Well there we were, all settled down in Carmel, when I saw another fire yesterday, as I came out of Safeway, with a six-pack of wine and the fixings for a chicken dinner.  It was at Ford Ord, 26 miles away, and its progress was stopped by suppertime, when it had burned only 31.5 acres. Never thought I’d be using “only” in that sentence, but when upwards of 200,000 acres went up in Napa and Sonoma…

We had a lovely last dinner with Candy and Ernie, who left for Hawaii this morning.  I did not sleep too well, for worrying, but otherwise, we are very comfortable at Candy and Ernie’s house, where there was a huge fire close by last year, so it doesn’t have much to feed on.

Here’s a bit of news from the Lodge:  Bill Allen was part of the layman group of two, early Monday morning, and able to identify our chicken coop to be saved.  They thought it was for storage.  Not sure about the bees. Advised firemen of our rear building vegetation and tree make up when noting hot spots.  They immediately sent four guys to rake and water to save our precious FGL.  We even used buckets filled with swimming pool water in this effort. Can’t say enough referencing our firemen, who worked so hard in saving FGL, OUTSTANDING.

We are, indeed, eternally grateful to our first responders, a finer group of guys cannot be found.

Over in Napa, Pati Simon reports:

I just got a call from Carol Kieschnick.  She shared a tale of heroism:  Deborah Robertson’s son and friends saved her home, as well as the Robertsons’ during the fire.  Carol wants everyone to know how incredibly grateful she is for their bravery and generosity of spirit.

And Carol wants everyone to know how badly she feels for those who did lose their homes.  Carol’s home is in escrow and has not fallen out as of today.

Yesterday’s fire in Monterey, the York Fire, is officially out as per CalFire’s map, and there’s not another within 100 miles.  We’ll sleep tonight.  Not that it has ever bothered Elvon.  That man can sleep through anything.

This is a pot-pourri of exerpts from emails.  We don’t get much local news here, and it’s fine with us, at this point.  Facebook and email are informing us.

Susan Harris wrote: “Good news, PG & E expect to have power back to the Lodge by Monday night.  Pat called earlier and left a message, a Lodge resident sneaked in with some type of crew to the property and reported no damage. He said The Lodge looked great, all things considered, and it barely smelled of smoke.  This sounds encouraging!

Taura Anderson got a report from our grounds people and “Mike says the chicken coop and chickens survived.  He thinks someone fed them and that they’ve been taken elsewhere. He has been walking the property and putting out hotspots that had appeared. So, we can be grateful to the firefighters on the first day Monday morning…AND to Mike who, for the next couple days, kept the hot spots down. He is headed to Albany today I think to help out with our folks from The Terraces. He watered our resident gardens before he left. He says those gardens are intact. WHAT A GUY! Thank you…Thank You.”

Kyle Nyholm, our Head Groundskeeper posted: “Nothing burned in the garden. Fruit Trees are the same, same amount of peppers and tomatoes, some of the tomatoes fell over. Chickens are fine, have food and water. Pulled up the squash and zukes 2 weeks ago. Compost burned, which the 2 to the right were not great compost materials anyway. Easy to fix. Rest of the property is easy to fix, not much damaged with landscaping. Little damage to the building if at all. Faint smell of smoke inside but nothing that can’t be fixed.”

Scott contributed “the following well-written link, which you may want to include in your blog if you think anyone might find it useful. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/fleeing-the-fires-in-sonoma-county”  He was right.

Val and Dave Lasker and Ruth Berggren went up to their Highland villas on Stone Mountain, yesterday.  Dave wrote:  “ Fortunately it is still standing, as are the adjacent houses, so if you don’t look too hard from our front door, everything looks normal. However, if you go 3 doors away, it looks like a war zone. 33 of the 111 homes in our development burnt to the ground.

