Like a volcano

A stiff dry breeze is blowing out of the west, and the fire is running east. It's something more than 2,000 acres now. The smoke column looks a volcanic eruption.

The Pueblo Chieftain headlines "Wildfire nightmare".

My thanks to the several friends who have offered us places to stay. We're happy in the trailer for another night or two, but if this stretches out longer, maybe we will move. The fire is not under control at all.

I think I know where this photo was taken. The wind has moved most of the smoke away from our area, so we are able to get a clearer picture of what burned and what did not.

Left: Colorado Springs firefighters Greg Martinez (red helmet) and Trevor Leland make their way Saturday down a burned-out hillside along Custer County Road 388. Over 270 people are staffing the Mason Fire which has grown to more than 2,400 acres. (Photo: Mike Sweeney, Pueblo Chieftain)

Our host, Hal Walter, is having fits that his own newspaper keeps talking about "Greenwood Village." Greenwood Village is a Denver suburb populated by rich Republican golfers. The community in this county is simply "Greenwood."

The sheriff did let us visit the house for 30 minutes. M. washed her hair while I watered the garden, grabbed some more items (dog food!) and checked things. Firefighters had moved most of our outdoor and porch furniture into the garage, put out more sprinklers, and cut down a spreading one-seed juniper tree. That tree really was too close to the house, but She Who Hates To See Trees Die had not wanted me to cut it down, so I had merely pruned it as high as I could reach. Frankly, I'm glad they cut it.

The odd thing is that I felt more nervous and anxious after the home visit. Perhaps it awakened associations with the 3 a.m. evacuation, even as going to a funeral brings back memories of previous loved ones' funerals.