Friends,
The fire is 100% contained and everybody in my little burg is relieved to say the least. We had phenomenal air support during the battle to knock the thing down, including the celebrated DC-10 supertanker. No pictures of the monster, but here’s one from Saturday that I thought turned out well. 
The men who lost their lives fighting that fire were from here though, so it’s fair to say that the normally light mood here is abnormally somber. “Getting back to normal” mode doesn’t come easy for my neighbors and their efforts, like the carnival held this evening, appeared a little forced. I entirely get it having feared for my own house but for the folks who knew the chief and his crew, it’s still tough.
What this town does though is get together and make something else of the loss. Every event that was to be held to benefit something else, from the play at the school to the concert down the way to the Halloween Carnival itself are now fundraisers for the families left behind. They don’t have to do these things, but they do. And that’s yet another reason why I live here.
Your pal,
– bob