A closer look at the exterior of our house revealed some fire damage to the structure under the master bathroom.  It looks like the firemen spotted the structure burning, broke through the exterior wall, and put out the fire very quickly, saving our house in the process. Unfortunately it was not quick enough to keep from damaging the master bath above:

After seeing the bathroom, we think it is a miracle that our house is still standing, and we feel very fortunate. Valerie had always wanted to renovate the bathroom, so it looks like her wish may be granted.”

Both of Ruth’s houses are still standing, and Third Ave. is in escrow.  The amazing thing is that the buyers have not backed away.

Alexis Handelman (ABC Bakery) wrote on Facebook: ” It’s been a long week. So long in fact that whole lives have been lived and whole lives have been lost. We learned how resilient we are and how fragile life is. We learned that being a First Responder is what we all aspire to. Show up first. Protect our fellow humans and animals from harm. Provide solace not judgment. Respond with listening and immediate action. Make safety the priority. If we thought we had no effect on our environment we learned the opposite was true. If …we thought we weren’t our brother’s or our sister’s keepers we found out that’s just what we should be. We have lungs full of smoke and hearts full of gratitude. It’s a new day and the beginning of a new week. There’s hope in there and reflection and work but also the newly learned lessons from our First Responder protectors. We are going to show up to our lives. We are going to listen and be compassionate and we are going to help and take care of each other. Let’s all move forward with those values tucked safely in our tired but grateful souls.”

The Scalbergs have them in spades.  All’s well here.  We settled in and got clean.  Tonight they fed us rib steak, corn, Caesar salad, and double chocolate gelato, with Lula’s toffee brittle.  All of this was paired with Night Heron Chard and Viader 2007. We can rough it like this for a while. We love you, Candy and Ernie.  PS: This is the view from our temporary home at sunset.  This fireball is far enough away for me. 

We got on the road at 3:00 am.  I was afraid to go straight for 101, as Highway 20, would pass too close to the Redwood fire, which was gaining in size.  It was a calm night, which is one of the reasons we were traveling now.  The other was that there are three trouble spots on the way to Carmel, the Petaluma narrows, San Francisco commuters, and Silicon Valley commuters.  What was billed as a 5 hour trip at midnight, could easily be an 8-hour trip, if I left at 6:00 am.

We took Coastal Highway 1 and 128 to Cloverdale.  It took an hour and forty-five minutes, and we met only 10 oncoming vehicles.  Within the first ten minutes, we saw fire.  It was in the distance, but it was lighting up the sky, and I knew for sure why we were doing this.  I was glad it was dark when we drove through Santa Rosa, because I am not sure I am ready to see it.  We were chuffed by the fact that there were still lights on at the power plant, and many businesses, like Coddingtown Mall and the auto dealers, were still ablaze   with electricity.

Between Santa Rosa and Petaluma, we met a convoy of police and fire vehicles going North.   Their flashing red, white and blue lights are almost blinding.  “That was something”, I remarked.  “Twenty-three of them”, said Elvon.  I was flabbergasted.  He counted them.  He hasn’t done anything mathematical for a good three years.  The adrenalin rush that lets me drive all night is sharpening him up, too.

Google directed me over the Richmond Bridge and on to the Penninsula, without touching San Francisco, and we continued to make good time. Around 8:00 am, 60 miles from our goal, I had relaxed enough to be seriously sleepy, and the Coke I had a half-hour before hadn’t touched it.  So, I pulled over and we dozed for 40 minutes.  I didn’t know where we were but we were past the worst of the Silicon Valley traffic, and we sailed through stinky Gilroy, garlic capital of the world, and on to Salinas.

When Google took me off 880 and on to 101 going North for 16 miles, I figured I had a problem.  I called the hotel and got help, plus the info that we wouldn’t be able to check in until about one-thirty.  I tried the HI Express that we were aimed at, which is the one I had booked for when the Scalbergs get back from Hawaii.  They couldn’t take us, so back to plan A, until the phone rang and it was Candy.  She said to just come there, for heaven’s sake.  I had not wanted to be in their way, when they were getting ready to leave, but, here we are.  Rested and well.

