Merry Christmas and Happy New Year dear friends and family. I am sharing with you in this picture of my very favorite Nativity created many many years ago while we were living in Irvine. I happily put this up each year, remembering how the kids played with the wooden figures and how this reflects for me the simple true meaning of Christmas..... Christ Birth over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.

This past year has flown by so quickly -- like a very fast wind in the desert. Wishhhhhhhhhh Its gone by. Now as I slowly reflect upon the year, I am reminded again of so many big events. To name them all.

OUR YEAR 2009
Rachel & Johan were married on June 5 at the
Montecito Country Club with over 100 guests from
Holland to China....

We had a huge 30TH Birthday surprise for
Ryan. He also got his Contractor’s license & ran a
Triathlon under 4 hours in August......

Fritz celebrated his 60TH Birthday with lots of
family & friends.... and he caught the biggest
trout of all times......

We Celebrated GRANDMA DOTTIE’S 80TH
BIRTHDAY with all of Fritz’ brothers....
Fritz, Steve, Dave and Mike

Phillip bought his first home in San Juan
Capistrano and is a proud owner......

Fritz and Lorette celebrated 35 years of marriage.....

FRITZ & PHIL were honored to be in FORBE’S
Magazine for Marathon Investment Program’s
great track record.....

Phil’s new home in San Juan Capistrano

And then at Thanksgiving time we had a short
Schirm family reunion playing football in Pleasanton
and cousins time in Snug Harbor. Though everyone couldn't
be there, those of us present were able to hang out
with Papa Bear and enjoy our time with him also. As the blog
before this shows, Dad is with us and we enjoy our time with him
We hope he can come down to Santa Barbara soon for a gathering
of cousins at the end of the month.

My sister Jill continues to blog regularly about her cancer condition. She has amazingly lasted over 3 years. She really is a fighter. This last regiment of treatment has been particularily hard on her. Also, not being able to have some experimental treatments that she was recommended for by UCSF Doctors has been discouraging. ( No thanks to the insurance companies of course). She continues to be upbeat and hopeful for the future. Her blogs are at. http://brierleyblogger.blogspot.com/ if you haven't seen this before. There is three years worth. A full book for sure.

Please be sure to stay in touch with us. Email or call. We love hearing from you.

Hello Blogger buddies, I am sorry that I haven't blogged for a while. When I slow down enough to write emails, I am not always thinking about blog updates too.
Anyway, for those checking, I wanted to update about my Dad. I rushed up to Napa last Tuesday after receiving a call that Dad had had a heart attack. We all thought this was it. But low and behold .... here he is the next day with me at the Veteran's day services in Napa. Dad had a "cardioaversion" ( spelling??). My understanding is that his heart was racing at 220 beats a minute. He would have had a heart attack or stroke, but the pacemaker/defibulator did the trick. The defib went off 7 times. It shocked his heart back into rhythum and he is here today with us. He was rushed off in an ambulance, with Nicky following behind. it was quite scary for her I am sure. Along the way, he pops up and waves to Nicky! He was better already but taken to the hospital for tests, observation etc. I arrived that night and he was back to his daily routine. Amazing Amazing. One little friend at the breakfast table named Ruby had leaned over and prayed over my Dad. He remembers this! She thought she was also saying goodbye. Imagine her surprise when he showed up at breakfast the next day. I stayed with Dad the next couple of days and then came on home. Then Fritz and I went to San Juan Capistrano to see Phillip in his new home. We had a nice beautiful day riding bikes and visiting Phil and some old friends Mike and Beverly.

