Feeling blessed this Easter

It could have been worse. About an hour before we were evacuated, I took this picture from the west side of our backyard looking southwest.


The northeast wind was driving the flames directly at us. Sometime during that hour or just afterward, the winds shifted from northeast to east just enough to keep our property from looking like this



which is an aerial photo of what was a neighbor's house and driveway - just up the street from us. See the pick-up in the lower right of the photo? A 40 foot camper was attached and now unrecognizable. That is one of several homes that were destroyed in our neighborhood.

What happened to our property:


the forest at the rear (north side) of the property burned and fire traveled into the yard around the swim pool


and up to the gazebo. But since it was surrounded by cement and rock landscaping, it didn't make to the backside of the house.

Fire continued traveling east along the fence line, burning grass and melting the siding of the detached workshop but never burning the wood part of the structure (very blessed). The only real damage done was to the swim pool pump that was housed at the rear of the workshop.






It continued to the east destroying the wood fence along the side of the workshop and into this neighbor's yard. Small amount of damage to his home - he is blessed also.

The west side of our house was similarly lucky.


The neighbor on the west side lost utility shed, storage building, and wood fencing. But their house was spared.


The flames on the west side went through the yard and into the front missing the storage building we have on that side.

I am thanking our Guardian Angels today. And the previous owners for surrounding the house with cement - dual driveways (one on east and one on west side), cement surrounded swim pool and gazebo, sidewalks connecting everything. I think that between the shift of winds, the cement, and the grace of God, we were spared.

Happy and Blessed Easter.