GETTING BACK INTO THE 21st CENTURY
The moon was the brightest thing on Main Street last
night during what was supposed to be the annual
village "Hospitality Night."
Revelers were either detoured by or working at
sites like this.
No official count yet, but many trees were felled
by the highest winds in more than a decade. Some say
more trees than any time they can recall.
This is a block from our home. The scene was repeated through out Cambria.
I can't tell you how many times in the last day and half
that I've walked into a room and flipped the switch.
We are dependent on that convenience aren't we?
I read by lantern light, we used the fireplace for
heat and hoped the refrigerator would hold it's cold.
All evening we waited to be surprised by the return of
of power. But when it was time for the
festivities to begin on Main Street, we were all
in the dark. Merchants provide treats and snacks as
the locals stroll through the stores. It is a village
tradition to kick off the gift buying and party season.
But the combination reunion, party, social event
was illuminated only by headlights.
As always when there is a power outage,
there was one place, powered by their huge
emergency generator-The Main Street Grill.
You've surmised where people headed. It was said several
times last night, if we sit here long enough we'll see
everyone in town. That was almost a literal truth.
TODAY, BACK UP IN THE AIR
Some were lucky to get power last night, but many
woke without toasters, coffee makers, radio, TV
and the Internet. It was also chilly in unheated homes.
These signs were all over the village.
Ice for powerless refrigerators was flying out of the Cookie Crock Supermarket.
PG&E guys told me they had been at it 30 hours
non-stop and have a 4AM call to head to Santa Cruz
tomorrow. I'm not sure the overtime pay is enough.
These scenes will explain why I'm at Mike and Jacque Griffin's sending this post. That stuff you see on the downed line is the Charter gear. Looks like cable, phone and the Internet will down a while.
Great idea of "bundling" the services eh?
Wondering now why I bought it.
This is a bundle of another sort.
Once the PG&E crews depart, the Charter guys
will have to jump it.
WE LOVE OUR TREES, BUT
Cambria is one of only a handful of places in the world
where the Monterey Pine grows naturally. They are a
unique tree and as you can see very shallow rooted.
It doesn't take much to send them over.
Cambria in the Pines is one of the historic names
for our village. Our friend Robert quipped today
we should change it to Cambria in the Pains or the Monterey Pain tree.
After 30 hours the power came on at our home on the
ridge. Nice to have lights at the flip of a switch,
heat, a washing machine. And soon, I hope, Internet and
cable. Spoiled aren't we?
Oh, and if you are out this way, the Hospitality night
will apparently be re-staged as a Friday night
sigh of relief. The historic winds are gone but
so are some of the trees.
See you down the trail.
