Hey guys, I'm not sure if you have heard about the California wildfires that have been raging out here on the west coast, but they are hitting very close to home right now. Literally. The Big Sur fire is currently knocking on our back door. It's about four miles away as the crow flies, but it has a lot of mountains and hilly terrain to tear through before we are in an evacuation status. The bummer is it's only 10% contained right now. We packed our grab and go bag tonight and got a few important items to pass off to my inlaws for safekeeping in case the house does go up. It's amazing how much stuff we have accumulated over the last eleven years and yet so little is of any real importance when it comes to something like this. My grandma's ring that I used as my engagement ring, Rob's grandpa's that he used for his. Old pictures that were taken before the digital age. All of our expensive electronics can be replaced, as can our DVD collection, our clothes, all the things we *had* have at the time that we bought them (don't get me started on my shoes!). It really puts things in perspective. Anyhoo, there have been a lot of people effected by this fire and the other ones that are raging elsewhere in the state and country. I'm just putting this post out there so that if a person happens to read it, they can offer up a quick thought, prayer, vibe, spell, affirmation...whatever it is that you do or believe in, for the people that have already lost their homes. For the firefighters that are risking their lives to keep us safe and for any other old positive thing you want to put out there in the universe. There is not much a lot of us can do at a time like this, but I think the power of positivity can make a difference. Thanks!!
I'm sorry to hear that the fire is so close to your house, and I will definitely say a prayer for you and everyone else who is being affected. You are absolutely right that most of what we have is, in the end, just "stuff". What really matters are our loved ones, and as long as they're okay everything else will work out. Stay safe, and please let us know how you are doing when you are able.
Thanks Sura. We are staying put at the moment and since we packed up our stuff, it is business as usual tonight. Rob is practicing his guitar for the upcoming play and I am scouring the trip reports trying to distract myself. It's a wait and see game, but the bags will be in the car and we are lucky that my husband gets to bring the dogs to work everyday so they are in no danger of being left in the house in case of evacuation. :-D I will keep you guys posted.
Yikes! I had to look at a map. I had no idea it was so close to civilization. The news gave me the impression it was "Big Sur" which is such a huge area, most of it without a lot of people. I used to live near there and love that area. Hate to think about it burning. I'll be keeping you and yours in my thoughts. Stay safe. We have talked about what we would take in an emergency. I was surprised how easy it was to narrow it down to a car trunk full. Dan focused on practical things like the laptops, the external backup drives, the important papers, etc. I went with the sentimental, irreplaceable stuff like old photo albums, some handmade things like 3 generations of quilts (mom, grandma and great-grandma) and a few other little things that mean nothing to anyone but me that could never be replaced. Us, the fur kids, and enough clothes and pet supplies to get us through. The rest is all just stuff.
Will keep you in thoughts and prayers. My husband has been after me for a while to get a bag ready to go -- he calls it a bug out bag. He is a semi prepper. He also always keeps a case of water in his truck.
Thanks Sonya. Yeah, there is a lot of remote areas up there but also a lot of homes. Last I heard there were 34 structures destroyed since it started last Friday. It's a beautiful area and a lot of people go there to vacation and camp. It's sad. Thank you Val. How funny, my husband calls it a bug out bag too!!! There will be relief money in different forms I'm sure after the fire is contained, I'm sure. Right now we have been declared a state of emergency and all government funds are being used to fight the fire. I have heard that some hotels around the area have opened their doors with free rooms for the firefighters and the victims currently. There is a great sense of community in this area because this isn't our first rodeo with a wildfire. There are many donation sites set up. The most recent is a gofund me account for the family of the first casualty of the firefight. It was started with a goal of $16,000 12 hours ago and is currently sitting at $35,700. I know that doesn't bring him back but the generosity made me tear up. We are still at home with no call for evacuations here or immediately around us, so that is good. They usually put up their update of the day around 7 or 8PM. As of this morning it was still only 10% contained but it didn't grow nearly as fast as it did the previous nights, probably because we finally got some fog. The air is really thick with smoke where we are and there is an air quality warning, but I'll take that over an evacuation any day. I'll keep you posted. Oh, and here is a picture of the smoke in our backyard on Sunday afternoon. It was downright spooky. While I was waiting for the pic to upload Cal Fire updated their site. We are now 15% contained! It's not much, but I'll take it!!!!!
man, we drove right through there last August on our honeymoon. that stretch of coastline made such an impact on the both of us, reading this chokes me up a bit. hope you and your family are safe.
Thanks Lionel. It is a gorgeous piece of landscape. We were at 15% contained last update, it's only 5 more percent, but I am not going to argue with that. Once the smoke clears (literally), I may post some donation sites to help out the people that have been displaced.
Just wrote this blog on the wildfires. Since I wrote it we jumped from 18 to 25% contained!!!! That is huge at this point!! http://cvkelz.com/?p=1839