2025-04-15 11:59:24
Steve Engelmann
Pacific Palisades, California, United States
United States
NOAA-18
It has been over 3 months since the start of the Palisades Fire. I did a satellite capture less than an hour before the beginning of the fire on January 7th. I thought I would return to that location to do another capture. Road closures forced me to change plans. As the satellite was about to rise above the horizon, I found myself in the middle of the residential burn zone of the Palisades. With few trees standing, and even fewer homes, the skyline was favorable for a clear view of the sky. I found a convenient wall from a burned property to place my laptop. Several cars slowed during the pass giving me suspicious looks. Who is this man with an antenna in the middle of all the destruction? One car lingered for several minutes - I feel I was being filmed. Meanwhile, we live in the chaos of tarrifs, the deportation of students with political views, the defunding of universities and the promise to increase domestic energy (fossil fuel) production. Later that day I attended a press conference at City Hall promoting the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025. The odds are long, but the effort is important.
2023-08-20 08:34:30
Steve Engelmann
Pacific Palisades, California, United States
United States
NOAA-15
Standing on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean you could feel the anticipation. Light rain had started and the winds of the incoming storm were beginning. Over 50 years I have spent many hours looking out, working through dilemmas, contemplating, searching for perspective. Today was like no other. Hilary had been down graded to a tropical storm by the morning. She tracked east of Los Angeles and ended up closing down Death Valley with historic floods.