A Japanese Prefectural Treasure....

....made this charming little teacup. In around 1985 I stayed with some Japanese friends in Toyko and wound up going on a visit  to some of the many pottery and porcelain makers found on the Island of Kyushu. I have often photographed my hand built pot made by an old man sitting out in the middle of a field. It is large and heavy and was a really impractical purchase but I had to have it. My other impractical purchase was this little tea cup hand painted with tiny little jolly characters by another old man, who looked much like the subjects on the tea cup. He demonstrated his art with a tiny paintbrush and I was so charmed by it all that I bought a whole tea set. I had both things shipped home and they arrived, beautifully packed and intact, but most of the teacups and the pot were victims of the Loma Prieta  earthquake. I gave one cup to a student whose home burned in the Berkeley Hills fire two years later. She probably wondered what on earth she was going to do with such a thing but I felt bad for her losing everything (and all the stories that go with them)....The signature on the bottom of the remaining cup is in extras.

The trucks began arriving on the street early this morning. A prebuilt studio was delivered for Janet. I didn't see it arrive but the field was full of trucks and workers building out the studio.

PG&E had trucks across the street where they proceeded to dig a hole and make a trench across the street and up the hill for a gas line to the rockpile house. A flag person and his truck were stationed at the bottom of our driveway directing traffic around the blind curve. He was quite taken with Spike ,as was one of the PG&E workers. there was a giant vacuum truck which, according to John was servicing the RV which was then moved from its spot next to the trench.

While all this was going on, the earth mover was hard at work sifting rocks out of the dirt pile and loading them into dump trucks which carted them off somewhere. We can't tell yet what will happen with the remaining dirt.  

Then the firetrucks began arriving. The first two passed without their sirens and John, who was still out walking Spike reported that they crossed the creek and went up Wildwood Mountain Road. They were soon followed by five more, some with sirens, one a water tanker. When the helicopter arrived our alarm bells were activated. Text messages were making the rounds and nobody, including the flagman at the bottom of our driveway. Some people reported seeing smoke but all I could see was a small cloud behind the mountain. 

I had to leave for an appointment, but fortunately we have an app called Watch Duty which reports every fire call and the action taken. This was a one acre wildfire burning uphill. The helicopter was cancelled, and more tankers were called for. When I was on the way home a couple of hours later I passed several fire trucks on their way out. I met one on the blind curve and practically drove into the bushes to get out of his way. It was a big truck and I don't know how he got around me without driving into the ditch. I often meet trucks on that turn and it always looks like an impasse, but somehow it has worked out so far.

Night is now falling and all is quiet.Temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing tonight and we have covered the citrus trees. My glass of wine is calling ....