Those stupid Californians building home in a forest.

PVC said:
I have SEEN 3-4 a year, but I'm sure there's been more that I don't see. Whenever I see my cat watching something on the floor intently I go to check. They're usually the smaller tan kind and they're the most poisonous. I never walk barefoot around my house. I did see a really big one outside but I leave anything outside alone.

My CPA told me that she's allergic to scorpion venom. One day she took her bathrobe hanging from a door hook and put it on and put her hand in one of the pockets and got stung by a scorpion resting in there. She almost died as her throat muscles started swelling.
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Well, no offence but I believe I would get the heck outta Dodge......
 

rgp said:
Well, no offence but I believe I would get the heck outta Dodge......
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EVERY place has its minus and pluses. The only things I don't like about Tucson is the 104 daily average heat in the summer and the occasional high winds and dust devils (mini tornadoes) during the year. It sure beats yearly excessive flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, snow, sub-zero temps in other places. Arizona has all the climates of all 48 states, I could choose one without having to ever leave the state, but I'm happy in Tucson except for the extremely hot months (June - August). Then I wish I could live in some alpine cabin in Payson (beautiful town).
 

Evacuation is by area only because if they said everyone evacuate the roads can't handle the volume. So families wait and watch fire until it is their turn. California will not widen roads because it would be waste of money if a fire does not occur in that area soon after.
 
squatting dog said:
Not really. It's just that there are some areas that are over populated. Reminds me of the story that the entire population of the planet would fit in Texas with about 1000 square feet of space ea. :eek: Not a realistic deal, but it does bring into focus the myth that the earth is over populated. :)
http://factslist.net/2013/03/the-entire-world-population-can-sink-into-the-state-of-texas/
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From the 2010 census ... https://io9.gizmodo.com/these-are-the-most-uninhabited-places-in-the-united-sta-1566007620

nh0bjvrgrlqenzrbplf4.jpg


This map was put together by Nik Freeman using census data from 2010. All those green areas you see are census blocks in which nobody lives (a block being the smallest area unit used by the U.S. Census Bureau for tabulating statistics). The U.S. consists of 11,078,300 of these blocks. Of these, 4,871,270 blocks — totaling 4.61 million square kilometers — have no population living inside them.
That means 47% of the USA remains unoccupied.

Unpopulated areas typically consist of federal lands, parks, grazing land, or desert. Some of these places are also challenging to live in. Interestingly, some blocks also consist of industrial and commercial areas that are, technically speaking, uninhabited, but developed.
 
squatting dog said:
Not really. It's just that there are some areas that are over populated. Reminds me of the story that the entire population of the planet would fit in Texas with about 1000 square feet of space ea. :eek: Not a realistic deal, but it does bring into focus the myth that the earth is over populated. :)

http://factslist.net/2013/03/the-entire-world-population-can-sink-into-the-state-of-texas/
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Don't buy it. The USA population has more than doubled since 1950 and seems like they are all out in front of us on the road. Personal service has declined and,hey, now there are only two kinds of roads because of it; inadequate and under construction...lol :

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
Yes,insurance costs are already becoming ridiculous. Hate to see where they are going to go now,with this latest fire. We might leave California,but where would we go? We like Oregon,but went there two years ago on vacation and although we traveled and stayed all over the state,we could hardly breathe for all the smoke from the wildfires THEY were having everywhere. And we have 4 kids,18 grandkids and, so far,2 greats,who all live in Northern California. Do we just up and leave all of them? Can`t even fathom that.
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I'm in the same boat, Mrs. R. Three kids and two grands (plus more will be coming from our two children who've gotten married recently). All live nearby, have set down deep roots of their own, and are clear that they are planning to stay in the Los Angeles area.

Having just buried the last of our parents, hubby and I can read the writing on the wall for ourselves. One day we are likely to need our kids to help, guide, advocate, oversee and/or intervene on our behalf. Our senior years would be the worst time in our lives to move hundreds or thousands of miles away from the family and friends we love most, and with whom we have the greatest levels of reciprocal support.

