Great news!!!

     The house is up!!! Doug first called me when they were across the way, up the hill, over the highway, but able to see that their house stood! It didn't look blackened, the car didn't look black - but they had to wait for W. to leave the area before it would be opened to them.
     Well, once the Pres was gone, they were able to get up close, and the house is intact! The yard is destroyed, fences burned, one tree was cut down, the treehouse lost a leg, but the house seems fine. They are extremely fortunate, as the house next door was burned to the ground, and 7 of the 13 houses on the block had some sort of serious damage or total loss.
     It's amazing to think that half of your neighbors had some slight difference in luck - what was the thing that spared one while condemning another? Doug said he pictured the opening scene to Forrest Gump - following the feather as it flits around blown by unfelt gusts of wind - and that had an ember blown slightly differently, perhaps it might have lit upon their roof and they wouldn't have been so lucky.
     We're just so relieved, thankful, happy, {insert your adjective here} that the family is safe and that they can start to return home!

San Diego Update 10/25

     They haven't been able to get up to the house yet to see for themselves, but hope that they can today. Apparently they are allowing limited access for medical needs, and they hope they can get up there for some things for Grandma.
     In the meantime, they are keeping busy looking for places to eat, and watching the news for... well, news. Some of the local businesses are open, but many are operating on reduced staff, since so many people have been displaced.
     It sounds like Ada and the kids were able to visit some of the cousins, so I hope they were able to have some fun amidst the upheaval. Here's to continued hope that the house is perfectly fine!

San Diego Siddalls

     Family and Friends, thanks for checking in. I've spoken with Doug and Grandma a couple of times today, and wanted to let everyone know what they've told me. In short, the news so far is as good as it can be when you've been evacuated from your home.
     The family is holed up not in Qualcomm stadium with the rest of the city, but managed through a serendipitous connection to move up to a Marine Corps barracks - so they actually have a room with two twin beds and a twin mattress for the floor! I'm guessing that it's pretty cozy with all five, plus the dog...
     Doug was not able to get up and check on the house personally, but a city councilman had some staff walk the neighborhood and create a list of houses that had been damaged. Their house is NOT on the list, which is good, though keep all your prayers going until they've had a chance to confirm it for themselves. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be allowed to go take a look.
     If Doug provides me any additional updates, I'll post them here - and feel free to make comments - I'll relay anything either direction! And may everyone come home, safe and healthy.