Firefighter Blog

not counted in your tally was the destruction of the mt. calvary monastery in santa barbara, a precious spiritual and cultural oasis/resource.

i wonder how many other 'not a home but it still matters' structures were destroyed in these fires
 

I apologize for that oversight. I also skipped over the losses felt by each and every homeowner.

The cold facts are only a fraction of the real story.
I am sorry for the loss of the Mt Calvary Monastery.

Monasteries dodging fire was a constant theme this summer, both at Tassajara and the Hermitage in Big Sur.

Mt. Clavary Monastery sadly had a different ending.
 

wasnt carping at you, mike. simply
it astonishes me that the loss of that amazing sacred space, a place so loved and so well-used by so many people over the decades --- hasnt been paid much attention to in the tallies of what was lost in the fires.

and yes, it is odd that tassajara and the hermitage survived --- yet
mt. calvary, in a much more suburban setting (where you'd think
it would be easier to throw resources at it) --- did not.

i have heard that cdf had wanted to
do controlled burns near there for years, but folks didnt want it.
very short-sighted NIMBY, if this
is true...
 

Mostly a bunch of Obama supporters.

Why should you or I even care?
 

Monkey, politics shouldn't matter and FWIW Orange County is a majority conservative.
 

The statistics tell one story, but as you know so well, Mike, there are so many other stories. The Tea fire was started by a bunch of college kids having a bonfire. When they left, the next morning, they thought they had it well out. Sadly, that was not the case. I haven't heard the cause of the Sayre of the Freeway fires, yet.

And I think it was the Freeway Fire (or maybe the Sayre?) in which two homeowners were severely burned getting out of their house.

So many stories. My brother lost his house, and everything he owned except his animals in the Ramona Fire a year ago. Financially, he is doing well, due to insurance and disaster relief. He is rebuilding and is happy about that. What I mourn is the loss of 40 years of his art work.

Maybe, some day, Mike, you will collect some of the many, many fire stories and publish them on your blog.

And to Montana Hose Monkey, we care because we are human. I don't wish ill will to those who disagree with me. I wouldn't want ANYONE to lose their homes, regardless of their politics, religion, sexual orientation, or any other beliefs.
 

I wish you had nothing to blog about, but since we have wildfires, I'm glad to have discovered your blog.

Just a minor quibble, though, I think you meant YORBA Linda, not Loma Linda for the Freeway Complex Fire. In Loma Linda, we didn't even get smoke.
 

Thank you Elderbear, thank you for pointing that out.
One has a famous hospital, the other a famous library.
I goofed, thanks again!
 

Mike, Orange County couldn't even deliver a majority of the vote for McCain and they elected a damned Democrat to the House with 69% of the vote.

You may think they're "majority conservative", but they're a bunch of closet Liberals.

Let 'em burn, it'll be a better state without 'em