A Week Lost in Time
As I drove eastbound on Interstate 8 on my way
home today, I kept driving east instead of taking
the exit south to my home. With today's rain and
cold weather, firefighters were finally gaining
some measure of control over the wildfires in the
East County, so I decided to make my first foray
into the field of destruction to witness the
aftermath firsthand. It was truly shocking.
When I passed through Lakeside and El Cajon, I
found it heartening to see many intact homes on the
very edge of blackened hillsides, testament to the
heroic efforts of firefighters to save homes. But
the vast open space in San Diego's East County has
been ravaged. I drove east for half an hour at
freeway speed, surrounded by mostly charred
hillsides, and still did not reach the eastern
limits of the fire. The sheer scale of destruction
is hard to digest. I can't imagine how long it will
take the environment to rebound from so much
devastation.
When I returned home, I found the following
email from my sister, an account of her family's
challenges over the past week in the eye of the
firestorm. This is just one of thousands of such
stories, as this catastrophe has touched just about
everyone in this county one way or another. I'm
proud of the courage and resourcefulness of my
sister and her family, and am thankful they came
through relatively unscathed.
Dear Family and
Friends,
One week ago today, our family took a very
unexpected journey to a place that we never
imagined going. Due to the lack of Cable service,
phone service, and for a short while, electricity,
our communication with most of you has been very
limited. We regained cable service last night so I
thought I would attempt to tell you some of what we
have experienced. Maybe it will be therapeutic as
well.
Saturday~ Security
Saturday~ We had a typical day at home with the
exception of preparing to go down the hill to
attend Mackenzie and Karlee's homecoming football
game. Since Christian High doesn't have school
dances, they have a big after party that goes until
around 1:00 a.m. Knowing that my normal bedtime is
around 9:00 p.m., it was necessary for us to take
two vehicles. When the girls and I left around 4:30
we saw in the distance what looked to be a
"campfire" size fire. We commented how odd we
thought it was and hoped someone was on the way to
extinguish it and continued on to the game. As
expected, about 8:30 I started to tire and knew
that the drive up Wildcat Canyon would just become
more difficult if I delayed my departure. On my
drive home, I started to see an orange glow from
behind the mountains in the east. As I began to
increase my speed I remembered "the campfire". When
I reached our home I could see flames although they
still seemed distant. I thought of Mackenzie's
horse "Mac" and made a call to the people whose
home he is boarded at. They live on the most
eastern street in the estates that backs up to the
Cleveland National forest. There was no answer, so
I left a message expressing my concern about what I
was seeing. After attempting to call Denny, I then
turned on the T.V., layed down to watch some news,
and of course dozed off. At about midnight I was
awoken by a hysterical phone call from the
residents of the home where Mac is, requesting
assistance with the horse due to them evacuating. I
was not prepared to see what was facing me out the
window. There was a wall of fire that I am
estimating was about 3 miles in length and had
completely overtaken the mountain range that
surrounds the San Diego Country Estates. Since I
was not fully alert yet and realized that Denny and
the girls had not returned home, sheer panic
overtook my body. My first instinct was to call my
Mom. I was to the point of hysteria and as silly as
it sounds, I needed someone to tell me what to do,
even though I knew what I needed to do. She calmed
me enough to get my clothes and shoes on and get me
out the door. I was so frightened. Fortunately, as
I was going out the door the rest of the family was
coming in. Knowing that it would probably be best
for me to stay home with Karlee and Kimberlee,
Denny and Mackenzie went on their way to deal with
the horse. Little did I know that I would not see
Mackenzie again until morning. Thankfully Mackenzie
inherited Denny's calm nature and proved how mature
and composed she really is in the 5 hours that
followed. When they arrived at the stables, there
was fire literally across the street. They were
faced with the situation of having 8 horses and a 4
stall trailer. Mackenzie's horse had already been
loaded and they were left with what to do with the
other 4 horses. The answer was to ride them out.
With Denny following close behind them in the car,
Mackenzie along with three other people, rode the
horses for 5 miles, through complete chaos and down
streets that were bordered with fire to a
designated house where they would wait for an empty
trailer to take them to a pasture on the outskirts
of the Estates. This all took place between
midnight and 5 a.m. Little did we know that this
was only the beginning of our trip to hell and
back. Our security was in limbo.
- My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them to me, is greater
than all: and no man is able to pluck them out
of my Father's hand.
