[R-390] Cap sale follow up

[Perry Sandeen]

GM List,

The cap sale was a huge success!  I could have sold 400 more.  I plan on doing a large buy again
if there is enough commitment from the list.  Below is the reason it will be at least several
weeks minimum before I try it.

There was a forest fire near Westcliffe, CO was across Highway 96,  3/4 of a mile from our house. 
We’re located 7 miles east of town smack in the woods called "the wet mountains" at 8,900 ft.  
There was no electricity as a beetle-killed dead pine tree fell from  high winds across the power
lines. This started the forest fire.  Since we have had negligible snow and rain this year
everything is dry as tender.

We were rebabbing our house in Colorado Springs when our neighbor in Westcliffe called us.  We
loaded the van with tools and water hoses.  Highway 96 which we would normally take was closed
necessitating a 60 mile detour.  

When we arrived after being let through the sheriffs road blockade two miles from our house we
arrived to find everything was OK for the moment. 

All the trees within 25 feet of the house and garage were cut down just like the fire protection
guys recommended.  BUT the winds were gusting between 60 - 80 Mph .  Totally unheard of around
here.  This really got my pacemaker wound up.   In the crawl space there is a 550 gallon cistern. 
The well can pump another 400 or so gallons from before it goes dry.  Got the generator hooked up
and running.  Just like field day except we might be playing "You bet your life" without Groucho,
for keeps.  Declined the mandatory evacuation order from the sheriff’s posse.  They took our names
and said "Good Luck".  A bit dicey for a while.

We did have a vehicle ready where  we could be onto highway 96 and a safe pasture in about 90
seconds. As I tell my kids, I may be crazy but I try real hard not to be stupid.  We watched the
smoke direction most carefully.

The wind shifted around 30 degrees to a more easterly direction and the crisis passed.  We loaded
up the valuables put the generator away and split for our house in Colorado Springs that we are
re-habbing.

Lessons learned: The Ma Bell phones WORKED.  Those with the battery devices connected and cell’s
didn’t.   [That’s part of what makes "24" a work of fiction].  Keep one or two fossil real phone
hooked up.  (We did)   Second, we knew where all the valuables (stuff like papers, jewelry, guns
and still) were located so we quickly got them loaded in the escape van.  My only major screw-up
was to forget my ammo box of a 1,000 AK-47 rounds.  This not be good scenarioita if house torched.

Fire at this time is reasonably close to containment.  The worry is the standing beetle-killed
pines that are burning and can have their trunks hold hot embers for weeks before being blown to a
new location.

More news as situation develops.  Regards. Perrier 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com