From OCD to MIA!

 Earl's Neighbor

 House Gone

 Melted Aluminum

 Earl's Neighbor

 Earl's Neighbor's gun safe

 Paradise roadside memorial to the 85 who lost their lives.

 Earl's Neighbor's burned up RV

Earl's Uninsured neighbor

It has been a long time since I wrote in the blog. Darla and I are really busy with some groups that we are in and it actually has been a bit of a relief to back away from a weekly blog after 18 years of keeping it. The above pictures are from our trip to Paradise in January. The fires were terrible and the loss of life and property overwhelming. On our visit, I chose to see the good. The houses still standing, the signs of hope, the grass beginning to grow in the burned out landscape, the stores that have reopened for the few residents who remain. Earl and Frances are blessed to have survived and their house is still standing. He lost his tools, garage, boat and his fencing. The fencing has already been replaced and he has received a check for the loss of his property. It is a little eerie as they are the only home on the block with someone living there. There were a total of 9 homes on their block and 5 are still standing, although 6 of those have damage from the fire. It is bizarre to see the houses gone and the fence still standing, like at the property of the neighbor who was uninsured. He borrowed the money from his father in law to buy the house and then chose not to insure it. He lost his house and cars, shop and everything. His father in law lost his investment and likely his respect for his bonehead son in law, who happens to be a sheriff in Chico. I would like to have been a fly on the wall at their Thanksgiving dinner.

Earl and Francis' home was truly saved by the hand of God. They literally had the fire burn all the way up to within about four feet of their house and then the wind blew the fire the other way. It burned the fence line right up to their gate which is attached to the house. The gate never started on fire and the house never did either. The home next door had some fire that hit the side of their house, but then it went out. That neighbor is an employee of PG&E. You can see the picture of Daniel holding the melted aluminum. It is the remnants of his neighbor's aluminum wheels on his RV. David took it and hung it on the wall in his office. Strange child.

We had a nice visit with Earl and Francis. They are still pretty shook over what happened and the sights that they saw as they waited in their RV with 125 other people for nine hours waiting to be evacuated. The firefighters built a fire break around the parking lot that they were sitting in and let them leave as soon as the fire had moved down the mountain. They saw and heard trees literally exploding as the fire raged all around them.

 They are back in the house and drinking bottled water. The water is back on but has levels of MIB and Geosmin that although it is safe, leave a dirt taste to the water. Tests show that those levels are safe for most states, but not California. The water district will shift their supply from the Magalia basin to Paradise Lake in April and they will begin ingesting the water then. They are using it to bathe and wash dishes and other areas of the house (toilets, etc.), but using bottled water to drink.

I have pictures from my trips to Phoenix and Pebble Beach and will add those this weekend. Dad and Shirley said they miss the blog, so I will try to be a little more current on my updates. Ciao for now.