Vigils in February 2023

[Brian]

Although the weather was just as good as last week, foot and wheel traffic during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil was noticeably lighter.  Unlike last week, no pedestrians approached us to talk or take a photo, but we got more honks, peace signs and waves per capita from the passing vehicles.

Vigil attendance was strong -- 11 regulars came to the corner, just one peacenik shy of our weekly average in January.  Recently I counted every familiar face who participated in a Montrose Peace Vigil in 2022 and came up with the names of 28 people in our ever rotating cast of activists.  This week, in order of appearance:  Anni, me, Roberta, Janice, Jim, Jeanne, Nancy, Justeen, Mike, Mary and Frannie.

As a reminder, we stand on the northwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue near the Vietnam War memorial in Montrose, CA 91020 every Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. without regard to the weather or holidays -- we haven't missed a vigil since January 2006. Please stop by sometime if you can.

Since October 2011, we have printed and displayed every Defense Department news release announcing the deaths of soldiers, Marines, sailors and Airmen in our many ongoing military operations around the world.  About 3,500 troops remain in Iraq.  The Pentagon reported no uniformed U.S. casualties in the previous seven days.

[Brian]

No parking spaces were available on Ocean View Boulevard when Anni and I arrived at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil so we knew we'd have more company on the corner than last week.  With the temperature in the mid 60's, the sidewalks were teeming with pedestrians and frozen yogurt eaters, but they emptied long before we left at 7 p.m.

Twelve regulars participated this week.  Roberta, John the Realtor, Dennis, Janice, Anni and I got there almost simultaneously at 5:30, followed by Jeanne, Terry, Russell, Mike, Nancy and Mary.

In the previous seven days, the Department of Defense reported no military deaths in Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria or in any of the other named U.S. operations underway around the world.

[Brian]

For whatever reason it seemed that more friendly, peaceful people than usual were driving and walking past us during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil.  There were lots of honks of course but most of the gestures were silent:  peace signs and smiles from a driver and passenger rounding the wide corner from Ocean View Boulevard to Honolulu Avenue, the sheriff's deputy who tipped his coffee cup towards Anni's "Thank You 1st Responders" sign while headed west on Honolulu and too many waves and thumbs up to count.  And we always appreciate the pedestrians who thank us for standing for peace every week.

Eleven regulars came to the corner.  In order of appearance:  Anni, me, Roberta, Janice, Dennis, Russell, Jeanne, Bruce, Nancy, Jim and Mary.

The Department of Defense reported no uniformed casualties in the previous seven days.

[Brian]

I'm pulling the waterproof signs from Anni's not waterproof sign bag because all of the weather forecasts say there's a 100 percent chance of precipitation with strong winds all day and all night on Friday.  It promises to be the strongest storm during any Montrose Peace Vigil since February 2011 -- and certainly the coldest, with snow levels as low as 1500 feet possible.

Wednesday afternoon's precursor storm started as a light shower on our house 2000 feet high in Tujunga before it passed with big snowflakes floating around the rain drops.

[Brian]

As predicted, rain has fallen relentlessly, at times heavily, all day and all night and it might not let up until Saturday afternoon. When I got to this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, I set up the signboard pictured at the top of this page on the grass and mud patch where we usually stand. Then I headed for the awning of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf across the street where we last stood in February 2011. Road traffic was scarce, although we got some honks, and there were precious few pedestrians. The building and awning shielded us from the downpour and the northerly winds, neither of which were as strong as our last big rain event 12 years ago.  The sign only blew down twice.

Anni and I arrived at 5:30 followed by Roberta just moments afterwards.  Jim was there with his raincoat and big plastic Ukrainian flag by 5:45, and Frannie stopped by for a few minutes.  With the streets and sidewalks nearly empty and little chance of anybody else coming to the corner, we left at 6:45.  That wasn't unprecedented -- I remember leaving early a couple of times when overflow Covid hospitalizations kept most people home.  Despite the understandably record low turnout this week, overall attendance this month was better than February 2022:

• Feb. 3 - 11
• Feb. 10 - 12
• Feb. 17 - 11
• Feb. 24 - 5

This month's weekly average rounds up to 10 participants, after averaging 12 in January, 11 in December and November, 12 in October, 9 in September, 10 in August, 11 in July, 10 in June, 11 in May, 8 in April, 10 in March and 9 in February 2022.

For the ninth week in a row, no U.S. military deaths were reported.

