Saturday, July 20, 2013
Another lesson I learned from this fire is the title of this blog. Burning grass produces white smoke and the trees, black smoke. I am surprised by the information gathered when confronted with a new, though harrowing experience.
Just last week, I had just been reading a blog written by a Montana resident who had been through a fire just over a year ago. ("Go West" Feral Woman) I used much of the information garnered from her blog to be able to suggest proactive actions for Jojo and Cathie to consider.
Many situations were much like Feral's. Others were even worse for them. They had livestock and family pets to consider. And they had to drive their vehicles THROUGH the a grass field fire to safety!
The tree pruning and shrub removal completed. But the cabin was not out of danger and Jojo wanted to remain until she felt confident that the cabin would be safe.
In order to keep our hands and minds busy Saturday, we decided to do some "normal" upkeep of the exterior and interior of the cabin.
Jojo power washed the exterior of the cabin and the deck. What a huge job! The cabin, deck, spindles and railing, all had to be carefully washed. Since the interior furnishings were in one huge pile, we asked ourselves why not dig in and do a deep clean before returning everything to it's proper place? Lingering in the back of my mind I was concerned that our actions would be wasted if the cabin burned to the ground. Keeping our hands and minds occupied as the ash and embers were falling was good therapy.
As the threat seemed to be lessening, we began to have some visitors.
This was my first sighting of a Stellar Jay. What beautiful, huge, bossy bird!
House Wrens joined the jay at the feeder and the Humming Birds began to arrive. It felt like, just maybe, things were getting back to normal.
We so appreciated all the bulletins The Town Crier published numerous times each day. Between The Town Crier, the General Manager of the Pine Cove Water District, Jerry Holldber, the fire officials at the little market were either Jojo or Cathie went for food each day, we were aware of the fire's progress and what was anticipated.
The rest of today's photos were not taken by me, but photographers from The Town Crier. I just want you all to see the spirit of the community and the tremendous job that everyone was doing.
These photos and all the information are taken from the Idyllwild newspaper,The Town Crier. The information that they published daily was astonishing.
Chris Tota, a full-time resident of Idyllwild had to follow the mandatory evacuation orders. Wanting to do something positive for the community, he appeared at the Dana Point Harbor marina with his guitar and played for donations to go to the victims of the Idyllwild fire. He collected $79.00 in the short time he was there.
Feeding over three thousand fire personnel was a huge task,
In line for food. Photos by J.P. Crumrine
A kitchen in a trailer. They cook for thousands of firefighters.
Portable sinks for washing hands before eating.
It sure takes many, many people to support a fire campaign.
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The fire administration offices.
Until next time,
God bless!
We are doing "just fine" without the water pump. Gallon jugs of water are meeting every need. Dishes are washed, we are clean and the toilet is flushed, what more can we ask for. This situation reminds us of our first experiences tent camping with our children. But back then, we had to deal with flies, mosquitoes and June bugs.
In June, while picking up the wood for Jojo and Cathie's pergola, I noticed a huge number of birds flying around the fascia of the Home Depot. It turns out that Capistrano has nothing over Home depot. Hundreds of nests were lined, high up near the top of the building. 
Jojo also grows veggies in her back yard. She decided to let this artichoke blossom. It produces a stunning blossom.
