A (Rather Far Off) View To A Wildfire

I didn't take many photos. I didn't get any the first few days because: (1) the fire was not as close as the last one, so we thought we wouldn't be affected AND (2) when we were evacuated, we were sure it would only be for a day at most. I finally got my head about me around Wednesday and started snapping a few pictures.

It is hard to be prepared for the views that sometimes catch you by surprise...especially when you are driving. Thank goodness for my trusty iPhone. I think most of my pictures were taken on it.


The Riley Road Fire: Taken from 362 around Howell Road at 11 AM on 9/7/11

 Our home is located roughly two and half to three miles from where this picture is taken just to the left of the tallest tree.  A little too close for comfort.  Things looked to be coming under control when I snapped this picture as we were going on our daily recon mission.  But it wouldn't stay that way for long.


Riley Road Fire Spreads To 1488: Photo taken from Joseph and Rice Road around 3 pm
This photo was taken from roughly two miles away from the new flare up...but our home is no where near this end of the fires.

 We were going to check on the neighborhood as we went to pick Will up from school when the south end of the fire flared up in just moments.  It was a scary sight as just after I took this picture a school bus rounded that curve!


Riley Road Fire: 9/7/11 at around 10 PM
This is the view of the fire at night from roughly the same place as the first picture was taken.

Things were looking very promising as we returned to the neighborhood on Thursday morning.

Riley Road Fire: 9/8/11
Photo taken from 362 near Howell Road

As you can see, the smoke plume was no longer black but a white color.  We REALLY, REALLY thought that we would be able to go back home within the next 24 hours at this point.  But, as was the pattern of this fire...the mornings looked calm but the afternoons found higher wind speeds and flare ups that lasted into the night.


Riley Road Fire: 9/8/11 afternoon
This picture was taken at 362 looking down Reids Prairie...the street into our neighborhood.

 Things were not looking so good for the home team here.  The smoke was horrendous.  We couldn't even tell where the fires were because we couldn't see the plumes.  Our home is about three miles down this road.  And did you notice the 'Burn Ban' sign under the speed limit?  Yeah, someone needs to tell this wildfire that!


The smoke at our house on 9/8/11 (the game cam date is off by one day)

It is hard to see in the game cam picture alone...but when you look at the prior photos you can really tell how smoky it was at our house that day.  BUT look at that nice cool 67 degree temperature!  Too bad we missed all of those beautiful fall-like days worrying about a wildfire.  It is now back in triple digits!

Riley Road Fire: Photo taken from the Waller City Limits on 9/9/11
This is what it looked liked from our hotel.

Still quite a bit of smoke on Friday...but we were just sure that they would be letting us back in within 24 hours!

Not quite, but we were able to go home Sunday evening at 5 pm.  Someone was very wise and turned off our air conditioning before heading out the door.  Jim or I neither one can remember doing it...maybe Derrick did.  All I know is that because of that the smell of smoke is very faint inside our home.  Thank goodness!

It took us until this morning to get the house cooled back down...but it was so worth it!!!

This last picture is from my drive into work on Monday morning.  I found myself in this military convoy of about ten trucks hauling heavy equipment.



Military Equipment being moved out on 9/12/11.

You can still see the haze in the air...but what a wonderful sight to know that the heavy work is completed and that we are now on the downhill side of these forest fires! 

We aren't totally out of the woods yet, but we get closer with each passing hour.  This thing had so many names...The Magnolia Fire, The Tri-County Fire, The Riley Road Fire...it seemed like a mythical hydra for a little while, they would stop it here and three more would break out there.  We are thrilled to be home but we know that so many of our neighbors are still in limbo or worse yet, suffering loss.  Please continue to keep this area in your prayers!

We Are Home

...at least for now. 

We were able to return at 5 last night.  Jim and I rode out to the house to make sure that all was secure and that we had electricity before heading back to the hotel to load up and check out.  Other than our poor cows being without water for days...all was well.  Ladies January and March along with Sir Loin slurped and slurped, faster than the water hose could keep up.  Jim had to go into the pasture with them to hold on to the water trough because they kept turning it over trying to get to the water at the bottom!  We then turned them into the green grass in the front pasture and they decided to forgive us for deserting them in the chaos. 

Jim and I had the BEST night's sleep in a week.  There is no place like your own bed for getting some good rest.  We were up kind of late trying to get the house in order.  As I told you the other day, we had just finished dinner when we were evacuated.  All of the food was put away, but we didn't have time to finish the dishes.  We just threw what we could into the dishwasher and started it before heading out.  I had to throw out four very delicious looking Strawberry Napoleon's that were left behind in the rush out of the door.  Sad!

I joked on Facebook this morning that I was apprehensive about leaving home and maybe I should pack a bag JUST IN CASE.  In all honesty, we were so apprehensive about leaving and not being able to get back in, that Jim elected to work from home today.  Although our home is safe, the wildfires are not out...only contained. 

As I was driving in this morning, I found myself in the midst of a convoy of military heavy equipment that was being moved out of our area.  Sounds like good news, at least. 

However, in the last hour there has been word that five new fires have erupted as the winds have picked up and the heat has returned to the Houston area.  I can feel my stomach begin to churn again.  I think I may have an ulcer by the time this is over!  I am glad that Jim is at home just in case we are evacuated again.  I guess I will be packing that bag tonight just to be on the safe side! 

That's where we are in our little world.  I am going to try and post some pictures of our vantage point of the fires for tomorrow.  Hope you are all safe and sound and enjoying wonderful fall weather!

Time Marches On

The skies look relatively blue today.  There is still a slight haze of smoke lingering just above the tree lines and you can smell a bit of char in the air.  We have just returned from another recon mission to lay eyes on our neighborhood for ourselves.  The parking lot of the Holiday Inn remains crowded with cars and people discussing their situations.  Other than that you would never know that our world has been turned upside down by a wildfire.

The world goes on.  There are 9-11 remembrance ceremonies on every television station and we all stop to reflect on where we were a decade ago as we heard the news.  (Driving in to work, stopped at Bellaire and Beltway 8...when the second tower was hit and we all KNEW it was no accident.)

Many prepare for the first game of the NFL season.  Even I have found myself double checking my Fantasy Football team and making substitutions as news of Arian Foster being out today flood the airwaves. 

There will be a meeting at the high school today at 1:30 and 3:00 to update us on the status of the wildfires.  I am torn between going for first hand information or just hanging out at the hotel with my family and watching football...since I know the information will soon be all over the Internet anyway.

That's what is going on In Goode Time today.  Hope you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday with your loved ones...and maybe a little football thrown in as well.  Here's to your team...unless your a Colts fan, in which case, "Go Texans!"