There are no bars here except wine and alcohol.  If you need to reach me by phone, it’s 831-626-4516.

I haven’t seen a news report all day, nor read an email.  Mananya.  The day of rest has been wonderful.  God bless our dear, dear friends.

Yesterday, the fires had consumed 75,000 acres, today it’s 170,000, when last I heard.  I just got a phone call from Drue Mordecai, Sales Manager at the Lodge, and he doesn’t expect we will be back in for 4 – 6 weeks.  The winds will be picking up again tomorrow night and I am nervous about being only 20 miles from a major fire.

I wrote that we have no good options going North, but the way South is open.  I am going to take it, sooner, rather than later.  Scott is looking for a hotel for us as I write this.  It will be for 4-6 weeks, and it will be by the ocean, where there is a hope of being able to breathe, at least when the wind is blowing onshore.  That’s the best thing about where we are and I will be sorry to leave.

We had an amazing dinner tonight.  It was free for evacuees.  I saw a flyer for it at our local Harvest Market, when I went there for oregano oil.  It was an old time church upper thing, with 4 kinds of pasta, chili, corn and regular bread, salads and desserts.  They loaded up three containers for us and we ended up eating about half of them,  No matter.  I’ll take the leftovers with me.

Before I go, I am sorry to report two more houses lost, Arlene & Jerry Phelan’s, Dan Solomon & Lynn Cangemi’s.

Anne Seymour offers:  I am wondering about your friends who say that they cannot see their homes. Tell them to use Google Earth. You can put in any address and see a live photo of the home (or remains).

I’ll start driving in the wee hours tonight and end up in the Holiday Inn Salinas.  It’s a bit dodgy but best I could do on short notice in a tough market.  We’ll move in to Scalbergs on Monday, having sorted out Elvon’s needs.  Then, when they come back, we have the HI Express Marina State Beach booked until the end of November.  By then we should be able to move back to the Lodge.  I wanted all this stuff booked before all the other homeless people get the same idea.

Now for a few hours of sleep or meditation, before we hit the road to beat the traffic.

For anyone just tuning in, we live right in the middle of the Tubbs fire.  We evacuated Fountaingrove Lodge, Monday morning, around 12:30 am and I drove until about 6:30 am to Fort Bragg, where we are staying at the Holiday Inn Express.

I haven’t reported in safe, because the authorities don’t need to be bothered with us. I have let everyone I know know. This  blog, Facebook, my phone and my email are being updated non-stop.  That and taking care of Elvon, are all I do.

Nancy Nelson, in Montreal, wrote “If I were Elvon, I think I would be embarrassed at the public description of toilet issues, incontinence products and so on.”  I wish that could be the case.

Sadly, Elvon is too far gone to ever read my blog, nor anything else on the computer. Bear with me, folks,  I need an outlet. He’ll never know I wrote that.  And, for the record, he’s not even incontinent, he just can’t walk, so some times he doesn’t make it.

The Fountaingrove Lodge evacuation solution is to  Oakmont of Monticito in Concord. So nice to see some of the family again–Ted, Ralph, Andrew-standing, John Mullen and Bobbie. While it is not FGL (what is?) they all say that the residents at O of M are being very hospitable. Each of them are staying with one of the O of M residents in a spare room. Notice that they are most all wearing a change of clothing compliments of a clothing and sundries drive for evacuees throughout the fire zone. Tons of good quality cloths et al (new toothbrushes, shampoo…) being sorted and boxed up on their front lobby for distribution.

 

For a hundred residents, there are precious few of them here, with our Dining Room Manager,  Andrew.  The rest are in their city apartments, their campers, with relatives or friends, and in hotels, like us.  We need rain, and it’s coming, but it will be another week.

Once the fires are out, we’ll be able to pick up a few things at FGL, and will need to stay out for another couple of weeks.  Huge thanks to Candy and Ernie Scalberg, for the use of their wonderful flat house in the Carmel Highlands.  We will be forever in their debt.

