Fire on the mountain

I got home from the game last night all in one piece. No pulled muscles or any other "anatomical" damage that some coaches inflict on officials. Got to bed about 11 or so and slept soundly until 4:30 a.m. -- when the fire alarm went off.

We were paged out for a structure fire at a retreat lodge east of town. I was the first rig to roll and I was talking with my partner wondering exactly where this place was. As we were heading up the street, we came around a bend in the road and I could see a large column of white smoke against the black night sky.

"I bet it's there."

By the time we arrived on scene, the whole structure was one big-ass bonfire. We asked for mutual aid from two other departments and I spent the rest of the night with my truck pumping water from a pond down to the other rigs so they could pour water on it and keep it from spreading. The only thing left was the chimney. And luckily the place was vacant.

By the time we got cleaned up at the scene, cleaned up at the station, and my rig put back together, it was 10:45 a.m. when I showed up at home again.

I took an hour nap, then cleaned up and went and watched my girls play volleyball. Where, I might add, they dismantled their opponents.

And now it is time for me to find a football game on tv and pass out for a few hours.