"Mike, there's emergency vehicles in our driveway!"

This afternoon Vincent and I noticed that the neighbor was burning some leaves again. This time is was near the pond in the back of the property. We could see a few white wisps of smoke trace its way through the pines. We were both glad that he wasn't near the house so we ignored him and kept snorting around in the woods.

Angela and Vincent enjoying a normal fire
at Dad and Vincent's Beaver Lodge Campsite

There are so many things for a dad and his boy to get into on 4 acres of land. We made a camp site called "Dad and Vincent's Beaver Lodge Campsite", built a fire ring, tried to catch a squirrel, climbed trees, learned how to spit for distance and then for accuracy, and fell in the pond.

All of a sudden we heard Dawn calling for us from the house. So, as we were trotting back home Vincent noticed that the smoke had become much thicker where the neighbor was burning. Now, instead of white whips tracing gentle trails through the pines, there was a solid white cloud rolling skyward. It was heavy smoke, the kind that you can't see through and that never gets far off the ground. I've now learned why that kind of smoke is so thick.  Its the beginning of a serious forest fire. The smoke has stuff floating in it like leaves and sticks and ticks and rabbits and rakes and pine cones and neighbors and shovels and all manner of hell. Maybe that's why firemen wear helmets?

Dawn was standing in the back yard when we came out of the woods. "Mike, there's emergency vehicles in our driveway and the guys are running toward the neighbors woods. What were you two doing back there? I told you not to mess with any fires Mike!"

"We didn't!" We turned to look back at the woods. "Holy cow that's a big fire! It didn't look like that an hour ago did it Vincent?"

"Nope."

"See honey, we didn't do anything!" I was more worried about our own hides than anything else at that moment.


"Well go see whats going on. I hope that idiot doesn't burn down our forest!"

"Mom, Dad said we can't call him an idiot cause its our job to help him learn."

"I'm sorry honey, you are right. That man has problems. Now go with Dad and see whats happening."

We didn't want to look nosey and just go waltzing onto the neighbors property like we owned the place. So Vincent came up with a great plan. "Dad. We can sneak through the woods by the pond and see if we can see whats going on. The wind isn't blowing that way. Plus, if the fire comes we can just jump in the pond."

"Good idea buddy! Then Mom won't get mad at us for having muddy shoes already."

"OH DAD! Lets bring the camera! Then we can show mom when we come home!"

A few of the volunteers and the red pump truck on the right.

Vincent with fire department in background

So that's how we got the pictures you see above. The volunteer fire department put out the fire within a few minutes. Thankfully he only burned about a half acre of woods on his own property.