This isn't in the job description...

(I apologize for the long loading time of all the pics.)


(update 2:32pm - I should clarify that the fire was a result of a "controlled burn" that changed its status to "raging inferno" without our permission.)


We’ll begin this post with much respect to my dad, Uncle Rob, Uncle Kenny, and Michael Morello for the work they’ve done and continue to do. Today, I got a completely new perspective on their jobs after the wind kicked up and we were faced with a real forest fire here on the property. When I got the call I thought it was joke but within a minute I was racing to the property. My uncle and I had a shovel, a rake, and our 4-wheelers trying to control it from one side. The wind was constantly shifting so one moment we would be surrounded in gray and the next it would be totally clear. We kept at this until the Tennessee Department of Forestry (guided in by a plane above) arrived with their huge dozers to start an authentic fire break.

About 30 acres was torched with only minor damage done to the neighboring property. One of the contractors lost his dozer and another blew the motor on his excavator in their attempts to control the burn. Though the ground looks awful, we’re fortunate that the larger trees seem to have withstood the heat. I lost a pair of pants in process but am thrilled that no one was hurt in all the excitement. All the pictures are taken by my uncle and me once the fire was “under control” and we could just watch with minimal concern.

Bryan and I observing the line that was cut.


The fire stayed on the hill and didn't make its way down to the road.


There was plenty of fuel in parts of the burn to keep it going.


The next two are a couple shots down the ravine after the TDF guys ran through there.
 

This was one of the TDF dozers in action. These rigs had 3 metal spinning discs on the back that dug deep into the ground and then sent earth to the sides to widen the break.


This was an area they made a break knowing the fire would eventually spread there.


George and Mike... the 22 year vet and his partner.


The disabled dozer after the fire went down.


Uncle Rick.


This fire behind me was set by Mike a few seconds earlier.

Aries Spears...

... is hilarious. We saw him live at Zanies in Nashville and he kept the rednecks rolling for a good hour. I'm not going to link to any of his YouTube videos or anything because a grip of his material was pretty crude. If you do happen to search on him, watch the clip of him at Live105 doing a medley of LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, DMX, and Jay-Z.

The Stampede at Murfreesboro

One of this past weekend's adventures was a trip to Stampede. For my Bay Area friends, imagine a cross between the Graduate and the Saddlerack - but not as classy!

I'm feeling generous so let's hand out some awards...

Couple most likely to replace Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the cover of People. Mullet names are regional and his is a perfect example of the "Tennessee Tophat". I know that I'll never have a Bud Light in fear that I'll end up with a flat face.




Award for the "Most Awkward Mixture of Styles". This feller has the long-T that is so popular in the urban culture but can't deny his redneck roots by choosing the camoflauge edition.



This lady wins top honors for being "The Cougar Trying the Hardest to Stay Fresh". I'm still trying to figure out if Katie is thinking something or just mugging...



The gentleman in this pic earns the "1st Degree Groper" prize for his constant molesting of any chick that wasn't paying attention. His M.O. was to shuffle behind a young lady, put his hands on her hips, and swing side to side. This usually lasted a second and a half before they pushed him away.



The "I'm Proud to be an American" award is for spending money on a leather jacket to remind you of what country you're from. Lindsay is not impressed!

Am I the only one that gets the joke?

This showed up in the local paper and I really can't put in to words my shock at their choice of a headline. Someone there obviously knows what a "happy ending" is but would you see it on the cover of the New York Times?? Small town paper... Here is the text of the article in another paper.

Welcome to Winchester

I don't think these guys are taking themselves too seriously but it gives a little window into life out here. Winchester is a relatively big city compared to Monteagle about 20 miles north on 24.

Church...

Yesterday, we went to Pat & Audra's church in West Chester. Crestview Presbyterian was a neat experience. Even though the church isn't Catholic they are observing a modified kind of Lent. The whole point is to sacrifice in the 40 days leading up to Easter and remember what Jesus Christ did for us.


I had the privilege/horror/opportunity to witness this statue lit up at night at Solid Rock Baptist in Monroe, OH. 65 feet tall!!

Cleaning up the weekend in Cincinnati

* My roommate from coaching soccer at the Santa Clara University camps is blogging his SECOND tour in Iraq. He was called up from the reserves and is back overseas. He's sarcastically hilarious but could use the encouragement of knowing people here care about what's going on there.
His blog is aptly titled "never as funny the second time..."

* Verizon didn't work in the whole state of Kentucky. A quarter mile after we saw the sign that said "Welcome to Tennessee" I was once again connected with the rest of the world. Kelly couldn't believe how much this upset me.

* Snow is fun - especially in flip-flops... no one warned me that the greater Cincinnati/Dayton area was going to have a slush/snow/rain/sleet storm on Saturday.


* The Hofbrauhaus is technically in Kentucky - just on the other side of the river - which means you can still smoke indoors which is brutal for any Californian that appreciates clean air...


Kelly & Audra: 10:30PM


Kelly & Audra: 2AM


You won't see him working at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich...


* Bojangles in West Carrolton, OH just outside Dayton. The band played hard rock covers and originals that were really not that bad. At one point the techie was working on the drum kit when the lead singer took this real big step backwards in a complete rock star maneuver and almost bailed. I enjoyed that but not as much as the quality on the dance floor.

The night was saved when I almost traded my Guayabera for a denim shirt with a wolf silkscreened on the back. I had to *settle* for his faded blue t-shirt with Foghorn Leghorn on the front with the caption "Chicks Dig Me". Yes people, this is Dayton.