Saturday, November 02, 2013

YES THERE IS A MEMORIAL TO THE 19 FIREFIGHTERS IN YARNELL

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YEP, SURE IS GOOD TO BE IN OUR SOUTH-WEST HOME AGAIN

It was already warm this morning by 7:15 as we did a short walk around the block.  Kelly wanted to hit a couple neighborhood garage sales at 8 a.m.  We did that & there was nothing of interest for us.

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WE ALWAYS LIKE TO CHAT IT UP WITH OUR NEIGHBORS IN THE MORNING

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NASH PATIENTLY WAITS FOR PHEEBS

The 3 of us piled into the Jeep about 9 & headed up to YARNELL.  Kelly wanted to check out a Craft store or 10 & I had something to pick up at the hardware store.  Asked a lady if there was a memorial to the 19 Firefighters & she said yes it’s on the north side of the Ranch House restaurant.  Not easy to see at first but it’s there on a hillside a few steps from the restaurant parking lot.

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KELLY READS AN INFORMATION BOARD & THE MEMORIAL IS LOCATED JUST NORTH OF THE RANCH HOUSE RESTAURANT WHICH MANY PEOPLE MAY HAVE SEEN IN THE NEWS REPORTS

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FIRE OCCURRED ACROSS THE HIGHWAY IN YARNELL’S POPULATED NEIGHBORHOOD

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I’M THINKING THIS RESTAURANT PARKING LOT WAS A KEY STAGING AREA DURING THE FIRE

We had no intentions of having breakfast but while looking at the Memorial the smell of bacon & eggs coming from the nearby Ranch House soon changed our minds & we wondered on over.  As usual it was packed but we bellied ourselves up a couple stools at the counter.  We both had us a big mess of bacon & eggs & I was once again reminded how I cannot eat as much as I once did.  Of course there is another factor involved here as well.  As mentioned in other posts we have always found American portions of food dished up are generally larger than Canadian portions.  You American folks really know how to strap on the old feed bag & of course we Canadians really appreciate that:))

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The Ranch House restaurant is & always has been a popular spot of for bike clubs coming up out of Tucson & Phoenix or down from Prescott & points beyond.  Bikes of all kinds but mostly Harley-Davidson riders.  All bikers like the challenging ride up & down the Yarnell Hill as well.  From one climate zone to another in less than 10 minutes.  As Yarnell’s logo says, ‘Where a desert breeze meets the Mountain air’.  Yep & it sure does too…………

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KELLY BROWSES SOME CRAFT STORES

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THIS YARNELL SCOOTER RIDER HAS HIS 2 BEST PALS WITH HIM

I had mistakenly said in a recent post it didn’t appear the Yarnell fire had crossed highway 89 but this morning we saw obvious signs that it did indeed jump the highway.  Many Firemen must have been very vigilante & busy putting out spot fires as they flared up on the east side of 89.  Some right around where the Firefighters memorial now stands.

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BURNT SHRUBS & TREES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY

After a quick stop at the Yarnell hardware store & a few craft shops we took a drive through the neighborhood where the fire did most of it’s destruction.  Reminded me of how an unpredictable Tornado can flatten a house & not touch the next one to it.  Fire damage in the Glen IIah area was like that.  One house burned to the ground & both houses on either side untouched.  Some areas with burnt trees right next to another area with no fire damage at all.  I’m guessing it depended a lot on where flaming hot embers landed.  Most structures & their roof’s are wood so would be quick to catch fire maybe.  Even saw some brick dwellings burnt out.  Must have been an extreme expression of emotions when residents were allowed back in.  Some came home to chaos & burnt ruins while their neighbor came home to an undamaged house & property.  Can only imagine the anguish by some & the joy of others.  We saw about a dozen ‘For Sale’ signs on burnt out properties.  

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IN SOME PLACES ONLY AN OLD STONE FIREPLACE CHIMNEY REMAINS

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THIS BURNT CORNER PROPERTY IS FOR SALE ‘AS IS’ FOR $10,000

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RE-BUILDING OF HOMES IS UNDER WAY

Despite the fire Yarnell’s residential neighborhood is still a very pretty place with it’s winding roads & cozy homes set amongst towering boulders & lots of of greenery.  Construction was underway on rebuilding homes & I think a year from now one will be hard pressed to see any fire damage as foliage & trees quickly spring back to life.  Already I saw flowers growing on black earth.  Thought we would would have a look for Gaelyn (GEO GYPSY) & her fifth wheel but soon realized there are now a lot of fifth wheels parked on scorched properties as people live in them while rebuilding their homes.

