later, the gym's power went off. And stayed off. Soon we heard the refinery was on fire. The one not so far away.

The view from outside was astounding, and even more so when I pulled over my car to get a better look. I really wish I could have captured the scene in its full glory; the flames were impressive. The boys jockied for position, but I warned them that we should leave rather than breathe in the compromised air. The very slow-moving traffic lasted for awhile during the first portion of our trek back home, but we fortunately flew through the rest of our route and we are now safely back at home, breathing fresh air.

Nothing like a little fire-action to end the day! (Of course, supervised fire leaping is A-OK.)

(Best wishes to those currently caught in the traffic jam, who are experiencing respiratory problems, or who are among the reported 3500+ without power - thank you PG&E for already restoring around 13K customers' power.)