Ashes, Dust and Concrete Steps
On Monday, July 22nd, I walked into our home exhausted from the five hour drive from Kamloops after a long weekend vacation with Ryan. There was a severe thunderstorm warning and I knew the fires were still around but far enough from the townsite that I didn’t feel concerned. I was anxious to get home and back to my daily routine. Half an hour after I walked in the door, an evacuation alert started. I called Ryan in a panic and in tears. I felt anxious at the possibility I would go to bed on high alert and be asked to leave in the middle of the night. I re-packed my bag as if I was heading back to Kamloops for a week. I made sure I had some comfortable summer clothes and my bike stuff. I reviewed the evacuation list on the town website. I packed the flashlights, batteries, phone chargers, In-Reach, warm clothes, passports, water and food that was suggested. I prepared in case the power went out and I had a shower. It didn’t occur to me that we wouldn’t be back to our house. Within th