Anyway, we are blessed to have my Dad still with us. We are all in God's hands and this day was certainly a reminder. For those who know my sister Jill, she continually amazes all of us with her fight against cancer. You can get her updates on her blogger at http://brierleyblogger.blogspot.com/ We look forward to Thanksgiving with my sister Jill and Nicky and their families. We will have a family football game, and many fun memories for all of us. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Anniversary! This last Sunday Fritz and i are married 35 years. It is so amazing how the years have gone by seemingly so quickly. Our early years together, raising a family for 25 years, and now the empty nest time for the last 6 years or so. On Labor day weekend we made a fun little trip up to San Luis Obispo to try something new. WE TOOK the TRAIN.! It was definitely a first for me to try this. We packed back packs for over night and we rode around the town, eventually to a park to relax. We had a small lunch at a little Belgium place BELFRITs that my niece Bonnie had showed me once. What a treat! We probably could have ridden to Avila Beach and next time we try this we probably will. I was the chicken. How many miles is it???? We rode up to the Apple farm where we stayed. Cute little place that we had never stayed at. I stop here every time I drive up to Napa and Pleasanton. Its my gas, coffee, bathroom break all in one. So to actually stay in one of the well decorated cute rooms was truly a treat. Especially the Hot Tubs! After riding up hill to get there, it felt so good. Fritz and i had a nice dinner out and we rode all over Cal Poly the next day. In our college days when we met, we were both going to Cal Poly Pomona. Well SLO Cal Poly has so many of the same buildings, programs, Dorms, etc that we experienced, so It was fun to ride around the EMPTY campus. ( Remember, this is Labor Day). We had a really great time and we a planning our next Bike trip down to see Phillip in Dana Point and getting off in San Juan Capistrano. For our anniversary dinner last Sunday, Fritz took me to the Stone House at the San Ysidro Ranch. It was a culinary treat for us. And then on the 14th I created my own chef's delight of Fritz' favorite dinner of Broccoli and chicken. ( any suggestions for a new name here?)

What a busy adventurous 2 weeks this has been. This last Tuesday night I flew to Boston Red_Eye to be with Rachel and Johan and see their new place. I had such a nice time with Rachel and we cooked one of their favorite meals-- Mexican Fajitas. On Thursday Marilyn from Kansas City arrived. I took her on the freedom trail, visiting all the main sites, plus the beautiful Boston Library, and the Boston Gardens and the Commons. Johan treated us to his now Famous French Onion soup. Rachel delighted us with her quiche. Definitely with the European touch which we love. We said our farewells and on Friday Marilyn and I were off on our adventure to Martha's vineyard. Traveling there is no easy task for a Californian who likes to jump in her car and go. Its walk with everything-- suitcase, purse, computer bag, shopping bag etc. We took the T-line to the train and bus depot, to take the bus to a harbor. Then we took a ferry across the channel to the island, again lug everything around to try to find the car rental place and finally jump in a car and go. Only took about 4 1/2 hours total to travel a total of 70 miles maybe? Actually at least 1 hour was waiting in the line for the bus at the station since I was off by an hour for our departure.
Details, details. .... This really is like a journal you know, if you have gotten this far. ....
Next we enjoyed driving all over Martha's vineyard and staying at a farm on the vineyard with ponies, llamas, sheep, goats, donkeys and a few skunks and snakes also along our path. Its was the most restful and beautiful little place I could ever have imagined. I was so blessed to be with a special friend, Marilyn and to be in such a beautiful place as this was. We were in heaven. The weather was wonderful, the walks on the beach, all the scenery ..... it was wonderful. What can I say? I am thankful for a Santa Barbara friend who gave me the opportunity to stay here. It was an incredible gift of time and relaxation.

As an artist I found so many wonderful places for artistic inspirations. We took pictures of all the lighthouses that I could get to. I have lots of material to paint and enjoy again and again. My very first canvas painting from Cal Poly days in the 70's was a lighthouse! My Dad has it now. Coming to the east coast in the past, the lighthouses inspired me to try painting again. And here I am... I shall be putting my artist's palette to use with all the pictures and inspiration I gathered. More lighthouse pictures to come!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER JILL!

SHE IS SUCH AN AMAZING LADY! SHE IS ALWAYS FUN, POSITIVE AND FULL OF LIFE.
SHE IS SO BUSY BUT ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR ALL HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY. SHE WALKS AT LEAST 3 MILES A DAY, IS AN ADVISOR FOR THE CANCER SOCIETY, ( HELPING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN JUST DIAGNOSED), HELPED WITH TEAM RELAY A FEW WEEKS AGO, HELPED A COUPLE FRIENDS THIS YEAR WITH MEMORIALS FOR SPECIAL FRIENDS, BRINGS MEALS, LEAD A BIBLE STUDY LAST YEAR, IS REMODELING HER HOME, HELPED ME WITH OUR WEDDING IN JUNE AND WAS A WONDERFUL ASSISTANT TO ME, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. WE ARE ALL AMAZED AT HER ENERGY LEVEL AND I WISH I HAD HALF OF IT. IN THE MIDST OF CANCER TREATMENTS, DOCTOR VISITS, AND ALL THAT THIS ENTAILS ALSO. JILL I AM SO BLESSED BY YOU AND WHAT A SPECIAL SISTER YOU ARE TO ME AND NICKY, AND LOUIE. YOU INSPIRE ALL OF US!

