Funny. I just had a dream thay my uncle gave me a blockbuster gift card for christmas and i thought about this thread. I need to spend less time on here.
Yeah, it is sort of, little pockets of disaster in the area. When the Santa Ana winds came up, it was too noisy in the marina for comfort. so my friend came for Ojai and we went back to Ojai, watching another old flix, when the lights went out. We got the word it was a fire, but miles away, no biggy. So sacked out for the night. Next morning, yesterday, still no power, but managed to make some coffee. Several neighbors stopped by while we were having coffee to check on my old friend, they all know he lives alone now, as his wife passed about eight years back. Then the neighbor started tell us, they were leaving, time to for us to consider the option. My ears picked up and I took a hard look at the surroundings as best I could from a neighborhood full of Live oaks and Palm trees. Then I saw smoke billows real close, less than 1000 yards away. Then I notice the orange flicker under one. Al! It's time to pack a bag! We headed out before the roads get jammed. We were heading to his grand kids place in Santa Maria, when he turn around and head back. Shit! What do I do now with Al?? Then I spotted fire to South, then to the East, then on the mountain sides to the North. Al!, your valley is surrounded, that other road out to the North maybe run over anytime now! We turned around again. Then he thought, well we don't have to go to Santa Maria, how about your boat? I said, lets go! But it will be noisy as hell there with 40 50 mile wind ripping through the rigging in the Marina, but we can do it. Spent most of the day in the boat, dancing around on it's tethers, listening to poorly tuned string instruments play the Santa Ana. Checking the news on the internet and listing to the radio for a clue as to what happened to Ojai. About 4:00 pm it sounded pretty good, so he had to go check to see if he still had a house or even a village. So off we went. Got stopped at several places but he knows the country so he always had another route. Most of the hill sides and what ever was on them is burned up now, from Ventura to Ojai at least, but Ojai is still there with only a few builds burned. Al's house is ok, but no power. I got back to the boat about 9:00 this morning, fires are still burning here and there but no wind and that leaves the smoke in a thick blanket. But I think they are through the worst of it.
Damn! The winds up again, the fire up and running again. I am with the boat but they are recommending leaving Ojai again. Al says he is going to huncker down and wait for until the last minute.