Sharon Bobrow wrote:  Somewhat good news from Napa Valley Vintners:

Several fires continue to burn in and around the Napa Valley. We have preliminary reports that at least five physical wineries in Napa Valley have suffered total or very significant losses due to the fire. Another 11 have reported damage to their vineyards, to outbuildings on their property or to their operations.

Complicating matters is the fact that it is harvest season in Napa Valley. However, we estimate that 90 percent of the grapes were picked before the fires started on Sunday night. Of the grapes remaining on the vine, it is almost all Cabernet Sauvignon. Our winemakers report that this thick-skinned variety, fully-developed and ready to be picked for the 2017 harvest, is not expected to be impacted by the smoke from the fires. No matter the circumstances, our winemakers remain committed to upholding Napa Valley’s reputation for making some of the world’s finest wines.

And Francey Philipspn-Swim gave us a list of wineries lost in Napa and Sonoma:  (so far)

1. James Cole Winery
2. Signorello Estate
3. William Hill Estate Winery
4. Kenwood Winery
5. Kunde Estatewineries
6. R. Cohn
7. Frey Winery
8. Nicholson Ranch
9. Chateau St. Jean
10. Stag’s Leap Winery
11. Paradise Ridge

There is more fire in Eureka, three hours north of us, and the Redwood fire is just an hour and a half to the east, just a bit south.  It looks like we have to stay put. There are only 2 ways out going North. So, the go/stay decision has been made for me and we stay.  Why we can’t leave here: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/display.php?page=us101 and I got Hwy 20 at http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi?roadnumber=20&submit=Search

We could go South to the City, but the air is cleaner here and we have a good place to stay.  Pray for us.

We’re still in the Holiday Inn Express, Fort Bragg, and we are fine.  Elvon is coping much better than I feared.  It’s pretty much life as usual for him.  I’m the one who’s fretting.  If I go incommunicado and my cell doesn’t work, the hotel land line is 707-964-1100.

Did I tell you Sylly P was checked in as a service animal? Compassion finds a way to bend the rules.  She is doing good service, keeping me sane.  Last night, I had a lot of trouble sleeping, trying to decide whether to stay here or get farther up the coast to Eureka, three hours away.  Sylly P, lay on my chest and purred me into a state of relaxation, and I finally fell asleep.  The locals here have faith in their safe harbor and I sure hope they are right.  It has never been tested like this before.

Cal Fire is still saying the situation will get worse before it gets better.  Marissa Goldman, the Nurse at Fountaingrove Lodge, called me this morning.  She confirmed that we should not try to rejoin our group.  They are holed up in Concord, at Oakmont of Montecito.  That’s well south and east of Santa Rosa, but conditions are not as good as they are here in Fort Bragg.  The sun is shining and the air is clear.  We are 20 miles from the nearest fire, which is directly east of us.  The fire zone is now over 120 miles long from North to South.  We are at the northernmost end of it.  If it starts to go farther north, I’ll want to get out, but it’s easier said than done.

8000 firefighters in the area.  Fires are combining and still growing.  More evacuations being called.  All existing ones are still in place.  No one can go back into any of the evacuated areas.  It’s still too dangerous.  I am listening to local briefings on TV and they are telling people they are on their own if they decide to stay.  The first responders will have no time for them, and they will be a distraction.  Everyone must stay out and one guy said, “If you are planning to visit Calistoga, you are not welcome.”  Strong scary stuff.

Carol Berg, who likes in Silverado Springs, decided to stay in her home.  She is a source of news.  Here’s her report:  “ I have stayed in our home here on Troon Drive. I was told that I would not be allowed back in for 7 days so I’ve decided to stay here. They have just turned back on the electricity here so I do have power but the gas is still turned off, I do not have internet or t.v., my cell phone just started working and so I wanted to let you all know that I am here. I’ve kept an eye out for all of your homes and so sorry to see those that are lost. I first hand saw them when Tim and I drove around after it first happened. I’ve been in touch with Celia and Bob and they are at the Hampton Inn with Freddie. I don’t know where the rest of you all are except for what is on this email. I pray that you all be able to come back soon but it’s not looking really good. The water has been compromised here and must be boiled. Most of the homes still do not have any electricity or gas so you would not have hot water, we are just fortunate that we have electricity now here in the Springs. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for any of you while I’m here I can drive around this area but I can’t leave because they won’t let me back in. So I’m staying put using my microwave and I have plenty of water and food here. Love and prayers to you all that have lost your beautiful homes and so happy for those that did not.