John 10:27-29
Sunday~ Worried
Sunday morning ~ During the time that Denny and
Mackenzie were away,Karlee, Kimberlee, and I took
care of what needed to be done at home. I think
that I gained strength from my girls as I watched
them methodically pull cherished family photos from
the walls, pack every photo album, family videos,
important files, and pack a small bag for every
member of our family, and load it into the car. All
this was done in 30 - 40 mile an hour winds. The
inside of our house and garage was covered in
black/grey ash. Our two little white dogs were now
grey. Upon Denny's return, we loaded the remainder
of our things and regrouped as a family. At this
point it was daybreak but there was no sign of the
sun. We would not see the sun again for the next
three days. For the next eight hours we would
witness the fire completely engulf miles of the
land surrounding our home and eventually the homes
of people that we knew crumble to the ground. I
have never felt the kind of sickness that is
brought on by the feeling of complete helplessness.
It was horrible.
Sunday evening ~ We have been up for 36 hours,
no real meals, and once again night time was with
us. It was at this time that we lost electricity.
We had enough daylight to collect candles to at
least get us through the night. We had our first
true candlelight dinner of chicken salad with
celery and crackers in the living room, by the
window, so we could monitor the goings on outside.
There was no sign of life, except for the fire.
There were no lights in any direction. I forgot to
mention that we lost our cable and phone service
sometime during the night. We learned the value of
batteries and completely charged cell phones. One
by one, the kids laid down on the living room floor
and fell asleep. Denny and I took turns taking
naps. At this point you may be wondering WHY we
have not left yet. Well, with our house being
situated on a hill, we had a very good vantage
point of all that went on around us. We had
determined boundaries for ourselves that if the
fire reached certain places, that it would be time
to leave. That time never really arrived although
on a mental level there were times where I
questioned if we were doing the best thing by
staying. Ironically enough, all the people that we
have talked to that evacuated on Saturday night
have told us that it was actually more stressful
not knowing what had or had not happened to their
home. Evacuated families were not allowed back into
the estates until Monday night about 6. Our worry
was beyond measure.
- When thou passest through the waters, I
will be with thee: and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon
thee.
Isaiah 43:2
Monday~ Discouraged
Monday morning ~ As great as cell phones are,
the lack of consistency in this situation for us
was very frustrating. We learned that most people
could not get through to us at all. There was about
a 50 percent success rate for calling out from our
cell phone. What sustained me through this whole
thing was being able to talk to my parents, both
sets, and Tuffy. Also, we were finally able to talk
to Eric and Keelee which was comforting. I'm sure
we will never know how worried everyone was for us
but I think it is important to say that everyone
was in our thoughts, especially during the quiet,
down times when we wondered what was coming next.
All in all, it was strengthening experience.
Most of this day was spent sitting and
reflecting. I'm not sure we really knew what to do
and if we did know, where to start. From all that
we knew the fire had moved completely down the hill
and had destroyed Scripps ranch and Tierra Santa.
Our only insight to experiencing something worse
than what we had been through was through the words
of my good friend Kris, whose husband is a
firefighter that was battling the fire in Scripps
ranch. He called and told her that there was a
point when there was so much smoke and fire around
him that he could not even read his maps nor did he
know where to turn to begin doing what he was
called there to do. That's scary. She also said
that it was the first time that she ever heard him
say that he was afraid. Thank God for these people
that have chosen this as there profession.
Monday night ~ Our first full night of sleep
without fear for our safety.
- I will both lay me down in peace, and
sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in
safety.
Psalms 4:8
Tuesday~ Lonely
Tuesday ~ A day of darkness. This was by far our
worst day mentally. Even though it was daytime, it
looked to be night time. The smoke was so thick, we
could not see the homes across the street from us
and going outside was completely out of the
question. Kimberlee remembered seeing masks in the
garage that Denny used to use when he did yard work
and were able to find them. They proved to be
effective in the upcoming days. During this day,
there were three fire trucks from Berkeley,
Oakland, and Albany stationed on our street. The
canyon on the back side of our street was
completely on fire. Denny was the adventuresome
one, along with Mackenzie, and they would venture
out to assess what was going on around us. In one
of their outings they got to know the firefighters
on our street well enough to know that they were
hungry. We made sandwiches, leftover chicken salad
and peanut butter and jelly. Not the best, but
better than nothing. They were grateful. Around
noon, Denny made his way down the hill to check in
at work and get us some food. At three in the
afternoon, if you didn't know better, it was
midnight. Completely dark. I came to realize why I
love my house so much - it is all windows, floor to
ceiling windows with no window coverings. Before
this week, I never knew how much I depended on the
sunlight. Today, we also had to move Mackenzie's
horse again. The place that he was staying was on
fire and it was determined that since at his
original home there was nothing left to burn, it
would be best to move him back there.
- God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Wednesday~ Comfort
Wednesday ~ A day of comforting. Cooking for me
is very comforting. Since Denny had shopped the day
before, I had plenty to work with in this area. I
made more chicken salad, cooked a pork roast, made
homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade salad dressing
for Kim, green beans with onions and bacon.........
