Big Sur is consumed by a 80,000 acre blaze that threatens the most pristine landscape in California. The smoke plumes rise over the hill from where I'm working in a house on the Carmel wetlands, France has been inundated with rain and the US midwest has been pummelled with floods. I am hunkered down seeking solace with a nice albarino from Condes de Albarei and pondering... what's next?
I'm puzzled by all this and the cause/effect of unregulated building into wild areas. Nancy and I have spent most of our lives buying land on remote mountaintops in order to get away from the wackiness of humanity. Well, that didn't work. We were just another white, NIMBY wanting to be the last one to close the gate. I thought I was doing the right thing by blasting through solid rock and personally burying all the power lines for a mile and building a custom wetlands for the septic system. Silly me. As soon as I did that, people bought land around me and said,"thanks alot for the free power, have a nice day, bye bye". I think I need to seriously re-address my dysfunctional family issues.
Then there's Clint Eastwood. I see the ex-mayor/star around town alot and once sat next to him when I was a sprout at the local foreign movie theatre (my first introduction to the French female anatomy). He owns Pebble Beach Golf Course, various gated residential developments and was on the CA state parks board. Let's see... did he have any access to available land adjoining state parks?? But he can do no wrong around here and I do admit to working on projects in those same developments.
Ah, there's the connection. I'm feeling guilt. This amazing place where we were raised is also the place that is on fire; whether from over-development or Nature's wrath. Distance used to be the inhibitor and has now become a marketing strategy. You too can have your mini-ranchette on 35 acres nestled against state park wildness (even though you are not a resident and your tax dollars do not go to CA infrastructure).
Aieeee... Luckily, I have moved on to a nice Clos la Chance Zin to quench the fire. Thank goodness CA firefighters are here busting their butts for all of us. I can't seem to change the curmudgeon I am but will continue to try to make my nest a better place for all the community. I hope others may do the same.