Hugs, Carol B.”

Ruth Berggren, who lives in Silverado Highlands, evacuated to the city, and had this to report: “Here’s a quick status report.

The fires are apocalyptic.  The fire has ravaged the neighborhood of my new home—of the 111 houses in the area, 33 are completely gone.  Burned to the ground.  Nothing left.  It’s devastating.  And almost completely random.  My house in Silverado is still standing, but the wind is changing tonight, and the area is considered threatened again.   So we are all on pins and needles.  I haven’t been able to get to it, but we have video that shows it still there.  Others weren’t so lucky.

My house on 3^rd avenue came within feet of the fire.  A policeman told me yesterday that the houses on 3^rd are still there.  I haven’t been able to see it, either, because of roadblocks and continuing danger.  It is in escrow, and, believe it or not, the owners have not backed out.  I have a friend who was supposed to close on a house on the 19^th.  The house doesn’t exist any more.

The smoke in Napa is worse than Beijing.  No visibility, except at night you can see the red flames of the fires along the ridges.  When I was driving back to SF Tuesday night, we saw the flames along the eastern ridge, and a huge plume of black smoke just south of where my house should have been.

A convoy of a dozen or more ambulances went by, on the way towards Napa.  It was spine-chilling.  We later determined that the ambulances were for evacuating the VA hospital.

I appreciate everyone’s words of support and concern.  I’ll try to keep you updated, but it is hard.  It is emotionally and physically draining.

More when I get the time. Love, Ruth”

Pray for us.  We’ll get through it, but it’s no fun at all, at all.

We have wonderful friends.  Chris and Larry Silver offered us their fabulous city apartment, in the Marina District, for 10 days.  It was very tempting but I turned it down.  It would save us a couple of thou but I am not at all sure that we could get there before they left, that it would not further disorient Elvon, and there would need to be an accessibility bar by the toilet or he will just tear down their towel rack.

So we are staying put.  We managed a shower this morning and that feels better.  Facebook was down at 10:00 am, doubtless overloaded. I got more news when it came back up.  We exercised in the gym, and I came back to my computer, with the TV on beside me.

I’ll start with the good news, but there isn’t much.  The Campbells, Aitas, and Gandaras still have their houses.  The Klenzes lost the most beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright style house on Loma Vista.  In the Highlands Alan and Betsy Gustsfson and Chris and Patty Bias lost their homes, as did Carmen Schmidt, the Blanks, the Beatos, the Dianas, the Anyos, the Wisbys, Bill Halsey and Raissa Sarantschin, Peter Gibert and Michele Kiefer, and Gene McSweeny.  There are more, but I don’t know everyone.  My heart is broken for all the homeless.

And guess what?  The wind is picking up.  Since it is still out of the North, we’re staying put and I am going shopping again.  Elvon is doubtless delighted that he has had the same pair of socks on for 3 days, but it doesn’t thrill me.  I’ll fix that.

I erred when I said we were between two fires.  I didn’t realize that when I went through Ukiah to get here, I also went back UP the coast a good few miles.  So we are 20 miles North of the northernmost fire.  Of course, I only found this out after I packed up again last night, to evacuate again farther north.  Thanks to Nate at the Front Desk, who enlightened me when I started asking about the next Holiday Inn up the way.  So I unpacked, and put on my nightie, and answered emails, until 1:00 am, instead of driving.

