Went to a wedding last evening.

[MrPeabody]

Beautiful outdoor setting. In the foothills in Mendocino county at a huge vineyard. Acres and acres of grapevines as far as one could see. The thin haze of smoke remaining from the fire that started nearby made it all very surreal.

[MikeB]

Got any pix?

I cannot imagine the pain the fires have caused.

[MrPeabody]

Originally Posted by Touringmike

Got any pix?

I cannot imagine the pain the fires have caused.

No, I don't. The drive over to the wedding was interesting. 15 miles of winding mountain road that the fire only jumped in a few places. So it was burned on the right side of the car and not on the left. One thing that has become evident, grape vineyards make excellent fire breaks, especially at this time of the year when the vines are well watered and green.


Overall, the loss of homes was minimal. so far about 160 homes list. Sad for those people, I'm sure. I know a few of them. But small compared to the 1,200 homes lost three years ago. The reality is the large areas of wildland burned will provide some protection in the coming years against other fires.

Another good thing is that most of the burned homes sat on some acreage where people have horses and other animals. The people that own animals have developed a hell of a network to rescue, evacuate and house and care for the animals and very few were lost. I know one guy that lost his home but his four horses were saved. I've never owned horses, so I guess I don't understand the level of attachment people have to them. In the fire three years ago my dog groomer lost all of her animals, mostly dogs and horses. She committed suicide shortly afterward. I don't know all the reasons, but I'm told the loss of her animals was part of it. Very sad deal.