hell fire

Welcome to California in the summertime.

However, this year, things are getting ugly. This photo was yesterday's sunrise. Taken from my front porch, roughly 80 miles as the crow flies east of the fires. It's raining ash. The afternoon looks somewhat post apocolyptic with dark gray skies, "snowing" in the middle of August, lungs stopping half full and when forced to breathe deep, slowly expand in a burst of pain. Every year when the fires come, we get a few days of "incredible sunsets" and in fact, a view of the hot orange sun straight on filtered by the thick smoke. What is making this year so bad? People.

People who can't get enough information via the news, so they decide to clog roads and take a photo op of their own, making the fire fighters struggle to get around them.

People who are asked to evacuate and always seem to want to stay and fight 100 foot flames with a $24.00 garden hose.

My son has fought those 100 foot flames. He has risked his life to go back into the mouth of hell to pluck a homeowner out of the impending destruction. He has had to choose between letting 5 homes burn or save one stubborn man who refuses to leave. Life always takes precedence, so they go save the one guy and take the heat for 'abandoning the neighborhood' later. He has huddled with his brothers and watched as some of them died on the line in defense of structures and personal property.

If you have been alive since the 70's you have absolutely no excuse for not being prepared.

If you live in an area that has growth, -brush, weeds, or trees- clear your defensible space yearly. If the guys in the white SUVs tell you to prepare for evacuation: PREPARE. When they tell you to go: GO. Do not think that the fire fighters are trying to be the hero, the big shot, the know-it-all authorities and/or that you can beat it yourself. They DO know. They don't just sit around the fire house doing sit ups, they have graduated from Fire Science Academies, they have degrees. They practise daily and excersize every scenario to learn more every day. They understand wind, and heat, and tornados made of flame. They know how fire works, what fuels it, what stops it, and what they cannot stop but must let burn on its' own.

Fire Fighters are a unique breed of people. They love community. They love to serve. They feel their "job" isn't a career, it's a lifestyle, a calling that -even after they retire- they will live each day. Vacations, days off, time spent with family is always looked forward to, however, when the phone rings they will leave a new bride, new babies, dying parents, and RUN to save a stranger's property willingly.

This week two Fire Fighters lost their lives trying to save property. I don't know their names, but I know them. I know how they lived their lives and what kind of people they were.

And I cried like I was thier mother.

Satan is in the front yard, and he's on fire.

I have been really busy the past few days; anyone else??? Yeah, well I have slacked on my everyday writing bloggity goodness. (o.k. usually just a daily update on my mundane life) Anywho, I got to thinking, What would be a good post about Christmas? Mulling over Christmas memories I came back to this one...enjoy.

A few years ago, well more like 20, we had a group of "Sister" Missionaries. It was so fun to have 6 ladies in our area who were serving the Lord. They all lived in this tiny apartment on a busy street, a duplex actually, shared with an elderly couple who owned the property.

We had become close to the Sisters, invited them to dinner, went out on "splits" with them and generally tried to be helpful. When Christmas came around we naturally felt they deserved some special considerations. Thor and I bought them a little Christmas tree and then I dug through my treasures and came up with a rather large box of Christmas ornaments.

Not just any ornaments, the ones from my childhood. Who else would treat them so nicely? Who else would appreciate the sentimentality of such a box? All the ornaments I made as a little kid and as a young woman, and a few that my own kids had made...all hand made and all the ones that you treasure. Sister Missionaries deserved my best, so I wrapped them up and took them over to the apartment.

They were so appreciative. They could hardly believe that we gave them the tree and means to decorate it. They had such a great time that night, took photos, and showed it off to the next door neighbors. For about two weeks they looked forward to coming home after a long day and seeing the pretty lights and glittered goodies. All until one night.

We were awakened by a call at 3 something o'clock in the morning by a local police officer. He wanted to inform us that our tree and ornaments had been in a fire and destroyed. We were so panicked! We envisioned the tiny duplex in flames and all the occupants fleeing into the freezing night air. Not so. The officer explained that all the tenants were safe and that except for the tree and a bit of the front yard all was well and we could in get the details in the morning.

We drove over first thing to see if everyone was fine and found the Sisters in a tizzy. It seemed that one of the Sisters had been having visions for quite sometime, visions she had kept to herself until that night. Jesus had come to her and informed her that Satan lived in the Christmas tree and needed to be destroyed. So she made a plan. She would wake up in the middle of the night when all others were asleep, take the entire tree to the front yard and set it on fire without hesitation. And so it was.

By the time the fire department arrived the tree was cremated and the yard beginning to take on the flames. All was put out and the sisters asked to file a report. (o.k. now, in my head, I am trying to see what it would have looked like for anyone on that busy street, even at 2:00 a.m., to drive by and see that tree in flames! What a sight! Holy Cow!)

In the end the poor visionary sister was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and sent home for treatment. The other sisters were assigned a new companion, and they went on to serve great missions. But I am sure they, as we, will remember the year that Satan lived in a Christmas tree!