I also erred in my Napa reporting.  Very few people have got in, so it’s hard to get real information.  The good news is that the Granges’ home has been spared, as has the Stewarts’ the Robertsons and Carol Kieschnick’s.  Laskers’ and Ruth Berggres’s Highlands homes are still standing, too.  The bad news is that Val and Mike Moone’s house is gone, along with Freddie Faraone’s, Coleman and Jeanne Rosenbergs’s, Sallyann and Peter Berendsen’s and the Gustafson’s custom build on Canyon, that everyone loved so much and wanted to buy.  I did get a text from Sallyann this morning and they are fine, if bereft.

I have no words, nor tears.  I may still be in shock.  We won’t be home any time soon.  But the Lodge is still standing and the Holiday Inn people in Fort Bragg are very nice to us.  I went out today and bought a change of clothes for Elvon, a 36 pack of Depends, kitty litter for Sylly P, and a 6 pack of underwear for me.  The air is not great, but I am sure it’s a damn site better than at home.  The sun is even out this morning, but the reports on containment of the blazes are far from encouraging.

My days are full, as so many friends are calling in, texting and emailing. Elvon is taking it well, but he does ask a lot of questions about why we aren’t at home.  The TV helps answer, but then he forgets.  This Holiday Inn has a recumbent bicycle, so he got 45 minutes on that while I walked the treadmill and did core exercises.  I am doing my best to keep our bodies in shape.

Like the HI in Montreal, they let me bring take-out to eat in the breakfast room. The choices are a far cry from Montreal’s, though.  Last night it was a Round table pizza.  Today I am going to scope a seafood restaurant that Nate recommended and see if they will do take-out.  There’s also a good Mexican.  I lose my appetite watching the news while we eat, but I am addicted to it.

Today, I am going to try to get Elvon clean.  This retrofitted accessible room only has a tub, so he can’t get into it, but it does have a telephone shower.  I think he can grasp a bar from outside the tub and I can hose him down.  It’s been five days.  He was due Monday morning, but you know how that went. He’s pretty stinky.

Stay tuned to this blog for more.  If you sign up to follow it, it will arrive in your email inbox.  Click Follow on the upper left-hand side.

Love to all.  Stay strong.  We will get through this.

 

Happy Birthday to me.  The night was uneventful and I got eight blessed hours of sleep. I haven’t even turned on the TV, so this is last night’s news.

I am in contact with our evacuees, but we won’t be joining them because it would be too hard and too disorienting for Elvon.  As it is, sometimes he understands the situation perfectly, but then he’ll lose his grasp of it and just want to be taken home.  It was easier to explain up until 9:00 pm, when the networks went back to regular programming, and I lost my visual aids.  Here’s what I know:

Both our old house in Napa and new place, Fountaingrove Lodge, are still standing but still in danger.  We slept between two wildfires and the deep blue sea in Fort Bragg, but we are among the lucky ones.  We’ll be staying here until we can go back home, or find a plan B, if we need one.  I have no idea how long it will take to restore power, water, gas lines, etc., so it may be quite a while.

A lot of dear friends in Napa lost their homes, with all their treasures and memories.  If you know these names, here’s a short list: Ulla and John Brown, Bob & Celia Stewart, Marilyn and David Anderson, Frank and Linda Grange, Vanessa Braun, Bill & Cindy Ward, Morrie & Sharon Bobrow…and: the Sheldon’s old house, Hinman’s, Fred and Gary’s, on and on, and more I don’t know about yet.  301 Deer Hollow is still standing, along with 303 – Sophie Bevan’s, 305 – Marlene and Stan Rosenberg’s, and 307 – the Callan’s. The other side of Deer Hollow is all gone on the up side from Tamarack.  The “Lower Oaks” as Dale used to call them, are intact.

Fountaingrove in general was hard hit.  Not much left there except our Lodge, and God knows when we will be able to move back in.  I‘ll call the desk and book us in here for a month.

