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The Radio Reminds Me Of My Home Far Away
Just got off the phone with my mom. Turns out the "cell-harvesting" phase of Dale's treatment went far more successfully than anticipated, and they're letting him go home for a week before they begin the re-insertion phase. Being doctors, their prognosis remains conservative, but based on current results, there's a strong likelihood he'll complete the treatment well before the end of the year.
While we were talking she asked if I'd seen any of the pictures from the massive brush fires down in Southern California. Well, yeah, I've seen a few, including some spectacular shots taken from 200 miles above the action by the ISS Expedition 16 crew (see yesterday's post).
"There's one in today's Seattle Times, and I think it's my cousin Alvin's house," she said.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." (I don't think I've ever even met the guy, but still, you have to feel a bit of sympathy for anyone who's just lost their home.)
"No, no, it didn't burn" she replied.
Sure enough, while we're talking I'm pulling up the Times web site and in the photo gallery accompanying the article there's what is presumably a shot taken from a helicopter showing a street in Rancho Bernardo, outside San Diego, which shows the remains of a dozen rather large, expensive-looking homes burnt down to the foundations, but with two homes at either end of the conflagration apparently completely untouched:
(Photo Credit: Louis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
"I'm looking at it right now," I told her, marvelling at the sheer scale of what appears to be completely random destruction.
"I think his is the one on the right," she says, "your Aunt Laura was talking our other cousin in Bend (Oregon), and they're both pretty sure that's his."
"Wow, that's pretty lucky for him," I replied.
"Well, the thing is," she went on, "I guess he had the house fire-proofed last year after all the brush fires they had down there. He spent about $900,000 to get it done. He bought the house five years ago for something like three and a-half million (why don't I know MORE about these relatives of mine?) and now it's worth about five million."
"In that case, he definitely got his money's worth," I said "If I were him, I'd be calling the fire-proofing company and be asking about doing a testamonial for them when this is all over."
Even if it's not the right house, those two home owners on that street have pretty much used up their quota of luck for about the next 50 years, I'd say.Labels: brush fires, cancer, Family, San Diego
Posted byCOMTE
on 4:00 PM
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