Hey I finally have something to start a topic with. You probably already know that Mt. Redoubt has been erupting for almost a week, but it's been so overcast, we couldn't watch it and all the ash went north and west of here. But we have ash today and it's cleared off enough so you can see the plume. Wish it was crystal clear so I could get a picture. I went out to fill the bird feeder, figured they'd need clean seeds and it smells like sulfur, it's almost as gritty as sandpaper. DH hasn't come home from work yet, it can be rough on engines. I should have put my car in the garage, I wonder if it will wreck the finish.Ninil - I was thinking of you, I just had an ADN breaking news come in saying Homer was reporting ash and the Kenai Peninsula was blanketed and closed to air traffic, so I was wondering about you. Alaska Airlines cancelled everything too. Isn't it the start of herring season and they need to get to Prince William Sound? I was in the big dump in Homer and found ash in the corner of closets and windows for years afterward. Not fun. All I can remember was putting panty hose over something in the engine to keep the ash out and everybody using panty hose in their cars. LOL Stay safe, you have a whole Inlet between you and the volcano. It was a funny blow up, it all dropped in about 30 minutes and now it's crystal clear, but I have to figure out what to do about the car, it should be washed off. It's real gritty and the news said it would scratch the windshield if you ran the wipers. Our outdoor hose is shut off for the winter and I don't want to carry water out there and throw it on the car. DH came home and said they had run a carwash down at the school, oh thanks for thinking of me.I guess you're in Alaska!!! YOu didn't say.I was living in Northern Oregon when Mt St Helens errupted. I was in 6th grade so I didn't have to worry about things like car finishes and air quality. I believe we got a good 12in of ash, which was very cool because school was cancelled for a week. For months and months afterwards big piles of ash sat on the side of every road everywhere. I don't remember what became of all the ash, but it was quite a mess!Mr brother in Anchorage called and it was just a light dusting, and its headline news - geez. Wait until 8 inches drops on you in ten seconds. Ninil - hope you and your car are okay. That was a good idea about a mask for awhile.