i was already fast asleep by one o'clock last night (which technically was today already) and about to enter some magical dreamy realm when the bloody fire alarm went off. despite my unit being on the 22nd floor, i always brush off this fire alarm, unless i smell smoke. so i went to my bedroom window and looked out, to see if there was any fire below me or above me. it was a full minute before i heard the distant sound of the sirens, and a full seven minutes when the first fire truck pulled up the driveway. the firemen were not in a hurry going towards the building so i thought well, someone must've pulled a nasty prank and played with the fire alarm.
then looking out the usual daytime view, i noted that there was a fog descending on the city. and when i looked down again on the driveway, i noticed a whip of "fog". now there is something rather mysterious with fog. it's like flying, when the plane gets up into the clouds and you feel like you're going to heaven -- flying is a wonderful thing, one of man's best inventions, ever. (now, that is no longer how i would feel about flying because of COVID-19.) so i thought i'd open my window and smell the fog. holy shit! it wasn't fog i was looking at, it was smoke! now it's time to not panic but prepare for what might happen.
voice came on the speaker saying there's no fire, but smoke detected in the 15th floor, seven floors or so below me in the unit line west of mine but that we should remain in our units. so i went about changing to street clothes, pants preferably, my shoulder purse has my credentials and credit cards. i was in a quandary which laptop i should take if ever, the one i use for my 365 or the one i use for work. you made a good bet on which one i thought i should take. then i threw the portable drive with all my photos into the laptop bag, too. do i take a camera? which one? i placed the olympus beside the laptop on the table. then i did some stretching exercises. 🤣 well, better use the time wisely, non?
but heck, it was taking a long time and the alarm went off again. either i stay in my bedroom or go out to the balcony. i opted for the balcony (no more smell of smoke) and took some photos. might as well, yes? three shots and that was all. nothing else to see but five firetrucks, some of the tenants who opted to go down the stairs and gawked and complained. after a few minutes, i went back in, washed my hands and went back to bed. when i woke up at 8, all was right with the world.
and i got a shot for week 37 of the 52-week challenge: "From Dusk to Dawn: (no sunrises or sunsets) - images should be captured from the time the sun disappears below the horizon at night to just before it reappears in the morning."
also for the current technique challenge, the technique is 'perspective'.
You make me nervous for you just reading this, but I understand. We’ve had fires all around, evacuations in nearby places, but other than casually discussing putting together a go bag, we didn’t.
well thats a story and a half. I do like your thought processes and am sure you packed the right things in that rehearsal. The night time picture looks greats with the lights of the support vehicles.
Oh my. It took me a few seconds to realize what I was looking at. What a scary thing to be so high up and have a fire alarm go off. You can tell I'm not used to living above the 2nd floor.
I like that you have a plan and you didn't panic but got dressed just in case. Man that's a long walk down but better then walking up. Glad you were able to get back to sleep, I probably would have been up the rest of the night . Oh and love the POV and lines of your capture.
This story is just as good as waking up at 5 AM to the sound of firetrucks across the street at the neighbor's house who forgot to open the flue of their wood stove and filled their home with smoke. Great story- great shot! Although I would have been up for good after all that prep work.
October 8th, 2020
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I love that you opted for monochrome. And the perspective is awesome. I would faint.