(no subject)
Being a Southern Californian, I suppose that comes with a certain tendency toward stubborness. We may not get hurricanes or tornadoes that tear through neighborhoods and rip your livelihoods apart.
We live with earthquakes and wild fires.
I've been through at least 7 wildfires myself and this one really isn't anything new. The routine is always the same. I am sitting in Ramona right now. Two fires have come nearly a mile from my house on three sides. There's still two large fires west and northwest of me. Equally, my 71 year old dad is sitting in Dulzura on the other side of the county and the fire came right up to his fenceline and circled his home. He hid out so that the police couldn't force him out. We're the ones that turn on the sprinklers and set up on the roof so we can see and stand our ground.
It was thick with smoke and ash and the winds up here stayed pretty high. Average 50 mph and frequent gusts up to 80mph that would slam into you hard enough to make you stumble. Even the park toward the north end of town has been charred and burned.
We stayed up the whole night watching and waiting just in case the fire decided to carreen straight through town. When I finally got cell reception this morning a friend called and wanted to know how things were since he knew that I'd most likely wait it out. He said that he expected that I was sitting on my roof with a water hose and giving the fire the finger. :P
He joked that that's how you know a true east county denizen...because in an evacuation they are the ones who are still standing in their yards bar-b-queing with a bandana tied around their face, a beer in one hand...and a hose in the other.
I thought this was especially amusing...because though Dug was the one with the hose...I gotta admit I was the one with the wet bandana and I did suggest firing up the bar-b-que at about 1am when I got hungry. XD I refrained from cracking open a beer, though. I'd already had a couple kahluas earlier in the evening and I figured I should be able to drive if need be. ^_^;
But I think I'll crack one open now. :D
We live with earthquakes and wild fires.
I've been through at least 7 wildfires myself and this one really isn't anything new. The routine is always the same. I am sitting in Ramona right now. Two fires have come nearly a mile from my house on three sides. There's still two large fires west and northwest of me. Equally, my 71 year old dad is sitting in Dulzura on the other side of the county and the fire came right up to his fenceline and circled his home. He hid out so that the police couldn't force him out. We're the ones that turn on the sprinklers and set up on the roof so we can see and stand our ground.
It was thick with smoke and ash and the winds up here stayed pretty high. Average 50 mph and frequent gusts up to 80mph that would slam into you hard enough to make you stumble. Even the park toward the north end of town has been charred and burned.
We stayed up the whole night watching and waiting just in case the fire decided to carreen straight through town. When I finally got cell reception this morning a friend called and wanted to know how things were since he knew that I'd most likely wait it out. He said that he expected that I was sitting on my roof with a water hose and giving the fire the finger. :P
He joked that that's how you know a true east county denizen...because in an evacuation they are the ones who are still standing in their yards bar-b-queing with a bandana tied around their face, a beer in one hand...and a hose in the other.
I thought this was especially amusing...because though Dug was the one with the hose...I gotta admit I was the one with the wet bandana and I did suggest firing up the bar-b-que at about 1am when I got hungry. XD I refrained from cracking open a beer, though. I'd already had a couple kahluas earlier in the evening and I figured I should be able to drive if need be. ^_^;
But I think I'll crack one open now. :D