It was so nice to meet with People of the Books again (we finally gave our book group a name after reading Geraldine Brooks’ fine novel last year). It was good to forget about loss and vulnerability for a few hours and just talk about literature with smart, kind, generous friends. I am lucky to know so many wonderful people.
The Big Rock neighbourhood of Malibu is named for a—you guessed it—big rock just offshore. The local brewing company named their amber lager for the same landmark, and it happened to win a national beer award last year. We met the brewery’s owners today, and once they heard about our recent loss, and our preference for darker beers, they loaded us up with Big Rock to take home. If we can’t live in our old neighbourhood for the foreseeable future, at least we can enjoy the namesake beverage.
We’re staying in a manicured, gated community, so the nature pickings are somewhat slim. But I did bring these lovelies home with me from my morning walk. I’m getting a nice little collection of seed pods here.
Emails, thank you’s, disaster relief research, chasing down leads, fund raising, fire maps … it all adds up to a lot of screen time. It’s so weird to be in someone else’s space, feeling like there’s so much to do and yet there’s almost nothing we can do. Hopefully a plan will coalesce soon.
We fled the fire with only a few changes of clothes, but luckily there is no shortage of pre-loved garments in this part of the world, so we’re pretty well kitted out already.
Beauty falls from the trees.
I made this graphic on Tuesday morning, before the Palisades Fire ripped through Malibu and burned down our house and everything in it. Food for thought, as we slowly replace myriad items that have been vaporised.
We have literally been dispossessed. Strange days.
hashiworks 