[alfa] Alfa Paradise Lost...

[Dio Genio <diogenio@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ladies and Gentlemen, count your blessings wherever
you are...

I write this from San Diego, California, home of one
of the most active Alfa clubs in the country...and
active for good reason...we have a year-yound climate
of warmth, sunshine and beautiful mountain roads to
die for. "To die for" is exactly what has happened.
The raging brush fires of the past 2 days have already
claimed 1,000 homes and 13 lives in San Diego County,
and the worst is not yet over.   

I just watched a news report about how the fire is now
encircling the historic mining town of Julian, a
little berg of 300 people nestled in the pines at
4,000 feet. A more picturesque town one will never
find, and car enthusiasts of all types dream of the
weekends so they can take the 90 minute drive up
twisty mountain roads to this wonderful, welcoming
destination. Julian boasts the best apple pies in the
west, real down home hospitality--and it even has an
Italian-American winery where the Alfa club would
proudly show our cars off at the grape festival.

Our Alfa paradise is now all but lost. Firefighters
are not very confident they will be able to save the
little town when fire reaches it in approximately 3
more hours. If Julian goes down, it will signify the
total destruction of our Alfa paradise.  "All country
roads lead to Julian" around here, and it was our hope
that regardless of destruction enroute, Julian would
still stand to welcome us. As it is, ALL of the
beautiful roads in our sparsely-populated back country
have been destroyed by fire. The pines, cedars and
mountain oaks are completely charred as far as the eye
can see. Who wants to drive a Spider through the
cinders of lost lives and charred homesteads?  I for
one, will never again enjoy a drive through the
grounds of such human suffering. 

Tune in to the national news tomorrow night if you are
not aware of what we are going through. I'm counting
my blessings that I still have my life, my house, and
yes...even my 3 Alfas are still OK. But from this day
on, being an Alfa owner out here will never be quite
the same.

Ladies and Gentlemen, count your blessings wherever
you are.... 

DENNIS
AROCSD 
San Diego, CA

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