Sunday, October 8, 2017 Canadian Thanksgiving

Even with the current state of Elvon, we have much to be thankful for.  We had a quiet day, French toast for breakfast, with bacon and sausage, cleaned up paperwork, and booked hotels for Singapore and Hong Kong.  That had been nagging at me, as we are going around Chinese New Year, and the local people travel.  Now, our little group has two great places to lay our heads, The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and the Conrad in Hong Kong.  That done, we spent an hour in the gym, I picked up 9 eggs from our Lodge chickens, and we had leftover chicken with gravy, sweet potato sauce, and a Caesar salad, on our balcony, with its lovely sunset.

I had a couple of nice phone calls with friends, and we settled in to watch Anthony Bourdain at 9:00 pm.  He’s my kind of tourist, all about food.  By 11:00 pm, we were in bed for sleeping purposes, but I smelled smoke.  It was coming from outside.  I called the concierge and she told me not to worry, the fire department was on its way.  The fire was at some little distance.  What she didn’t know was how big it was. I had no sooner turned off the light when a text from Susan came in, to the effect that Silverado was being evacuated.  So, I turned on the TV and found ABC was covering the story.  There was also a fire in Calistoga, which is at our level in the Napa Valley.

Next thing I heard was there was another fire at Mark West Springs and Riebli Rd.  Now, that’s close, not more than 5 miles.  The fires were big and the winds were strong, gusting to 55mph in Santa Rosa.  I decided to take no chances, as evacuating Elvon was going to be a serious project.  I ran down to our locker and grabbed an overnight bag, and Sylly P’s carrier and traveling gear.  Then I called Pat Gustafson, to tell her we were leaving, and did she want to come.  She called her son Matt, who coordinates the CalFire in this neck of the woods.  She got his wife, Cindy, who invited us all to their place in Windsor for the night.  It was serious, all right.

Pat, Mike Desky, Elvon and Helen mustered and were ready to go, in three cars, in about ten minutes.  The Lodge had just decided, or had been told, to evacuate, and people were going door to door, rousting the residents.  We were none too quick, either.  Just after we started north on 101, we saw the flames, and they were close.  We drove through a lot of smoke, with flames on the right shoulder. You could barely see, but it was, thankfully, a small area.

By the time we got to Windsor, I had figured out that I wasn’t going to risk taking Elvon into a private home, with the possibility of another evacuation looming.  I got back on 101, with a plan to drive until I couldn’t smell smoke any more, and then some.  When we got close to Ukiah, about 60 miles up the road, it was smelling bad again, and you could see flames ahead, and, about 5 miles further up, the road was closed.  I told the nice flag man my story and asked about options and he sent me to the coast to pick up US 1 north.

On the way there, I decided to go south to Mendocino to hole up.  It’s a quaint little town, but it doesn’t have much in the way of basic, flat, and accessible rooms.  The Mendocino Inn was charming, and Mitch was very helpful, considering it was after 5:00 AM, but his accessible room was located up a long winding path that I couldn’t see myself dealing with.  He suggested Fort Bragg, which is flatter and has chain hotels.  So here we are at the Holiday Inn Express, where the seals were waking up and barking, as we got out of the car.  Elvon didn’t want to stay there, but it was after 6:00 by now, and I had driven all night on no sleep.  Breakfast was open, so I got us some cinnamon rolls and tea, and we had a little snack, while we watched the fires on all three networks.

Napa, and particularly Silverado, is a full-blown disaster and so is Santa Rosa.  Fountaingrove Lodge was still standing at 10:00 am, when I turned off the TV, and its occupants were in the New Vintage Church, in downtown Santa Rosa.  They may have to move again.  I’ll find out when I turn the TV back on, which will be right after I send this.  We’re well, albeit tired, and relatively safe, although there is another fire in Willits, 35 miles north-east of here.  I hope we don’t have to move again.  Here the air is relatively clean, with the ocean is across the street.  It’s the roads that are iffy.  I grieve for Napa.  I saw Sallyann and Peter Berendsen’s house burn down on television.  They won’t be the only ones.  Our hearts go out to all of you.  We are so sorry.