We are okay….. Woke (late Sunday night), actually at 1:21 AM on Monday, Oct 9th to the glow on the ridge! We had people from Chicago staying in the ‘B’. Rousted them at about 3AM and they packed their car and then helped us go through our house and winery and pack up valuables and memories. So sweet.
7:12 AM….Still standing by. Packed & ready to roll. Then the wind shifted when fire was about a 1/2 mile away. Friends that are evacuating are now coming here. So much devastation… entire neighborhoods… GONE! Fountaingrove GONE. LBC…GONE. Big red Round Barn….GONE! Just starting to sink in….
Heartbreaking for those who’ve lost their homes and EVERYTHING. And now because so many businesses have burned… they’ve probably also lost their jobs. At first I almost felt guilty that we are ok. But now I’m able to help others who’ve lost everything. We have become a ‘shelter’. We have 3 families living here now and a couple more cute dogs including our friends Brian & family and also Debbie our employee that was going to be packing and shipping your wine this week. Their houses burned to the ground in the Coffey Park area of Santa Rosa.
They are a bit like zombies…walking around not knowing what to do first or next. Totally fine then sobbing… then fine again. No Internet or power so trying to contact insurance etc is difficult. Not able to go to what once was their homes. NOTHING there now but a smoldering hot pile of ash. We just want to be of service…
Still no power but generator is fired up. We are good. So many people are not. To regain normalcy, with the help of friends, we are pressing off wine from grapes picked over a week ago and getting it into barrels. It is delicious.
The devastation is unfathomable…. it hasn’t even begun to sink in. More fires raging north east and south of us… daughter Rachel & family have now evacuated from the ‘Pocket’ fire near Geyserville, CA to our house.
This is not over……
We love you.
#SonomaStrong
Wendy & Kevin
