Burnt out in France - Burnt out in Santa Barbara

Sitting in the cafe across the street watching my life go up in flames I called my brother Corey. He would know what I was feeling more than anyone else. He and his family lost their home in the Painted Cave fire that swept the Santa Barbara canyons in 1990. They lost everything including their walls!

 Only thing standing was the fireplace. And, as proof of his macabre sense of humor here is their 1990 family christmas card.

My sister Robin wondered what the odds are that two people in the same family would lose their homes to a fire. Have no idea. Don't even want to go there. In anycase the result is the same. A whole lot of ashes.

Corey was stocking the Anderson family photo archives, all our childhood photos, gone.

So my kids had already experienced a sense of loss in that there are very few photos of their mother as a child. Now they have very few photos of theirs. Here is what I managed to save.

I am here now at their rebuilt home. Talking with Jill who was forced to evacuate as the flames swept the canyons, we found that our thoughts at the time were the same--that the fire couldn't be all that important--that the firemen would come and put it out--that we would be able to resume our lifes as before--walk back into our homes.

Jill and Corey lost several pets also. We both suffered guilt feelings that because we didn't realize the importance and thus didn't react in time to save all our pets. 

I don't feel so alone now.

Kristi Anderson is the orignal owner of Tea & Tattered Pages and until February 6, 2010 ran a bed and breakfast near Orléans.
kristi anderson
le saint jacques le coin perdu
15, place de l'église
45240 Ligny le Ribault
TheAmericanFrog@aol.com