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YARNELL WAS, STILL IS, & WILL CONTINUE TO ALWAYS BE A WONDERFULLY SCENIC LITTLE COMMUNITY

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19 SHOVELS & 19 FLAGS FOR THE 19 FIREFIGHTERS WHO DIED NEARBY BRAVELY FIGHTING TO SAVE THE PEOPLE & PROPERTY OF YARNELL

We were back down on the desert floor by 12:30 & quickly retreated to the cooler air inside our house.  It was another hot day which luckily came with a breeze.  Noticed last week when we arrived a metal latch on our front gate was broken.  The weld was busted.  Kelly phoned Marteen, the fellow who did our fencing last winter & he came today & re-welded the latch back on.  Nice Mexican fellow & he never charged us for welding it.  Said he had never seen a welded latch broke like that before.  I’ll bet it was those darned Sheeps in a hurry to get in for their daily succulent cactus feast.  Marteen knew about the sheep in our yard.  It’s funny, but I think everybody in Congress knows about the sheep in our yard.  When we’re talking to people they will say, “Oh, so you’re the people who had the sheep in your yard”.  We did come across one fellow this morning at a garage sale who keeps chickens in his yard to keep weeds down.  NO, we are not thinking about getting a herd of chickens!!!!

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MARTEEN OUR FENCE BUILDER FROM LAST WINTER REPAIRS A BROKEN GATE LATCH

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CAUGHT THIS HOT SHOT PILOT ROARING LOW OVER OUR HOUSE TODAY

Kelly called a Wickenburg Vet about a snake bite vaccine shot for Pheebs & the Vet kind of discouraged us from doing that.  Said the Rattlers are not active now & if they are out they are very sluggish.  Vet also said there would be no Rattlers out in March but we already know better…..

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SPOTTED THIS LITTLE FELLOW ON MY BEDROOM WINDOW SILL KEEPING AN EYE ON PHEEBS WHO WAS SOUND ASLEEP ON MY BED THIS MORNING

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know every morning is the dawn of a new error.   And frustration can be described as trying to find your glasses without your  glasses.  Here’s a good answering machine message……"I am not available right now, but  thank you for caring enough to call. I am making  some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

9 comments:

  1. You have not slowed down one bit. Catching a US Navy T-45 in low flight with pilots visible is amazing. I would just left my camera hanging around my neck and went "Gosh!". Thanks.
    Nice to see the memorial and surrounding town. That was one big bad fire.

    I think the sheep got framed by an evil goat who enjoyed the Cacti. He probably broke the gate latch, trying to get his Zinc levels up a bit.

    You have a very beautiful home and it is decorated nicer than either of our homes. You guys do have the good life going on.

    I was wondering...You have a septic system at your Casa and it operates with living organic enzymes/bacteria that live without air and happily break down biomass to harmless water and some sludge. The RV black tank works just the other way, chemicals kill all enzymes / bacteria, so the tank can go 4 to 6 days without " The Funk". If you do several mini RV trips and dump into your septic tank, it will die a sad death and have to be pumped out and growth restarted. It is kinda like taking one of those very strong antibiotics and then having to eat yoghourt to restart your digestive system. Anyway, IMO it is a bad idea.

    The Clueless Know It All

    Enjoyed the post.

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  2. Feel so bad for the families of the fire fighters who lost their lives, it will be a sad holiday season this year for them.

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  3. We must have been at the opposite ends of town at the same time. Annie is parked next door to me for a visit. Just one more RV in the neighborhood.

    Was rather disappointed in the 'town wide' yard sale this year. But then so many in town lost everything in the fire they had nothing to sell.

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  4. One reason I hate to eat out is the ridiculously large portions of food served. Some foods are okay brought home and warmed up for another meal, but most are not, at least for me.

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  5. Your photo essay of Yarnell was very touching. So sad to see the burned out areas but happy to see the rebuilding that has already begun.

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  6. Thanks for the review of the Yarnell fire and surrounding area. Nice to see that they are rebuilding after all that devastation.
    Regarding Tom's comment, if you are like us and not use any chemicals in you RV tanks it should not hurt you septic.

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  7. Thanx, Al... That was a very good ramble through YARNELL... The memorial is nice, but I hope they put up a permanent one, the shovels were a really nice touch...
    The breakfasts looked scrumptious..

    Give Kelly a hug and Phibbs a pat, for us...
    Hope y'all have a HAPPY DAY !!!

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  8. The tragedy in Yarnell was heart breaking. Firefighters put their lives in more danger than we imagine.

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  9. Al,
    I am surprised that the vet did not suggest Snake Avoidance Classes for Pheebes. There is a place in Tucson that offers the classes. It might be worth your time to check into what they offer. It is a one time cost rather than yearly shots and I would rather not have the dog bit at all even if the anti-venom shots work.

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