tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281519437069491769.post3070410900479456910..comments2023-08-26T10:05:22.123-05:00Comments on Goldenrod's thoughts: Fire!Goldenrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09246352554498015300noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281519437069491769.post-60872977021065714762009-07-10T00:28:03.813-05:002009-07-10T00:28:03.813-05:00Craig, have you ever sat around a campfire staring...Craig, have you ever sat around a campfire staring - almost mesmerized - into the flames? I have! Have you ever roasted marshmallows on a stick over an open flame? I have! Have you ever sat near (or slept by) a fireplace that was crackling? I have!<br /><br />There definitely IS a fascination with fire, and has been - I guess - ever since the cave man discovered that he could make a spark. <br /><br />But uncontrollable wild fires (such as those in California that seem to appear every year in one area or another) or deliberately-set fires? There the fascination quickly ends for me and turns to "I'd rather not look at or hear any more about it". Not much doubt that I'm taking the coward's way out here. <br /><br />Chuck, on the other hand, has spent many years trail-blazing and assisting others in trying to recapture and then maintain our country's natural beauty. He has story after story after story on his various blog sites about the many parks he has visited - some over and over again, and has my admiration for his continued love for and dedication to being an integral part of the efforts to preserve our planet.<br /><br />Steven, I drove a taxicab for many years. One of the gas stations I frequently stopped at, just before going to Hobby AP to get signed in and then wait for my turn to pick up a customer, was almost right next to Houston's primary fire-fighting training facility. Over the years, I came to know some of the firefighters.<br /><br />They're just regular people, Steven, exCEPT they have an extraordinary amount of courage. My daughter seems to think that some might have become firefighters because they are 'drawn' to fire. I suppose that might be true in some instances. In others, perhaps they had such an abhorrence of fire's potentially devastating effects that they felt bound to dedicate their lives to fighting it!<br /><br />It really doesn't matter what the answer is, or what the statistics are, actually. All I know for certain is that if I call 9-1-1 and scream "Fire!", some very brave men are going to come running just as fast as they can to my rescue.<br /><br />One or two bad apples do not have to make the whole batch of cider rotten. We just throw them out and keep the good ones - and there are a lot of 'keepable' good ones out there!Goldenrodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09246352554498015300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281519437069491769.post-23348303769052238792009-07-09T20:17:40.187-05:002009-07-09T20:17:40.187-05:00a fascinating post about something that each of us...a fascinating post about something that each of us has dealt with at some point either through arms-length television or newspaper reporting of someone deliberately torching a region or through the more direct and emotional experiencing you describe with the burning of the hotel. there are so many stories involving volunteer firefighters (who count among the bravest people out there) looking for some sort of glory or association with a big fire. it makes you wonder. stevenstevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14132104804524716898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281519437069491769.post-38078255271581072492009-07-09T19:05:43.391-05:002009-07-09T19:05:43.391-05:002003? Arizona? I don't think it was that lon...2003? Arizona? I don't think it was that long ago nor do I think it was that far south, Chuck, but you might be correct on this one. Also, the story of the "worker" who was 'lost' doesn't quite fit in with my memory banks, either, but ... ... ... I'm more than a little disgruntled and distracted right now by the fact that my cell phone is all screwed up. I can't receive calls. I cannot call out. It's fully charged. I wonder what would happen if I doused the ****** thing with lighter fluid and then lit a match right next to it? (Except I'd have to be very careful not to do so in Australia or in a very dry area.) Sometimes it takes the SMALLest things to discombobulate one, doesn't it? Right now, I'm discombobulated as all get out! :(Goldenrodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09246352554498015300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281519437069491769.post-17625409922608552022009-07-09T18:26:19.953-05:002009-07-09T18:26:19.953-05:00In 2003, I did a volunteer trail project in Arizon...In 2003, I did a volunteer trail project in Arizona's Apache-Sitgreaves Natl Forest. Over 700,000 acres had burned months before, and that fire had been set by a forest service worker (not a ranger as I recall) who became lost and set it to summon help! We also got to visit a working fire tower as part of our reward for volunteering. That was very interesting.Chuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08590017513597344000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281519437069491769.post-9717468535318968852009-07-09T15:05:19.574-05:002009-07-09T15:05:19.574-05:00Certainly another interesting post Goldenrod. I ha...Certainly another interesting post Goldenrod. I have never understood the strange fascination that fire holds for a lot of people.Craig Peihopahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13133732737732225587noreply@blogger.com