Now, lest anyone feel that I am mocking or making fun of a mental illness, no. Please don't go there. We actually have family members who suffer (and I mean that in the most serious tone possible- suffer) with this illness. It is not fun, it's tragic. That said, the situation was kind of funny. Frankly, it was devastating at the time to lose all of our most precious ornaments, ones that were irreplaceable, but when you think about it, what a way to go and I can and do laugh about it now!

Boy gets hit by Fire Truck!

pinata
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Today was the family surprise party for #1 given by his wife at their home. After a fine lunch, chatting, stories and a dip in the pool we all headed out side to watch the babies take a whack at the fire truck pinata.

There's just something odd about this tradition that I will never understand. Blindfold a bunch of little kids. Spin them until they are dizzy. Give them a hard bat of some kind. Allow them to whack away at anything they can find!

The three little ones involved today topped out at 3, 2 and 18 months. The tool of destruction was a rather small broom handle and if the truth be told, most of the whacking came from daddies.

This picture is my grand baby, the middle of pecking order for age, but the only BOY! You could tell he knew what to do with that broom handle. He gave a few good whacks, but not much happened. I love this picture because it looks as if he has managed to whack the pinata right over his head and onto his body. Not really so, just perfectly in front of his body making a pretty good photo illusion.

It cracks me up every time I look at it.

He's Hot!

fire fighter
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

As of September 18 our #1 is an official Fire Fighter! He has gone through the riggers and tests and has earned the right to remove the green "rookie" tape he had to wear on his helmet during probation.

His Captain and crew at the "Big House" threw him a terrific surprise party, complete with amazing barbecue and a tour of the fire house. Just before we were to sit down and enjoy dinner the call rang out and #1 and his crew were in the engine and off to a traffic collision. The Cap' invited his wife along for the ride and to see her hubby in action, which was pretty cool. The rest of us stayed behind and soon we were all digging into fabulous fire house food!

The evening culminated with the removal of the green tape, a small speech and presentation of a plaque, and the "top honour"- the handing over of a remote for the t.v. and being allowed to actually sit in the t.v. room. It didn't last long and they were off to another call.

Here's to the new guy in the Big House! Congratulations, we sure are proud of you!

Coit Tower, San Francisco

Coit Tower, San Fran., CA
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Lillie Hitchcock Coit was a little girl when she was playing with friends in an abandoned building. The building took fire and she was rescued by volunteer fire fighters. Later in her youth as she was walking home from school she saw the Knickerbocker Engine no.5 struggling to get up those infamous hills to yet another fire. Dropping her school books she ran to their aide and yelled at others standing in the street to help the volunteers. Lillie was hooked. She loved the firemen in their uniforms, but more so for their heroic efforts time and again.

Going to the links will give you plenty of history and more information on the tower itself, so much so that yesterday's blog went into cyber space never to be seen again! That said, there are stories of Lillie abandoning her hubby at the alter to run after Engine no.5 still dressed in her dress and veil! After hubby died at age 47 Lillie went to France and entertained the likes of Napoleon all the while her heart still with those Knickerbockers. When she died at age 86 she left one third of her vast fortune to San Francisco and asked that it "be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved." (The other two thirds of her fortune went to the Universities of California and Maryland - nice gal!)

Controversy and politics were the order of the day and after all the dust settled the city decided upon what we have currently up on Telegraph Hill. The tower itself rises some 212 feet giving the folks inside a 360 degree perspective of the city. After a $3.00 ticket purchase on the main floor, one rides the elevator. 20 or so more steps spiral you out into the open air.

View from the top of Coit Tower, San Fran.,CA
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

This is one of the photos I took. So many structures! So much concrete, steel, and asphalt that finding any green is near to impossible. Like a Where's Waldo? game.

Find the green and you win! There are spots here and there, but it is always amazing to me how the buildings are on top of each other. There are actual places in this city that only get a few moments of direct sunlight each day because the buildings are so high and built so close. Until I spent time wandering around the neighborhoods, I didn't notice how most of the city homes are actually one huge building with connecting/shared walls; (Victorian Houses)

with facades that are painted and designed to resemble individual houses. It is a hard concept for a gal from SoCAL where in my (lower middle class) neighborhood everyone is required to have at least 1/2 acre per single residence. I look at my "tiny" back yard differently now. Across the street from our hotel we saw that most of the housing had a penthouse suite and that roof access was often used to provide an outdoor patio, sunroom, or even gardens. While standing perched atop Coit Tower it is interesting to see what the different neighborhoods use this space for. We saw the afore mentioned, but also solariums, shuffle board and tennis courts, and even a school playground!

From this vantage point one can see Alcatraz, Lombard Street, ChinaTown, Fisherman's Wharf, the TransAmerica Building, and both the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay Bridge, among other landmarks.

Here is a link to the Virtual Museum on line where you can click and point your way through many of the sights and history for yourself! This is a video documentary of events leading up to, during and shortly after the 1906 earthquake. Have fun, take a tour, enjoy!