Wildfire update

Still burning away, still way too close to my home, still causing sleepless nights and stressful days.

This is how this fire thing has been going. As the winds die down at night, the firefighters gain considerable control over the fires. Serious control, like 80-90% contained. Then a new day dawns and the winds pick up, change direction a bit, and the fiend is off again burning in a new direction and threatening more people. The skies are dark with smoke. Large black plumes rise from new areas of burn, turning whiter as water hits the fire. One area dies down and another springs to life. The entire city can now smell the smoke, even 50-60 miles away.

The evacuation center was located between us and the fire and that made me feel a wee bit safe. Then last night they moved it to a spot past our house. We are now in between the fire and the safe zone. No, NOT safe. The evacuation center is crammed full tonight. Not even a single parking spot left. People who had been allowed to go home were evacuated again today as the fire flared up in the same areas.

The hardest part is the lack of reliable news. Where is it burning, which way is it moving, who is in the direct line of fire? There is no info making it to us that gives us that info. You would think that would be important so we would be prepared to evacuate! But no, no news, no details. I fully expect a knock on the door and a bullhorn blaring from the street in the middle of the night and we will have mere minutes to load up and get out. We are ready, as ready as we can be. Still, it would be so nice to have advance warning......

If you don't hear from me in the next 48 hours, we have evacuated. We will be safe and sound. All physical belongings can be replaced. Our lives and our family will be intact. That's all that matters.