[Sharon W]

Thank you for standing for peace in the deluge. We got 5.81 inches of rain 2/24 and another .32 since midnight. Unprecedented amounts since we moved up here in 1986. And we just got a flash flood warning on the cell phones.

[Brian]

Thanks for the stats, Sharon!  I love numbers, as you can tell, so it's wonderful to quantify the nonstop rain on Friday and early Saturday morning.  A third of an inch in less than two hours is impressive.

The snow came Saturday afternoon. We're on a west facing slope while the side of your house looks south, but since we're at roughly the same elevation only a few miles apart, I bet you got the flurries of huge snowflakes as well. The subsequent light rain melted the accumulated snow on most surfaces yet about an inch of snow has remained on our cars and cacti for hours.

Just for the hell of it, here's my post about the rain vigil 12 years ago:

Feb 19, 2011 0:54:05 GMT -8 Brian said:

Roberta [who had to be elsewhere] will be proud of us. Although the sidewalks were virtually empty and vehicle traffic was light, Montrose Peace Vigil held the corner from 5:20 to 7 p.m. The official turnout this month so far:

• Feb. 4 - 18
  
• Feb. 11 - 13
  
• Feb. 18 - 7 (rain)
  

Anni arrived under a steady drizzle, so she left Roberta's bag of signs in the car. Jim came without his flag 15 minutes later. I got there at 6:15 and tried to stay in our usual spot with Bruce and Mike -- who brought his waterproof signs -- but the wind destroyed what was left of my old cheap umbrella. So I joined Jim, Anni, Jeanne and Nancy across the street under the Coffee Bean's overhang for the rest of the vigil.

I think it's only rained half a dozen times for the 220-some vigils I've attended. If I had planned better, I wouldn't have driven home with soaked pants and socks. But I'm just a stubborn native Californian who refuses to buy a raincoat.

Some final words about last night's vigil:  As much as I'm grateful for those who attended, at the same time I appreciate those who chose to stay safe at home.  I'm 12 years older than the last time it rained throughout a vigil -- and it just struck me that at 64 I was the youngest regular who showed up.  Our unbroken record of gathering every Friday since 2006 doesn't seem as important anymore.

Watching the Channel 5 news last night, I realized that Anni and I would have been late to the vigil if she hadn't decided to turn left on Foothill Boulevard instead of taking our usual route down Tujunga Canyon.  Around 4 p.m. the driver of a subcompact apparently hydroplaned into the flood control channel next to the golf course.  The road was still closed when we drove home so red brake lights stretched all the way up Lowell Avenue to Foothill.

[Sharon W]

We ended up with 2.13 inches on the 25th with plenty of snow. We've had another .03 inches of rain since midnight. There's still some snow on the ground in our neighborhood this morning.

Our rooftop weather station has lots of stats for you to check out, www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCAGLEND13

There are several other Weather Underground stations including a Tujunga one as you can see from the little map.

[Jeanne]

Feb 25, 2023 0:00:30 GMT -8 Brian said:

As predicted, rain has fallen relentlessly, at times heavily, all day and all night and it might not let up until Saturday afternoon. When I got to this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, I set up the signboard pictured at the top of this page on the grass and mud patch where we usually stand. Then I headed for the awning of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf across the street where we last stood in February 2011. Road traffic was scarce, although we got some honks, and there were precious few pedestrians. The building and awning shielded us from the downpour and the northerly winds, neither of which were as strong as our last big rain event 12 years ago.  The sign only blew down twice.

Anni and I arrived at 5:30 followed by Roberta just moments afterwards.  Jim was there with his raincoat and big plastic Ukrainian flag by 5:45, and Frannie stopped by for a few minutes.  With the streets and sidewalks nearly empty and little chance of anybody else coming to the corner, we left at 6:45.  That wasn't unprecedented -- I remember leaving early a couple of times when overflow Covid hospitalizations kept most people home.  Despite the understandably record low turnout this week, overall attendance this month was better than February 2022:

• Feb. 3 - 11
• Feb. 10 - 12
• Feb. 17 - 11
• Feb. 24 - 5

This month's weekly average rounds up to 10 participants, after averaging 12 in January, 11 in December and November, 12 in October, 9 in September, 10 in August, 11 in July, 10 in June, 11 in May, 8 in April, 10 in March and 9 in February 2022.

For the ninth week in a row, no U.S. military deaths were reported.

Thanks for understanding my need to shelter from the storm, Brian. And kudos to those who braved it.

[anni]

AhhHaa, Jeanne. Bob Dylan said that, too.