Glad to hear your family is safe. Condolences on the cars... I think I know what you mean about losing the tools, something that you've held so much it feels like a part of you. Hang in there man, hope you are made whole before long.

My sympathies for your loss. Glad you are the family are ok.

wow, not really sure I have any words other than thank god you are your family are safe. good luck on the recovery.

CalFire C-130 just dropped a red load on our house. Hallelujah.

The devastation in Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa is disheartening. So many objects acquired over a lifetime consumed in seconds. Rebuilding will be painful and hopefully financially you will be covered.

I spent the day yesterday with a good friend, a car designer and co-founder of the RGruppe, and we were looking at some amazing 914-6s. When I heard about some of the cars he had owned and sold, my initial thought was "how could bring yourself to part with these?" His answer may help you find peace here - he said that he considers the journey to be far more important than the objects. He describes the cars he's owned and parted with as a series of great experiences, and when he's done with the experience, it's time to move on to new ones, which keeps him excited and engaged. (That also explained why we found ourselves in a garage in rural WA looking at a slightly decrepit Austin Healy Sprite to consider).

When I think back on the cars I've owned and regretted selling/crashing etc, I'm at peace when I think of my friend's perspective. What I've enjoyed more than owning them is experiencing them. However they leave my life, the experiences (and the friendships and discoveries) are the best part of the journey.

Yes, the fire burnt your possessions but it didn't consume your journey or your experience - it just created the opportunity to find a new experience. Hopefully that will bring you some added optimism especially as you and your neighbors are surrounded by devastation.

Toasting not your loss but the beginning of your next journey!

I like what you wrote Dave and right now I don't know if my Olympic blue still exists. I'll post when I know.

So sorry for your loss. Glad to hear that you and your family are okay.

My father had one great line:

"Things always get better"

He grew up during the great depression, so you can see where that thought came from.

I can't tell you how many times I repeated that phrase to myself when I was in the depths of depression over some the many calamities in my life. It gave me hope for a better future. Life is a series of highs and lows. Rest assured that this low will be followed by a high. It seems impossible now but, it will come.

Dave

Please understand: our house may have burned but we don't know. We may know soon.

Waiting is a bitch!!

House and 914 still intact. I'm about to start drinking. It's been a helluva day. Pictures soon.

We have been following the devastation from here, and can you tell you that is incredible and disheartening to see the devastation over such a wide area. I cannot imagine the feeling to see you home and everything in it disappear.

Hope you come out the other side in tact....

Wow. Just. Wow.

Everything that isn't steel melted to slag.
Zach

Water boils at 212 F.

There is no way to stop this with the winds the way they where blowing.

I had friends living on St. Johns USVI and now this.....

I feel like doing something.

I'm glad you and your family are safe.
Sorry about your loss.

Thank God! Tonight was a two beer night for me.

Is this your neighborhood? Jesus, unbelievable.
https://gizmodo.com/drone-video-shows-posta...il-i-1819394101

I'm hanging with you Steve.
A map on my browser is centered on your property showing updated satellite data of the nearby fire line and hot spots. That's way too close for comfort with a hot spot at the bottom of the hill and the fire line along Mt Veeder Rd.
Praying that good conditions today will mitigate any threat from high winds returning this weekend.

Thank you all for your thoughts and encouragement. I'm still having trouble coming to terms that this happened to me. It really does suck. I know it will get better, but it sure sucks now. I've been looking for a silver lining and one of them is that my waiting is over. My house is gone. Unlike others, I do not have the stress of anticipation. Yesterday I was helping a friend of mine in an evacuation alert zone to clean up his yard and wet down the perimeter of his still intact house. He has feeling a stress that I do not have.

My neighborhood is currently off limits so I have not been able to visit the house again. I feel better than I did a few days ago, but I'm sure when I do get back in there it's going to hurt again, but a little less.

The thing is, it's not just one or two houses burned. It's blocks, neighborhoods. It's crazy what has happened, and I wonder how many years it will take to rebuild these places, and what it'll take to get there.