What would be our motivation anyway? We're surely not going to find better weather. Lower taxes when we can afford those taxes? Fear of EQs when we've managed that fear for decades, even lived through a big quake and came out the other side? Traffic aggravation when we know alternative routes and can run errands during off-peak hours? Fear of wildfires when statistically speaking very, very few homes burn each year (350 structures destroyed and 3 fatalities during 2019 from wildfires out of 13 million households and 40 million people? That's a less than two-tenths of one percent chance of my well-insured home being lost, and an infinitesimal chance of loss of life to wildfire.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of California's demise are greatly and frequently exaggerated.
 
PVC said:
EVERY place has its minus and pluses. The only things I don't like about Tucson is the 104 daily average heat in the summer and the occasional high winds and dust devils (mini tornadoes) during the year. It sure beats yearly excessive flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, snow, sub-zero temps in other places. Arizona has all the climates of all 48 states, I could choose one without having to ever leave the state, but I'm happy in Tucson except for the extremely hot months (June - August). Then I wish I could live in some alpine cabin in Payson (beautiful town).
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Payson IS beautiful, I went through/stopped there about ten years ago.

There are many beautiful places out west that truly considered moving to at one time. But, like many I suppose ? Uprooting is not all that easy........as such, here i sit.
 
rgp said:
Payson IS beautiful, I went through/stopped there about ten years ago.

There are many beautiful places out west that truly considered moving to at one time. But, like many I suppose ? Uprooting is not all that easy........as such, here i sit.
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Have you also visited Sedona with it's beatiful red earth? I went to visit it and was driving from the west at about 4pm. The setting sun was hitting the red hills and it looked like the town was aglow. I had to stop on the side of the road, was afraid of getting into an accident since I couldn't stop staring at the vision. I stayed overnight and drove around looking at properties but they were way overpriced. I asked and they said that Californians during the 1980's exodus had bought up the houses and jacked up the prices for late comers.
 
PVC said:
EVERY place has its minus and pluses. The only things I don't like about Tucson is the 104 daily average heat in the summer and the occasional high winds and dust devils (mini tornadoes) during the year. It sure beats yearly excessive flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, snow, sub-zero temps in other places. Arizona has all the climates of all 48 states, I could choose one without having to ever leave the state, but I'm happy in Tucson except for the extremely hot months (June - August). Then I wish I could live in some alpine cabin in Payson (beautiful town).
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PVC, are you talking about sand storms when you say "dust devils"? We were in Arizona some years ago on business and the secretary in the office we were visiting said she had to run home and put her bird in. Seems her bird was out on the patio and a dust storm was coming.

I ask her what would have happened to the bird and she said he would have died due to swallowing the sand. Wondered if that dust & sand got into the houses, like under the doors or through any crack? Hope not a lot of course. Everyplace has pros and cons and that does include relatives possibly in both categories...lol.
 
squatting dog said:
Not really. It's just that there are some areas that are over populated. Reminds me of the story that the entire population of the planet would fit in Texas with about 1000 square feet of space ea. :eek: Not a realistic deal, but it does bring into focus the myth that the earth is over populated. :)

http://factslist.net/2013/03/the-entire-world-population-can-sink-into-the-state-of-texas/
Click to expand...

2 billion of us humans is about the maximum capacity of this planet. We're already at over 3 times that.

https://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/3_times_sustainable
 
PVC said:
Have you also visited Sedona with it's beatiful red earth? I went to visit it and was driving from the west at about 4pm. The setting sun was hitting the red hills and it looked like the town was aglow. I had to stop on the side of the road, was afraid of getting into an accident since I couldn't stop staring at the vision. I stayed overnight and drove around looking at properties but they were way overpriced. I asked and they said that Californians during the 1980's exodus had bought up the houses and jacked up the prices for late comers.
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I have............ Allot of folks that have owned for years, are sitting on a gold mine but, as a friend that is in that situation says....where do i go ?
 
Liberty said:
PVC, are you talking about sand storms when you say "dust devils"? We were in Arizona some years ago on business and the secretary in the office we were visiting said she had to run home and put her bird in. Seems her bird was out on the patio and a dust storm was coming.