Hello Blogger Buddies. This has been a fun morning. Ryan participated in his second SB triathlon with some other friends. You have to be an early riser to see this. 900 guys and gals lined up on the beach to take off into the ocean for a 1 mile swim at 7AM. Ryan went with the "second" wave and was ahead of the pack right way. Jr. Guards relived again. The second part of the race is the 34 mile bike ride through Montecito and Carpenteria and back. Then the 10 mile run along the shoreline streets of Santa Barbara and back. Ryan came in just under 4 hours. He came in 10th in his Clydesdale division. He improved about 20 minutes from his times last year. Congratulations Ryan on a job well done. It was great to hang out with Katie, Tina and Kelly for the 4 hours as we were Ryan's cheering section. Thanks girls. It was fun.
Fritz is hanging out in OC today with his Mom. Grandma, you gotta watch this next year. You would love it.

Happy Birthday Ryan! Today he is 30 years old! It's hard to believe that this milestone has happened. Last Saturday night Jason and Tiffany organized a surprise party for Ryan. With all their creative ideas, a great event called the "HarnZ-A-Thon" was the happening place. Phil and Jason planned a Guys night out with Ryan. On the way up to town, an emergency call from Tiffany came in about an emergency plumbing "I need help now" type of problem. When Ryan showed up, about 35-40 people were hiding and jumped out and surprised him. AND he truly was surprised.... We got him good! Thank you to Tiffany and Jason for organizing the fun party. Thank you to Jess from SB Crumbs who created an amazing Birthday cake with pictures of Ryan through the years. Thank you Landon for the many great pictures for the slide show. And Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the fun evening, It was great to be able to share this day with so many friends of Ryan through the years.

And today Ryan is at Hume lake Junior High Camp hanging out with the kids from Youth Group. Scott Dupar the leader was his leader back in Junior high and recruited Ryan to come along side in leadership this past year. Have a great time Ryan. Photo slide show of the party. I am sorry for anyone I missed.

Hello Blogger family.
Did you know that Kansas city is the Paris of the Plains!. Really!! it has a river running through it, beautiful bronze statues everywhere with fountains, an absolutely darling Plaza, Music on the streets in the summer, Art everywhere and a beautiful Art Museum called the Nelson. There is so much more also. Anyway, my best friend from college days--Marilyn settled here about 30 years ago. And she is the best part of Kansas City for me. We have been friends for 40 years this September-- Wow. That is a long time. She is a very treasured friend, as anyone can imagine. She is beautiful inside and out. And now she is very happily married to Dave Geisler. Dave and Marilyn spoiled me with wine and cheese and several dinners out to marvelous places like an old school house called the Webster School House, and Bravo an Italian delight.
The World War One National Museum was a wonderful treat also. Everyone should see this. Its a whole history lesson in a few hours. It was very very interesting. I hope to go back to review it again next year.
Fritz enjoyed his annual men's sailing trip to the islands with John Coleman and group of friends. They floated, paddle boarded, hiked and and went swimming with the sharks ( just kidding). They are out there but mostly they leave you alone.
Anyway, we both enjoyed this once a year weekend. When we were back we were off and running-- We were part of a surprise party plan for Ryan. And He was surprised. More coming up ...... tomorrow.....

CONGRATULATIONS MR. & MRS. VAN GORP
Happy Wedding Day from Santa Barbara! Yes, it did finally happen. Rachel and Johan's day was June 5, 2009. Rachel and Johan are now Mr. and Mrs. Van Gorp. As the dust and the whirlwind days begin to settle I am left with a quiet home ( Yes:) and an orange flower garden all over my house. So now I am reflecting and thinking about all I have had this week, the many wonderful people that we met, and how I am so thankful to have had so much family help. So as I reflect, thank you for visiting with me and if you like to share with me............ read on.


