today kathy and i went to the studio to pick up my paintings. i have to hang a show thursday night at bard hall in north park.......(the first unitarian universalist church. i will be showing with long time artist chuck macpherson. I also have a day show and sale at a home in La Mesa this Saturday during the second annual Historical Home tour. so it was important to go get my paintings this weekend).
cough, cough, cough...it is still so smokey and what a horror to see the gutted homes, just off hyway 15. i have lived in san diego since birth (except for the 3 years i lived in england during the early 1980's)i have seen 3 big fires now. this one, 2003 and 1968.
during the fire of 1968, my dad bravely went on our wood shingled roof to water down our home in lemon grove that edged on spring valley...my mom didn't want him up there, but knew he had to do it.
it was evening....i still have a vision of him on the roof, his figure silhouetted against the orange raging mountain. the pepper tree next to our house instantaneously caught fire from drifting hot ash from san miguel mountain. the same san miguel mountain that was burning earlier this week. my eyes nearly bugged out of my head to see that. i screamed.....to look out. my dad being very brave and calm for our benefit told me there was really nothing to worry about it was only a maverick spark causing the tree fire. i was thinking our wood shingle roof was a worrisome problem. my mom, normally a woman of steel nerves was semi- hysterical and shouted to us to get in the house that minute. i was frozen....i didnt know if i should go in the house that could burst into flame like the tree i just witnessed or stay outside to help my dad if he needed me and possibly risk my clothes catching fire... it was a big scarry thing for me, well, for everyone. i finally chose to go on in the house rather than risk getting the back of my head slapped by my mom.
luckily a couple of hours later, the fire department had it all under control.
that was a dilly.
but not like the real dillys we have had lately. if my folks were alive for either of these new millinium fires...well, it would have killed them.
5 comments:
Hey Lisa, I hate to be the history/memory police but if I'm not mistaken the big fire from long ago was called the Laguna/Kitchen creek fire and it took place in late Sept./early Oct, 1970. I remember that date because I was on the roof with your dad watering the wooden shingles after surfing most of the day at sunset cliffs. and yeah I remember the pepper tree catching fire because that was where I parked the old ford when I came to visit. : ) Love your stories!!
ps I'm just got home from working with our line crews who are turning the lights back on...a very long day! good night.
well crappy-dapppy - you are right........
OK "ramona" - i guess everyone now knows you were my high school boyfriend. heavy sigh - those were the days.
shoot i think i might have to start painting our history!
"ramona" you have worked very hard these past 10 days or so.....i hope you feel you can take some time off and relax.
Thank you Lisa for the nice words. My crews and I are committed to working 7 days a week until ALL of the lights are on. As you can see by the time stamp we are working some long hours but when this thing is over and everyone is back in power I think a couple of days of martini madness, key lime or pear, are in order.
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