I think I'll stop here. Pork fat rules at our
house! The air is starting to clear up but I don't
think is any where close to being of a healthy
nature. We are still staying inside. On Wednesday
evening the weather started to change. More
moisture and cooler temperatures. What a blessing
except that my two little grey dogs were now black
because off all the moist ash in the grass.
Anything that could stick to them, did! Kris and I
had communication and had decided that we would
maybe conduct Ballet class on Wed.afternoon. I
think she could tell hat I needed to do it and it
would also be good for the kids. That afternoon the
fireman was killed in Julian. She called me and
said she couldn't deal with it - too close to home.
We cancelled class. As it turned out, we had no
school and no dance for the whole week. Our dear
friend/adopted daughter from Julian, Keely, was
evacuated from her home in Julian. She, her mother
and her Aunt Kate(from Texas!) went to Borrego
Springs for the duration of the fire. Her father
remained in Julian, a true mountain man.
Thankfully, the town was spared. Their home and
family business, all located on main street.
- But they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Thursday~ Restoration
Thursday ~ A day of clean-up. We woke up to a
beautiful, clear fall morning. The air was crisp
with only a tinge of smoke in the air. If we
couldn't see the black hills surrounding us, you
never know that anything had happened. Denny went
to work and the girls and I started to clean. With
the exception of the carpet, all things seem to be
back to normal. The pool and the clean up of all
the ash has been the biggest challenge. Today was
the first time since Saturday night that I have
left the house. I went to the grocery store this
morning, mainly to just get out. My trip from my
house, through San Vicente, to town, was one that
was like the land before time. Everything that used
to be familiar, was not. All the roadside memorials
of teens long gone, were gone. It was almost as
though there was no point of reference. If not for
the cement road, you would not know where you were.
It was Eerie. The only positive part of my venture
to town was the connection with our friends, Dave
and Patty Smithley and their girls, Jacque, Sammy,
and Gabby. Dave is the manager of the Albertsons in
Ramona and we all know what they have been going
through. Upon my arrival, Patty was working the
video counter, Dave was running around and the
girls, stocking shelves. Now that's working
together as a family. I was so impressed. The store
was somewhat empty except for the presence of fire
fighters. I thanked each one that I saw. Not one of
them was from this area. On my drive home,
everything that we had been through started to
settle in and the questions started to arise. How?
Why? Was everything done that could have? We will
probably never know.
- Let my mouth be filled with thy praise
and with thy honour all the day. But I will hopw
continually, and will yet praise thee more and
more.
Psalm:8, 14
Friday~Thankfulness
Friday ~ HALLOWEEN. The most normal of days that
we have seen since the fire started. Stephanie, one
of our other beloved friend/adopted daughters came
over to visit us and stay for awhile. It was good
to see her and hug her. She stayed and visited
while we continued to clean up. Halloween was sort
of a second thought this year. If not for
Kimberlee, we probably would have skipped it all
together. Kim called one of her friends, Kirsten,
and made arrangements to trick or treat with her.
Karlee had made plans with another sweet friend
Andrea, to walk around with her and her brother for
Halloween. Mackenzie just needed some down time
with her friend Caitlin, where she spent the night.
As it turned out, it was one of the most profitable
( as far as candy goes ) that we have ever had. Kim
came home with a pillow case FULL of candy. It was
unbelievable. The weight loss due to stress will
all be gained back because of CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!
I was doing so well too. Who needs Dr. Phil? The
greatest part of HALLOWEEN was that we got our
cable service back!
- And God is able to make all grace abound
toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every
good work.
II Corinthians 9:8
Saturday~ Peace
Saturday ~ Our return to normalcy. We woke up to
rain. What a relief. I made biscuits and gravy,
bacon and eggs for breakfast. Yes, this is normal
for us. Remember, pork fat? This is our normal
Saturday breakfast because Sunday is too busy with
church. Sunday is a big lunch day. Denny is getting
his haircut today, two weeks delinquent in my
opinion, but what do I know? This is normal. All
kidding aside, he truly hasn't had time. End of the
month, fire, you know the rest.......
- For as the rain cometh down, and the snow
from heaven, and returneth not thither, but
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth
and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and
bread to the eater;
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it
shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent
it.
Isaiah 55:10,11
Things that we know for sure:
- You can survive without T.V. ~
- You really do need a earthquake kit, if not
for an earthquake, for a fire~
- Your priorities become very clear~
- Chicken salad is our new favorite meal, but
only with candles~
- Our family and friends are the most
important things in our lives~
If you have made it this far in the letter
without deleting, I apologize for my grammar ( my
english whiz kids have not read it yet, so they
haven't corrected it .) Although it may have seemed
like rambling to you, it was good for me to write
this. I feel much better.
I love you all~~~~~~~~
Cathy
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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