Well, as I have written previously here, one of my favorite places is Big Sur, California. This year has been one of the driest on record for California, and it's really showing in the forests out there!
Cold and dry here too BigSur. We got forest permits to cut our own Christmas trees, as usual. Picked a nice one for grandma, brought it home and put the stump in a bucket of water but by the time we were ready to bring it in, the needles were dry and brittle. It was so dry we didn't dare use it.
We've discussed these forest fires a lot on this forum but the cold springs and dry summers will cause a lot more fires next year if we don't get more moisture.
That is very sad. A friend of mine has not been back to his home state in years and the way it is going there might not be much left. We have had a ton of rain dumped on us lately and if I could send it out west I surely would.