I was not home... had flown to Atlanta on Sunday. My wife called me at 3am PST and told me they were evacuating. Our neighbor across the street woke my wife to alert her of the glow on the hill over our neighborhood. My wife banged on other neighbors' doors. People were honking car horns to wake others. Another neighbor went to my house and asked my wife if she was ready to go. My young son got dressed, wife rounded up three cats and fled with another family. Must have been quite a scene.

Yeah... we were right on the edge. Houses across the street were not touched. Here's what my backyard looks like.

Thank you kindly for this interesting perspective..

Please don't forget Mendocino County. I'm on the coast, thank God! My 14 is well but inland it is an inferno. Drove up yesterday from Santa Rosa and you could see the fire burning from the 101 all the way up.

True. There are so many fires burning it's hard to keep track. Best of luck to you!

I'm just back from a trip to our house. House still there. Porsches both in garage and ok. All of my brush removal/fuel reduction efforts seem to be paying off. Fire has burned around most of the house on the ground but has not gotten into the tree canopies. I'll add some pics if I can figure out how to do that with my iPhone. EDIT: I'm too dumb to post pics from my iPhone. Strong north winds forecast for tonight are worrying. We're still hoping for the best.

Thoughts and prayers, my friend...

Thank you for that update. The map I've been watching shows fire all around you.

Steve, I didn't realize. You must live along the Oakville Grade? I have friends that lived on the Sonoma side and had a vinyard and winery. Just recently sold their property. The Spann's.
If you need anything let me know. I'll be down tomorrow. If the road is still passable, we could put your cars down at my shop.

Steve just called. He was able to get up to his place (I'll let him fill you in on how he was able to do that!) and get some pics. He asked that I help get them posted.

So, here's yesterday (Thurs) morning looking north from the top of his property

The arrow is pointing to Steve's home.

Yesterday (Thurs) shot from the ridge top about 1.5 miles NW of them. Same as the last pic.

Bomber dropping retardant.

Radar site that lets you real-time track air traffic. This is the spotter plane path that circled Steve's place for hours on Thurs.

Tanker drop just south of Steve.

This is Steve's place, Thurs ~ 6:00 PM. The fire has burned the ground fuel but, thankfully, didn't get into the canopy. Yes, this was extinguished after the pic was taken.

300 feet down the driveway from Steve's house. Ground burned, trees not.

9:00 this morning...

Remains of a 3000 gal water tank.

Another from this morning. Sprinklers aimed at the house.

Steve-

Pictures speak volumes...you are very fortunate.

Best of luck to all northern cal teeners.

All of you are in our prayers.

Oscar

Well said, brother....
There is peace in that reality.
As for our brothers ordeal....
What’s real is the sense of loss, So we will support you in a shared empathy. Know that collectively we feel your despair and share our heartfelt condolences. I believe with the strength you’ve already exhibited here, you and your family will be ok. Share, With us your journey to the new place and we will applaud you and be inspired by that.
Peace to you and your family.

Thx Chris for posting pics for me. Tonight's winds will test our fortune..... thx Rob for the offer but it's way too scary to go there now.

Just stay safe.

Good luck with the winds tonight Steve. Please do post in the morning how you faired.

It might be a while before we know anything but I will post as info comes in.

I would probably cry dude. Love my cars more than anything

My condolences man. Tough to recooperate after a disaster like that for a homeowner.

Lived in Idaho for a short while and experienced range fires up close, but nothing like these. As others have said, those affected and posting here are safe and will rebuild, however it is still an emotionally difficult road.

I've never lost a house or worldly possessions, but I have been through a few traumatic times, but in the end I realized there were silver linings. In those cases it was the outpouring of assistance from friends and strangers, and rebuilding old friendships along with forming new friendships from those who assisted.

Best of luck to all of you, and also to those who suffered losses from this devastating hurricane season.

Pics just in from Steve. These are just south of his place.
He thinks their house is still there and they may have some eye witness info soon.
Thoughts and prayer and fingers crossed...

Thx Chris for posting the pics. There's quite an air show going on just south of us. Sikorsky Skycrane sucks up 3500 gallons of water from an irrigation pond in 15 seconds. Getting real on the ridge top.