Today's excitement

Today started out just like any other. I woke up, and ran numbers again. (Yes, I'm back to work. YAY! Working Ask.com again. :D Double YAY!) Then I looked at the QA and said, "eh.. I'll do that later." A bit later, the kids asked if we could go to the river since we were unable to do anything last weekend. The heat was so bad last weekend that leaving the house wasn't healthy at all.

We went from 110 degrees last weekend to just 88 today at noon. So we decided, what the hell, let's go to the river! We put the dogs into their cages and gathered into the car, and off to Bastrop we went!

Now on the way, we kept seeing these small fires here and there along the way. Bastrop is a good 30 miles away from us. And the entire path, we found fires all along the way. We turned the corner into Bastrop and saw it. It was the most awe inspiring, fearsome, beautiful sight. Ahead of us was a wall of smoke that stretched for miles. Beautiful colors were all through out it. Hues of black, grey, white, and red shone against the late summer sky.

We decided to ditch our plans and just get something to eat, hit Wal Mart and come home. Now, we were only in Wendy's for fifteen minutes or so, but in that time, the wall of smoke was suddenly MUCH closer. Bits of ash fell upon our shoulders as we walked outside. We stopped next at Wal Mart, and made it very fast.

Yes, we are that crazy. But aside from that, from what we were seeing, we needed to try to protect our home as much as possible. Honey bought several water hoses and sprinklers, and I bought water, batteries and a first aid kit. We raced home as quickly as we could, this time taking a different path. This time discovering that our house was completely surrounded by wildfires.

Little plumes along the road gave way to giant flames. Helicopters and planes dropped gallons of water and some dark substance on top of fields and houses. Small groups of community residents, armed with only their shovels, fought the roadside fires and the fires set in the woods. The scenes we saw today were much like the ones you see in movies set in the early 1900's.

One man, while video taping and taking photographs from an area evacuation shelter, was able to catch it on tape as three houses all seemed to explode into flames all at the same time.Three houses. Less than half a mile away from the evacuation center.

We took water and snacks to the evacuation center than stayed for a few hours. We were asked to help transport people or food/water stuffs. They were given the order to pack up and evacuate, but nobody told them where to go. Even the Red Cross had no clue which end was up.

And yes, I did answer the phones as well. People calling in for updates were given updates such as: "Yes, it is true. Mother Nature has decided to have a barbecue. Thaw out the chicken, and grab your marshmellows!"

"Is your house on fire?"
"No."
"Can you see smoke or fire?"
"No."
"Then, you are likely safe. Please stay there. If at any time you see smoke or fire, then you likely are no longer safe and should get your happy butt into your car and get to safety."

One person called for an update on the thousand acre fire we were experiencing. "Is it gone yet?" "Nope." "Oh. Well, would you guys like some help from some firefighters?" "Gee, half of central Texas engulfed in flames. Nobody here to fight our raging wildfires because they're all in Bastrop fighting that one. Nah. Why would more help be useful???" They showed up right as we were leaving.

Even now as I write this, the smell of smoke floats through my windows and the faint glow rises up to meet the stars. Tonight, we have the water hose set up to keep the front door clear, just in case.

Stay safe everybody. No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what disaster may be at your doorstep, remember to take a moment to take in the beauty of it as well. There are always two sides to every coin. Even the worst has beautiful, bright, cleansing moments to it.