You're bringing back memories. I was lucky, too. I'm out a section of East County where the fire didn't get any closer than 4 or 5 miles.

It was as you described, both metaphorically & literally. I remember being on a run through Pala, Julian, Lake Hodges, etc… on 10/24/03, with a bunch of fellow maniacs & west coasters. The next day, we were all scrambling for cover.

Good writing shines, Rob. You hit it on the head.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story Rob. I guess some part of me had no idea that with all our skills & technology forest fires can still take away more than the material world. It was a powerful story, thanks for sharing.

For those who know the San Diego area, I'm in northern Mira Mesa, on the canyons. When I first drove my old Mini Cooper up here, this area was still wildlands, and cougar tracks mixed with deer tracks down in Cuervo Canyon below. This was the edge of civilisation for a while, just like the twisties runs are now. Just over to the west, Gurney, Hill, and the rest of the elite sports car pilotes ran on the old Torrey Pines road course in the Fifties, manhandling those big Jags, Masers, and Ferraris. Fast cars have always been around here, I guess.

This time of year is really the best for twisties, as the turistas are back in their four-season states, and us locals can drive 'em with less of an eye for rubberneckers. The road and weather conditions can remain almost the same year-round, so when a big change from Mother Nature happens, it's effects are exaggerated out of all proportion. It is now possible to take the same twisties much faster now, but some of savvy has been taken out 'em. :(

Thanks, again, for the comments. As for editors, I'm with Raymond Chandler, another local chap, who made good. You could look it up.

Mind how you go, now -

      BCNU,
     Rob in Dago

I am sorry to hear about your co-worker. I used to work with a girl named Christie and I know she lived way out in the East county, (Alpine, I think). I haven't seen or heard from her in nearly 2 years since we both left the job we had together. I am left wondering if this is the same Christie.

Take care Rob. Perhaps I'll see you on the road sometime.

Glad that you and Brooksie made it through. Sorry to hear about your friend.

Keep on riding the twisties…

Scott

Looking forward to more Rob and Gabe.

Thank you for posting the story, Rob. Pay my first post no mind.

Thanks for the story.

If I were you, I would tone down the nicknames, cutesy tone and verbosity. A story like this is ill-served by all of those things. Here's what I mean:

• Evidently, you call your Mini “Brooksie.” That's fine, but you need to explain what “Brooksie” refers to. Similarly, you apparently have another car you call “Westy.” It's not entirely clear that Westy is a car; the sentence in question could mean that you loaded your dog (a Westhighland Terrier?) into a car. In the same vein, you call yourself “Rob in Dago.” I have no idea where Dago is, though it seems to be in Southern California. San Diego is my best guess, but I'm really not sure. I suspect few people outside of Southern California know where “Dago” is.

• This fragment could be pretty confusing: “…but slurry bombin' Hercs stomped it out, thankfully. There's nothin' like watchin' one of 'em skimming the ridges…” I'm an aircraft geek, so I happen to know that you're referring to a C-130 Hercules firefighting plane dropping fire-retardant slurry. However, you leave less-geeky readers to deduce that a “slurry-bombin' Herc'” is an airplane. Granted, phrases such as “skimmin' the ridges” provide a hint, but why not just be clear?

• Clarity and tone are the collective focus of my final point. You seem to enjoy usin' lotsa informal phrasin' and apostrophes in your writin', and although it does create a certain tone, I think it does a disservice to your otherwise solid story. In the context of your story, the death of a co-worker seems to demand a less jocular tone.

I don't mean to sound schoolmarmish (though I probably do), but it seemed to me that such a worthwhile story could be even better with just a few changes.

Ever,

E. B. White

“discombobulated” ;)

I'm headed out to watch the angry clarinet participate in a band competition. We never miss one, cuz they will be done for good soon enough.

But after we get home, I think I'll take Percy-Bob out for a spin. There are a few twisties here in flat-land that I haven't checked out in a while . . . Roof open, windows down.