Wow. 2018.  I'M STILL QUILTING!  I am going to try to resurrect my blog.   Do I need a goal or a topic?  Nah, mainly quiltng.   I'll dig out quilts I am willing to part with first, as in SELL.   Might be a day or so as we have NO LIGHT right now, pouring rain out there and yellow light just does nothing for photography.   Do 'follow' me so I'll stay interested in doing this and it will keep my thoughts and words uplifting and positive. 

And in direct opposition to that thought.   THE FIRE.  It has been 3.5 months since the FIRESTORM went through Sonoma County.   It stopped half a mile from the house.    Keep your geography straight.   This is the fire in Northern California.   Not the one in Southern California.  Perspective?   It is a 9 hour drive from Disneyland in So. California to our house.  Got it?  Back to my story.   The neighborhood behind the elementary school where my kids attended is burned.  Completely.   No houses were missed.   That is where I used to do my daily walk.   No more.   I just cannot do it.   Too too sad.   Roughly one third of the lots have been cleared.   The majority are not rebuilding.   No idea what will happen.   That neighborhood was built in the 1960-1970 period, nice homes.   The fire station burned.   It still fascinates me how an entire home and all of its contents can be reduced to a 12 inch pile of ash.   7th Day Adventist Church survived, right next door to the fire station.   No, I am not converting, but the thought crossed my mind.   At Christmas, stockings were hung on the blackened chimneys.   Now there are bulbs coming up through the ashes, crocus, daffodils....  

The insurance companies were refusing to start rebuild or issue any payments until their forms for personal property were filled out.     Finally, the State stepped in and negotiated percentage payouts based on coverage, mostly 80% of personal property coverage line on the insurance document.   5,000 buildings/homes were burned.    Coffey Park (1,300 home gone), much in the news because it is close to the freeway and flat, so you can see that BURN all the way, Coffey Park is getting a contractor, a big one,  to treat it like a new subdivision, offer 10-14 plans, and rebuild for $250/square foot.   Fountain Grove, the city's upscale area, lost 1,500 homes.   Of the 3 personal friends up there, 1 is rebuilding, just 1.  
The contractor's are estimating $450/sq ft for those homes.  No one had that kind of coverage.

As you can tell, it is by no means decided, nor started.   K-Mart finally got hauled away.   The Round Barn has been cleared away.   Not sure about the Hilton.   I keep finding more burned out places, just going around on my daily errands.