A Stroll Through Annihilation
My home is to the West of Altadena and my office studio is just to the East of the city, so there was no sleeping the night that the Eaton Fire exploded a little over a month ago. Watching the western flank burn from my driveway I was sure it had jumped a freeway and would push into my valley, but by morning we were spared the flames, and a great enclave in Los Angeles paid a terrible price. It was a very diverse, working class community and I hope something like it can be reborn from the ashes. I stayed clear of the area as workers removed electric cars and other toxic waste. We had to evacuate due to the air quality in January, but now that we’re back home we’re trying to support the local businesses in Altadena and Pasadena that are still standing…and still hurting. So last night we tried a local Mexican joint and I picked up some tasty sad-be-gone juice from West Altadena Wine. I parked my car and walked through the neighborhood south of where the fire began. I witnessed a loss almost too terrible to comprehend, and it was a ticket back to the sadness of standing in front of Hiroshima’s Bomb Dome. It hollowed me.
There will be more tragedies like this until we get serious about climate change, and there’s no indication that will happen anytime soon in America. There are some great ways to donate directly to relief efforts listed over here. Garry Brown and I are auctioning off some signed comics and a sketch with our friends at High Horse Comics. Follow them on Instagram and you’ll be forewarned of the charity auction they’re hosting in April when you can bid for a great cause. The above shots were captured on the Leica M11-P with 35mm Summilux glass.
Thanks again for the support. If you’re in Los Angeles, go patronize the businesses near these the scars in the East, and out near the Palisades. These folks are in the “clean slate” club, and could use any support we can offer.
Back to comics tomorrow.
Gerry
Los Angeles, 2.13.25
If you decide to do a photography book on Kickstarter with those images to fundraise, put me down as backer 1.
Beautiful work as always, even amidst the ugliness and loss. It needs to be documented and remembered. Thank you for this.