Carstens Fire Memories

   The fire started the afternoon of June 16, 2013.  We'd just barely moved into our digs on Triangle Rd. In the middle of that night a sheriff's car pulled up by our front door and a deputy gave us the news that a fire was headed our way and we should evacuate. What a welcome to the neighborhood! A little more conversation convinced us that the fire wasn't THAT close and we could safely stay at least until morning.
     In the morning we learned from the internet of the Carstens Fire, which started in Midpines and was burning Southeast towards Buckingham Mountain. We live at its Western foot, and can look up to its  ridge and peak behind our place. Google Maps shows it to be about a mile away from us. Over the next few days it looked and felt a lot closer than that.
     We packed up some basic stuff to evacuate with and watched the smoke grow closer. We  understood the fire to be burning on the other side of Buckingham, but the winds up here shift throughout the day so it was impossible to know which way it was headed. We both agreed, though, that we would leave if we saw flames at the ridge.
     I'd guess it was three days later we were out in the yard watching the smoke filling the sky behind the mountain, fulminating in turbulent clouds of brown and orange.
Them we saw the first tongues of fire at the ridge, lighting up whole Doug Fir trees in an instant, and flames shooting a hundred feet into the air. Believe me, that's not something you EVER want to see up the hill from your house!

Hurriedly, we gathered Zane, piled into our Chevy Van and drove away. We retreated to the Friedland's ranch in Catheys Valley, where Melina used to live - but it is all a blur to me after that. I don't remember what we did or how long we were there. On June 20th all evacuation orders were lifted, so we must have returned home by then. The Carstens Fire incident was considered closed on June 26. A few weeks later, a neighbor of ours who flies sent us the photo below of the backside of Bucking ham Mountain. It made me realize how lucky we were that the fire didn't burn our way. As you can see, nothing on the East side of the mountain was left in its wake.

Sunday Morning

For Melina,
on this day, June 24, 2018

Coffee cups in hand,
We sat on the tailgate of our car,
you and I—if there is such a thing—
contemplating and experiencing the morning,
a morning favored this time of year
faintly cool, and carrying hints
of the heat to come.
It was like all times,
a time of grace,
but breaking its unanimous peace
I mentioned that I could imagine Jesus
walking up the driveway to join us
in this place, in this grace, as a man,
but with one difference:
that this grace did not stumble or falter in his person,
but passed cleanly through, unhindered,
to then radiate even greater from himself,
unlike we provisional and imperfect beings,
where it is choked and clouded.
...
Nonetheless, we all bathed in it, that cool holy water
of the morning of this day,
and enjoyed it deeply,
merging, for a few precious,  sweet,
and evanescent moments
with eternity.

Snowy Morning, 2/23/18

Friday morning we awoke to snow. We consider it an exciting event because this winter we haven't had any snow and only little rain (at least compared to last year). We live in an area that needs water, so rain or snow is welcomed ANYTIME. Here are some photos I took as soon as we could get outside:

 

Always dazzled first off by the all the white and blue. Gorgeous!

Before much else happens the ducks need to be released so they can be fed and watered. This particular morning Melina is carrying buckets of hot water to de-ice their water pans (the faucet at their pen is undoubtedly frozen).

This is the first winter for the six newer runners, and they were a bit nervous about all the white stuff just outside their door. Melina had to coax them out by offering handfuls of cooked rice (they will do just about anything for cooked rice).

The snow caught in the lilacs forms rune-like images - tough to decode.

The old '34 truck suffers the snow like everything else on the property. Since it spent the first 75  years of it's existence mostly down in the Santa Clara Valley, in Mariposa town, and the Sacramento River delta, it hasn't seen much snow - only the last four years up here on Triangle Road.

Is snow on cactus the same thing as an oxymoron?

The quince bloomed very early this year, perhaps anticipating an early Spring. The snow caught it by surprise.

The little windmill in the front yard ain't goin' anywhere for a while...

Zane loves the snow and uses any excuse (voles, mice, possum?) to stick is snout in it.

Our gate sign (sez "Staal" by the way) gets a mantle of snow.

Melina showcases the magical white world surrounding our home.

Guess I can't use these today, they've got snow on them. Dang!

Oops!
(Part of the thrill of snow (I;m being a little sarcastic here) is going out to discover what fell down, broke, or what was left out, exposed, or accidentally uncovered - it's always something. I have not yet visited the upper acres to see if the snow load broke any tree branches up there - nothing on the lower half, yay!)

Zane hunts the perimeter of our fig "orchard." Can;t wait to see it leaf out this year.

Another lilac rune...
More snow predicted for later tomorrow (Monday). Yes!