one last photo before we said goodbye to mom's home,
click on photo to go to my flickr page
10.30.2007
Right before we left
more on the fires....
here is the video i took off of one of my balconies during the fires....this is about an hour after we evacuated my mom. it was SO windy! sorry for the choppy video. each time the wind blew, my whole body was blown around. there were several times that i was blown off balance unloading things from to and from the cars.
10.26.2007
can i get an...oooh yeeeaaah.....
time off...relaxation....sleep...pure and beautiful boredom. who could ask for more? sean and i are headed to the mountains this weekend for some much needed time off. **fingers crossed for no fires**
heard on the radio this morning that we are not due to have the same air quaility issues that we had last time around from the fires *whee!*
...oh yeah, it's because it all blew out over the ocean towards orange county. and is now blowing back in over orange county.
heard on the radio this morning that we are not due to have the same air quaility issues that we had last time around from the fires *whee!*
...oh yeah, it's because it all blew out over the ocean towards orange county. and is now blowing back in over orange county.
10.21.2007
The anatomy of a fire
as a regular authority on fires around here, as this is our fourth evacuation, i decided to document the incident on camera this time as much as time allowed. so, here are some of the photos that I took over the hours, from the wind blowing at the outset, to the smoke rolling in, to minutes before my mom was officially kicked out of her home as the fires crested over the hill toward her. they are not super great since i had to take them from inside of the car due to the smoke and ash...but you get the point.
i have tried to tell sean (this is his first fire) that there is no fear like the fear of a fast approaching fire. the most scared i have ever been in my life was the very first time that we had a fire, shortly after we moved here. i was in seventh grade and home alone for part of the time. my mom arrived home and we began gathering a few things up (i had gotten the pictures gathered up but that was it). then, in the blink of an eye, as my mom is talking to my hysterical sister about the few things she can't live without, the fire turned and it was across the street. in total chaos and panic, with police yelling into our home and threatening to arrest us, i screamed to my mom that we need to leave. we heave the animals into the car, grab some dirty clothes (really random i know), forget the pictures and things we have packed, and head down the hill--bird seed, bird poop, and feathers flying all over the car from when i threw the bird cage into the car on its side--cat hissing--dog barking. we drive through the flames, passed police car after police car, fire truck after fire truck, throwing water onto the flames so that we can get out safely. scariest day of my life.
knowing what i know now, we were so lucky our car didn't stall, the firefighters were there, or worse. now a days, it seems that no matter how much we prepare, they can't seem to get a handle on them. the reverse 911 system is great-for those that have a landline anyway. kendra and i dont, so we didn't get our call (we were prepared anyway though). the news seemed to be reporting on every other area but ours and we had no idea where the fire line was at any given moment. it was total chaos. all that being said, they have learned valuable lessons from earlier fires by getting people out hours in advance so that they have time to get out without too much smoke or flames and everyone has time to get through the horrible traffic jams. many people spent hours in traffic before they got out. the evacuation centers were awesome with eveything anyone could need and more--except for the own home of course--including massages, free concerts, great food. They really did that right.
since the first fire, i have wised up and insist (as does mom) in getting packed at the first hint of a fire. for some reason she is in this weird area that acts like a wind tunnel and sucks the flames up the side of the mountain where she lives E.V.E.R.Y. time. --tired of it--
my mom has finally decided to think about moving....i know i am tired of schleping all of her stuff in and out all the time, the stress, the worry....now we wait for the real estate market to recover.
let's hope this is it for a while and we can get her moved before the next one hits. four times safe. how much more luck could there be?
--video to follow next time
VIEW FROM MY CONDO AS THE FIRE APPROACHES
DIFFERENT VIEW FROM MY CONDO AS THE FIRE APPROACHES
AS WE EVACUATE, A VIEW TOWARDS THE HILLS AS THE FIRE CRESTS THE CLOSEST HILL TOWARDS THE HOUSE--look at the reflection fo the flames off of the smoke!
PREPARING THE YARD FOR EVACUATION
i have tried to tell sean (this is his first fire) that there is no fear like the fear of a fast approaching fire. the most scared i have ever been in my life was the very first time that we had a fire, shortly after we moved here. i was in seventh grade and home alone for part of the time. my mom arrived home and we began gathering a few things up (i had gotten the pictures gathered up but that was it). then, in the blink of an eye, as my mom is talking to my hysterical sister about the few things she can't live without, the fire turned and it was across the street. in total chaos and panic, with police yelling into our home and threatening to arrest us, i screamed to my mom that we need to leave. we heave the animals into the car, grab some dirty clothes (really random i know), forget the pictures and things we have packed, and head down the hill--bird seed, bird poop, and feathers flying all over the car from when i threw the bird cage into the car on its side--cat hissing--dog barking. we drive through the flames, passed police car after police car, fire truck after fire truck, throwing water onto the flames so that we can get out safely. scariest day of my life.
knowing what i know now, we were so lucky our car didn't stall, the firefighters were there, or worse. now a days, it seems that no matter how much we prepare, they can't seem to get a handle on them. the reverse 911 system is great-for those that have a landline anyway. kendra and i dont, so we didn't get our call (we were prepared anyway though). the news seemed to be reporting on every other area but ours and we had no idea where the fire line was at any given moment. it was total chaos. all that being said, they have learned valuable lessons from earlier fires by getting people out hours in advance so that they have time to get out without too much smoke or flames and everyone has time to get through the horrible traffic jams. many people spent hours in traffic before they got out. the evacuation centers were awesome with eveything anyone could need and more--except for the own home of course--including massages, free concerts, great food. They really did that right.
since the first fire, i have wised up and insist (as does mom) in getting packed at the first hint of a fire. for some reason she is in this weird area that acts like a wind tunnel and sucks the flames up the side of the mountain where she lives E.V.E.R.Y. time. --tired of it--
my mom has finally decided to think about moving....i know i am tired of schleping all of her stuff in and out all the time, the stress, the worry....now we wait for the real estate market to recover.
let's hope this is it for a while and we can get her moved before the next one hits. four times safe. how much more luck could there be?
--video to follow next time
VIEW FROM MY CONDO AS THE FIRE APPROACHES
DIFFERENT VIEW FROM MY CONDO AS THE FIRE APPROACHES
AS WE EVACUATE, A VIEW TOWARDS THE HILLS AS THE FIRE CRESTS THE CLOSEST HILL TOWARDS THE HOUSE--look at the reflection fo the flames off of the smoke!
PREPARING THE YARD FOR EVACUATION
10.12.2007
10.09.2007
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