July Update

I'm sitting in the library after work, here in the Napa Valley. The "Camp" fire destroyed all the phone lines at the homestead, so we don't even have dial up there. I do have an order in to the wireless folks to set up an account, but things move quite slowly in the country. The attitude is: "We'll get around to it within a few weeks". Live Slow People would be proud.

We did manage to get the new bamboo floor in (with help from my friend Scot, who made the trip from Iowa just in time to visit the smoldering, smokey Concow Cabin the night we were officially let back in). The floor looks great!

We got a propane tank put in (tis hard to have propane delivered to a residence that still has stumps burning in the vicinity). I was happy to get the refrigerator working (Ed Abbey called the fridge one of the few decent modern inventions--after finally having a few fresh meals, I concur!).

We've spent much time just making the place livable. We put in a solar shower. I discovered that the best source of hot water is about 100 feet of garden hose, lying in the sun for a few hours.

Many neighbors have dropped by for hours of idle conversation. A few want to save our souls. Others are just lonely living in the sticks, and welcome the opportunity to meet the new couple with the large stack of strawbales on their property. By the way, the bales didn't burn...

It's still smokey at the cabin. It has reduced our solar array's input to the batteries in half. In addition, one of the batteries fried (they are ten years old), so I ordered a bunch of new ones. They will be put in next week. Gel---maintenance free, so that I can't screw them up.

I will be posting scads of photos of the fire and recent additions and events when I once again have Internet privileges.

I had dinner last night with my friend GG at Bouchon in Yountville. This place is owned by the guy who runs "The French Laundry" (and is just down the block from there). Anthony Bourdain calls the French Laundry the "best restaurant in the world". The Bouchon didn't live up to such lofty expectations (well, maybe the tab did). Gus and I had lamb and treated ourselves to a nice bottle of red, French wine. We discussed Joni and my post and beam plans, and GG has kindly accepted an offer to help me build the additions... along with a work crew of his.

GG is a man of many talents: RN of twenty years; a large scale grower of an agricultural crop that some say has "medicinal uses" for some Berkeley clubs (we disagree on this subject); he also builds "off grid" green houses for the production of the same crop---along with designing other alternative buildings. A renaissance man of sorts. Jack of all trades.

The plan is to cut the wood in the next couple of weeks and get the post and beam up, along with the roof. That way Joni and I can take our time constructing the strawbale walls and applying the mud.

But then again, as this move has taught me over and over again: "If you want to make God laugh, tell Her your plans".

Be advised that AT and T stopped my other e-mail account. It's back to the AOL one, should you need to contact me: Allan361@aol.com

Here's to St. Francis and Buddha!!

Joni and I managed to slip by all the road closures and security today and visited our homestead. Our little portion of the Ridge had six houses burn. Seven houses survived.

Ours was one of the survivors.

The valiant Fire Fighters pretty much bulldozed our whole parcel. Around the house. Around the battery shed. Around another shed. And around Joni's friendly little converted camper bus.

Nothing burned. There was a fair amount of ash and cinders about. And while we were up there, the stumps of trees were smoldering.

The fire came to the edge of our property and there it stopped. Maybe there is power in our little Buddha and St. Francis statues I left behind to guard the place. Three parcels were left untouched. My next door neighbor (about fifty yards) and our neighbor kiddy corner to us. The others around us burned. Forty five percent of the properties.

As it is, except for a bit of new bulldozer tracks...and a large bit of bulldozed front yard, our property comes out pretty much unscathed.

We were lucky.

The Ridge Burned...

Just got news that the"Camp" fire has burned through my address at the Solar Compound. No word yet if any structures survived the fire. No word as to when we will be allowed to see the damage for ourselves. Crud.

Joni and I did manage to get a hotel last night. So we slept in the mediocre splendor of the Days Inn. During the day we spend it at the Red Cross shelter, visiting our dog and cat. I haven't visited the mice yet.

Grumpy people at the shelter. They have started to staff the place with a permanent Sheriff's presence. Many of the evacuated folks are hardy hillbilly types. They are becoming increasingly agitated at the lack of news. From looking around the place, you would think that there was a convention of depressed ZZ Top impersonators at the shelter.

But we are treated well by the cherubic Red Cross workers. My insurance company has already sent me a check. My work assures me that I can take as much time off as I want; I will still have a job awaiting me. The girls are with their Mother in the Bay Area for a couple of weeks.

One fatality so far. A Concow resident was found dead in their burned residence. Tis best to heed the evacuation notices.

Plans? Everything is insured. The solar. The house. Contents. So, if the place did burn, we will have a Yurt delivered. Set it up quickly. And rebuild a brand new strawbale house.

Anybody care for a S'more?

Living in a shelter

I have four minutes and forty seconds to add an entry.

Joni and I are living in a Red Cross shelter. We were evacuated from the "Camp" fire at 5:30 am two days ago. The fire line is currently on our property. I'm told there are five fire trucks from Los Angeles, with bull dozers, which are protecting the property.

Our new puppy is at our shelter. As is our cat. We also evacuated our two mice (which I felt quite foolish about) as Kylie and Jazmine looked at me like I was Mengele when I wanted to leave them at the house.

We had time to grab a box of photos, some documents and a few books. We also had a few changes of clothes already packed.

The Red Cross is amazing. Good food. Interesting folks all about. I shall post a report sometime when I can add photos and a story or two...

Be Blessed Everyone....