As you can see from my previous blog, the month of May was busy with the fire " San Jesuita Fire". Packing up, evacuating, coming back home and trying to get everything back into order. Before I was able to even clean up,.... I was off to Napa to spend some time with my Dad who was in the hospital. I made it back to finish up what I could to be ready for the wedding week,... take off for Grandma's 80th Birthday party. Then back to pick up Johan and Rachel from the airport in Lax on May 27. Oh, yes, and my birthday on the 28th..... From there we had 10 days to be ready for the wedding. I thought I was ready, but Rachel had a bunch more small tasks for us to work on, and away we went. organizational important busy work, ribbons and flowers, decorations, curtains, flowers, bouquets, sewing, baking, cooking, planning, etc. On the 29th our family welcomed Johan's Dad Anton and his family. On Monday Johan's Mom's family arrived, and more friends arrived from all over the world each day. Sadly, Our weather was not cooperating and we were having definitely gloomy June days. On Wednesday began the floral decorations preparation. On Wednesday night my family began to arrive also. Jill, Bonnie, Marilyn, Brigitte were all there to help with the flowers on Thursday morning. Petra joined us, as did Jessica.


On Thursday the day of the rehearsal, the sun broke through and we had a beautiful time at the rehearsal as the sun was setting. We had an incredible Santa Barbara evening-- our rehearsal dinner was at our family homestead in Santa Barbara-- Uncle Clem and Aunt Sheila's garden in San Roque. Fred, Dorian's special friend cooked an amazing dinner for all to enjoy. It was so delicious, my mouth waters to think about that steak that I had that night--the best ever. And I have the recipe now-- In dutch though. Thank you Fred and Dorian, Hannie and Oma Jo for all your work to put that beautiful meal together. Thank you Anton and Petra for the sponsorship of the dinner also.

On Friday we woke up to a downpour of rain. Now ... we really need rain in Santa Barbara. Its is a good thing... But on Rachel's wedding day??? pray pray pray..... We had moments of panic....... but the sun broke through in the middle of day. Dreams do come true. They were married with our beautiful coast in the background. The wedding was beautiful, but most importantly is the new couple and the special people that they are. The wedding was so much fun. I think everyone had a great time, but mostly Rachel and Johan.

I am so thankful for all the friends and family who were able to come and join us on this day. We had many family members of Johan from Holland and China. Dorian and Fred, Anton, and Petra, Pepino, Martina, Anne Marie and Hanneke, Oma Jo, Hanney, Titi and Peggy, and I hope I didn't miss anyone. For all the friends of Johan and Rachel who came from out of state, thank you so much for being with us. It was so amazing to bring together the different people from literally around the world. Rachel was so radiantly happy, Johan stood strong and handsome as a prince. ( Were you ever a frog?? Just kidding) ....

As I begin to look back on the whole week of events I am amazed and exhausted . So allow me to recap our week and share my deeply felt thanks you to all our friends, family and new found friends and family.

I think one of my best memories of the night --- Fritz and Rachel danced to "Butterfly Kisses" which was truly special. But remember Johan -- our first choice song was " I loved her first"! Not wanting to shed any tears, we opted for "Butterfly kisses" which is also very special. . Another special memory was after Johan and his mother danced to a delightful Dutch song, we all joined in dancing. It was so wonderful to hear and sing the dutch songs and blend the two families together and we enjoyed the dancing and singing through the evening together. Tyler my nephew wrote a sweet song and performed this during dinner for Rachel and Johan. Thank you Tyler.

In order to have an event take place and run smoothly, a lot of friends and family were involved. I so appreciated each one for their extra help for me. As Mother of the bride.... I needed. HELP! Each of these people came forward and became a very special part of our day. I would be remiss not to say thank you for all the extra touches each of you included to help our day be extra special. So If this seems like some advertising,... well some of it is. But its the personal friendship and extra touches that have made this day special.

Thank you to Raya for all her care and work for the whole day creating beautiful pictures of the day.Her Engagement photos are adorable. For family, you will see them on Pictage. Follow the link. Raya you truly are the most creative young lady I know. Your Photography shows only a portion of all your amazing talents. Rachel and Johan's Engagement pictures

Robyn from Impressive Weddings was a huge help to us and I was able to truly relax and enjoy the Wedding day. Robyn came on board back in April and I am so thankful to have had you to work with. Thank you Robyn.

