Fuck me. I didn’t listen to this sage advice. I just felt I had to see what I had heard. I lasted less than 5 minutes, and covered just a spec of that map. I burst out in tears. It’s devastation beyond comprehension. And it’s not some far flung place. It’s where I’ve lived for the last 23 years. Where I’ve walked my dogs, raised my kids, gone to breakfast, smiled and waved to neighbors. Enjoyed our little country club. It’s all gone. I wasn’t prepared to see it. My heart is shattered. But again, I am among the fortunate. But what drew us here is no more. We have to stay and see this through though. We need to stay Dena Strong. But fucking a, that was a punch to the nuts I wasn’t prepared for. And i didn’t even see the worst parts. To say I am sad is trivializing it. I’m crushed. This was a community we were so proud of. 25% of people drive around with “Beautiful Altadena” license plate frames because, well, it was. It was an oasis in this urban metropolis. And it just got nuked. We’ll see what rises from it.