I ask her what would have happened to the bird and she said he would have died due to swallowing the sand. Wondered if that dust & sand got into the houses, like under the doors or through any crack? Hope not a lot of course. Everyplace has pros and cons and that does include relatives possibly in both categories...lol.
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You're probably talking about the "Haboob", a miles long dust storm. So far it happens only in Phoenix, not Tucson where I live. It's dangerous for old people and health compromised people, and of course animals out in the storm. I've never experienced a Haboob, I'm sure the dust gets inside the house through cracks or open windows etc. I hope it never starts doing it in Tucson.

Dust Devils look and act like tornadoes, but they're small. They have torn tiles off roofs and ripped off roofs off sheds and they follow a path just like tornadoes, damaging some stuff and not touching other stuff just feet away.

https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/...e-environmental-and-health-issues/3272677002/
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I was watching a PBS special about the 2018 fires in California. I was thinking about those stupid Californians, who built homes in the middle of a forest, which gets routine fires about every five years. Then I looked around. My home in Northeast Pa. is totally surrounded by forest. The area is called Blueberry Hill because of the blueberry bushes, which grew here, after a huge fire ravaged the place years ago.

I began to wonder if we, humans, are rather stupid to be building in areas we know will be under water, or burnt up. Places like New Orleans, which is going to be inundated again, whether we like it or not. Places like California forests, which will burn again, as they have done for centuries. Or building in a known flood plane. Rather than rebuilding, should we try to limit the rebuilding?
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After living "Nightmare Alley" (the city I currently sadly reside in) for me living in a forest would be like finally finding "Eden" yes even with the risk of wildfires. You really don't why people choose to live on the edge with the possibility of fires erupting around them. They probably are very private people who know that modern cities are dissolving into hell holes and desire peace stability and security.

I guess they have their own personal reasons for living in the forests. More power to them!
 
Bonnie said:
Haboob .... lived through a few of those in Phoenix. ... yes it makes it's way inside of houses.

iu
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Bonnie, how do you protect your house? Do you try to put tape across the door frames or whatever? Just wondering as we've never been in one. Been through a couple hurricanes, blizzards, etc., but never a sand storm. Even in Egypt.
 
rgp said:
Payson IS beautiful, I went through/stopped there about ten years ago. There are many beautiful places out west that truly considered moving to at one time. But, like many I suppose ? Uprooting is not all that easy........as such, here i sit.
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When you went to Payson did you visit Zane Grey's cabin where he wrote some novels? When I went I wanted to visit it but said ''next time''. Well, the years went by and the forest around Payson had a big forest fire and it consumed the cabin. It was rebuilt, but it's not the ''real thing'' so I am no longer interested.
 
PVC said:
When you went to Payson did you visit Zane Grey's cabin where he wrote some novels? When I went I wanted to visit it but said ''next time''. Well, the years went by and the forest around Payson had a big forest fire and it consumed the cabin. It was rebuilt, but it's not the ''real thing'' so I am no longer interested.
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No, never went there....It was 2009-10 when I was there. Shame it burned down though.......
 
You're right FB. I have a friend who lives in Cali and while she's horrified by the fires, she said she never would have bought a home in those areas...just out of common sense. But people with money want to live in these exclusive areas. Blueberry Hill...shades of Fats Dominoe. I hope you don't suffer the fate of these Californians!

I also wonder about people who build homes on cliffs. And yes...why build below sea level? WTH are they thinking?! I recently came across two articles about cities/towns that will be under water by the end of the century. N.J. coastline towns are among them. I have a timeshare (high rise resort) in Atlantic City, which is on the list. We were told by a geography professor decades ago that someday California would become an island. Looks like it's going to become a burnt out wasteland instead. So much of the topography in this country is changing!
 
No one hardly ever considers Hawaii as part of the United States. But it is and one that will undoubtedly be under water again some time in the future. And no one actually really cares, or if they do not badly enough to really do anything about it. Pretty much the same as everywhere else.
 
I live in the Rocky Mountains, full of forests. But our population is much lower than California's. Firefighters have a lot more room to actually fight the fire. Overpopulation and overbuilding are definitely contributors.
 

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