Jennifer Harnsberger was our ever present photographer for the "Picture Booth" creation. Rachel loved the picture booth at our cousin Laurie and Justin's wedding last year. So ever the do-it- yourselfer she had to make it. With help of course. Thank you Ryan for building the booth and to Jennifer and Link for your expertise with the camera set up of the booth. It was a very popular part of the evening as over 800 pictures were taken. Please take advantage of these pictures and purchase your favorites at Jennifer's site on Shutterfly. http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/gallery.jsp?gid=768a5498ce7e50496808

My awesome family was such a help. Jill my sister runs circles around me with all her help with food, flowers, set up and tear downs at the rehearsal dinner, candy table, flowers, deliveries, clean up, and on and on. Bonnie and Brigitte were quiet the team with the flower arrangement assembly on our deck and the set up at the reception. Jessica, Carrie and Rachel worked hard on the wedding bouquets, Laurie and Justin with the spray roses display. We were also joined by Petra on Thursday morning as we put the arrangements together. Nicky my sister every the camera queen has some great video footage of the wedding and reception.

My friend Nicole was an awesome babysitter -- thank you for volunteering. Tucker is in LOVE with you. And Retha filled in later -- Always a wonderful Grandma. It was good to see you also dear friend. Jacob the minister has been a friend of Phil for almost 20 years now? Thank you Jacob and Kim for being a special part of this day.

My dear friend Nancy baked part of the wedding cake--the delicious strawberry cream sections of the wedding cake. And she provided help and fruit for our Sunday brunch. Thank you Nancy. Karen thank you for the fruit platter. It was gobbled up very quickly.

If anyone in Santa Barbara needs flowers, I love Padaro Floral. Michel the owner was more than gracious to us with ordering ORANGE tulips all the way from Holland for our event. What is a dutch theme without tulips?
Jessica, you were amazing in so many ways with Rachel and helping her in so many details.-- the shower, decorations, program..... and so much more. And to the bridesmaids... to her girls, Andrea, Carrie, Christine, Jamie and Lynn, you all helped make this day special. Jamie and Annie, thank you for the Bachlorette party that you gave Rachel. That was so special also.

And then Annie decorated a cute bike, Liza handled the quilt squares, Phil took care of the bike, Ryan built and set up the Photo Booth and the hoopa. So many helping hands.Hairdressers Nancy, Nada and long time friend Gunilla were wonderful with their talents of making each of us feel beautiful.

Last but not least, my dear friend from Kansas City Missouri was here to be my special "gopher" girl. Since I have been the official gopher so many times in my life, I especially appreciated all her extra help in so many little things like ..... dishes, food, cooking, last minute shopping. you name it. Thank you Marilyn, and thank you Dave for sharing her with me.

Thank you so all the friends of Johan and Rachel who came from so far-- Boston, Washington DC. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, ..... To all these new friends welcome to the United States, to California and to Santa Barbara. i hope you enjoyed your time here that it was pleasurable. And you are welcome to come again.

We have many new friends from Holland now to visit someday. Dorian and Fred, Anna Marie, Hanneka, Oma Jo, Hanney, Lowie and Yvonne. From Shanhai was Bart and from Bejing was Pepino, Martina, Petra Johan's Dad Anton, and his friend Titi and Peggy. What an international time we have had. I look forward to meeting each of you again someday. Thank you so much for making such a big trip to be with us on this special Day. I know Rachel and Johan were touched to have you there with us.
Thank you Fred for so many pictures that are on my computer. More Pictures from Fred Hoebink More pictures from other friends and family will come soon.

A couple months ago, my Dad said he hoped to be with us at the wedding. It was his birthday wish to be with us and make it to the next wedding. It was touch and go there for a while. A big thank you to Nicky my sister and Dr. Tom who brought Dad down from Napa. DAD, you made it. Thank you Dad for making such a super human effort to be with us. He is 89 folks, and a 7 hour drive is not easy at that age. To Dr. Tom the best doctor in the world, and my sister Nicky, thank you for your patience in bringing my Dad down and making this wedding extra special for all of us by having his presence. Thank you cousin Lynn for driving Uncle mike and Kathy up for the wedding and for a special visit with Dad also.

Last but not least, my dear husband Fritz who through all this hustle and bustle has truly been on a marathon. The constant company, early morning phone calls, interruptions, and all in the midst of an incredibly busy week. WE are excited to have him featured in Forbes magazine this week. Actually Marathon Investment programs has a little featured ad under California Weatlh managers. Marathon Investment Programs is in the top ten! .

This last week has been very stressful, and I was awake many many nights with "things" running around in my head. So this is the prayer I would say over and over each morning the past week... " Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord" . and "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." I believe that and I know I wasn't alone. The Lord was with me and he brought me so many angels to come along side of us.

