June 30, 2011

White Dog and the rest of the White Dog Army have been nervously watching the wildfire burning through nearly 145 square miles of incredibly dry forest land that we frequent for picnics and hiking. It is a favorite spot for us on the 4th of July weekend because of its quiet serenity and gentle beauty.

The fire also burned through moisture-rich aspen trees above Los Alamos, allowing the fire to push into a canyon that descends from that mountain into town and runs past the old Manhattan Project site, where the first atomic bomb was developed during World War II. Native sacred lands have been disturbed as well.

Residents of Los Alamos, evacuated earlier in the week, won’t be allowed back home until Monday at the earliest. “I guess we will be staying home this year,” White Dog sadly shared with her siblings, Nuka, Puff and YoYoMa, who were looking forward to their first Independence Day picnic in the area.

Crews have contained only 3 percent of the fire. They were bracing for 40 mph gusts as spot fires continued to pop up Thursday afternoon.

About an acre of lab property has burned, raising concerns about possible contamination from radioactive material stored or buried on lab grounds. As a precaution, the government sent a plane equipped with radiation monitors over the lab. Experts on nuclear engineering are confident that the blaze will not scatter radioactive material. Our pups join those who are not quite so certain.

Our area is dry as kindling and ripe for more wildfire rampages. The White Dog Army jumps in panic every time they hear the premature sound of illegal neighborhood fireworks. They fear the untended campfires as families head into the wilderness to enjoy the extended weekend. They pray that our seasonal winds hold off long enough for firefighters to gain a foothold.

White Dog’s friend, Take Abe, who lives in Tokyo and who is still struggling with basic survival resulting from his country’s tsunami, earthquakes and ensuing nuclear nightmare, sent us a message of concern for our safety and prayers for an end to the destruction. We thank him and all of our blogging family for their positive energy, woos to the Universe, and kind thoughts.