So now we can continue on with our life. BC / AD. or BW or AW... Before the wedding and after the wedding.... Life goes on. The wedding day was wonderful, but now we have a marriage. Welcome to my new son-in-law Johan and welcome to our new dutch family in China and Holland. We look forward to a time when we can all meet again. Rachel and Johan--- enjoy yourselves this week and we shall talk soon.

Happy Birthday Grandma Dottie! Grandma turned 80 on the 21st. Her birthday wish is for a time to have all her kids together and here they are. Her four boys-- Fritz, Steve, Dave and Mike. A very special day indeed. Thank you to Tina for helping make this happen. It was really good to see everyone and hear all the funny antics of the boys as they were growing up.

In two weeks from now is our big Wedding day for Rachel and Johan. We are looking forward to the Dutch family members who will be joining us beginning next weekend. We pray they will enjoy their time in California and our family time together. IF you haven't seen this yet, our friend Raya is a fantastic photographer. She created this web site of their engagement pictures.
Rachel and Johan

Happy Memorial Day! Today is a day that is special to remember those soldiers who have given their lives for us in our previous and current wars. As a child growing up, every Memorial day I remember going with my two grandfathers ( WWI vets ) my Dad, and my brother in scout uniform to ceremonies to honor those who gave their lives for our freedoms. I am thankful for the impact that this has had on my life. I see it more now than I did then. In 2004 Rachel and I with two girlfriends visited the Normandy beaches. It was a very sobering experience. To see the crosses, and know that some many of our best young men died in one single day. I have also been to the Arlington National Cemetery and someday I hope to see the new WW2 memorial in DC. Maybe next year! Freedom is not Free, and today we realize that more than ever. If you haven't read Tom Brokaw's book "the Greatest Generation", do read it. As June 6th approaches and DDay 65th anniversary is remembered, it is a very good read.

Hello Dear Friends and Family,
I am up in Napa again right now. I have made many trips up here this last year. My Dad has been having health issues and I have used the extra time I have had to spend with him. I have been telling some friends that Dad is visiting the Queen! Well he is actually. He was at the Queens of Napa Valley. On Tuesday morning he asked to go the hospital because he was so swollen with fluids, that he could barely walk. Dad has a failing heart and kidneys, so together they are slowing him down. At the Queens they have been able to make him more comfortable, but this really is only temporary for now. His health has been like a YoYO-- Up and down-- Dr. Tom says. He has been able through excellent doctors help ( especially Dr. Tom) to have a lot of extra time with us. He is feeling rested and comfortable for now. On Friday we went home. Rachel was able to come from Boston for a visit. My brother Louie came up Friday night, Don and Leslie came by on Thursday, and Carrie on Saturday. Jill has been back and forth once or twice a week also. We are all very concerned about Dad and his comfort at this time.
I want to thank all my SB family and friends far and wide for their concerns. Thank you for your prayers for our family, as so many of you have walked this journey with your parents already. We need to make decisions about his care for the following weeks, to help him be comfortable and continue on with his last days or weeks ?
Dad has given us a solid family who loves each other. We have many cherished stories of his life growing up in San Diego, meeting my Mom in Ghent Belgium, and our days in Burbank growing up. Our Dad has been a man of faith all his life and that has been his stronghold. Our strength is in the Lord-- " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit".

Hello family and Friends.

THANK YOU FOR SO MANY CALLS AND CONCERNS. HERE IS a Santa Barbara Fire update.

We had two sleepless nights, especially last night. It was very very windy around our home, and we are in a protected area believe it or not. The fire of Santa Barbara started in one area in the San roque area, and spread in many directions, but now mainly two areas. With the dry air and wind potential, over 30,00 people are evacuated from their homes.

The total burned so far is 8600 acres and about 80 homes. The last fire was much smaller area but 240 homes were lost. At this time of the evening, no homes are threatened. The fire is very high on the ridge, and we have evacuations as precautions only. We have lived in Santa Barbara over 20 years, and experienced a fire in 1990, similar to this fire. Now we have had 3 large fires in less than 9 months. The winds are beginning to gust up again, but the fires are at the top of the mountain range. I have stayed close to home these last few days.

With all this activity, we are also anticipating the wedding of Johan and Rachel in just 4 weeks. We are looking forward to the big event and all the visitors we will have in Santa Barbara.

Pictures from cousin Joe: http://picasaweb.google.com/bohnetts/May2009Fire#