Thanks y’all. Luckily, they are unharmed and were insured. USAA has already offered them an advance to take care of immediate expenses/-their next door neighbors did not fare so well, as they had paid off their place and therefore, dropped their insurance. I can’t even imagine. My brother-in-law has housing at his work (mobile home, but still) because he has to spend several days there at a time, so they have a place they can go and not be a “guest”. So, all in all, they are counting their blessings. The destruction is still devastating, though.
I am so sorry about the loss @buuzn03. Hugs.
@buuzn03 , wishing positive thoughts for your sister and her family during this difficult time.
@stargirl3: I think that was on a sedan that I totaled a few years later…but yes, that car did have a small SAS sticker on it.
No bumper stickers for us. Our cars would get cluttered real fast with 4 kids. Our oldest DS(22) just added a license plate frame for PEA to his car. He finally started embracing the PEA name on apparel etc last year- of course where he lives and is finishing up college- most nobody has ever heard of it though.
That’s awful, @buuzn03. I’m glad everyone is OK.
Sorry to hear this@buzzn03. We had a house fire once but not a total loss like that.
@buuzn03: Like ChoatieMom I didn’t see your post about your sister’s home before going on about school stickers. My apologies.
@buuzn03 I’m just catching up too. Sorry to hear about your sister’s home. I’m sure USAA will take care of them. In my my experience, they have been excellent.
Thanks, everyone. USAA was amazing and took care of everything in less than 24 hours. The only thing they have to wait on before full payment/closure is the adjuster has to physically view the property. They aren’t being allowed there yet, because the fire is still not controlled. Prayers are still needed for that area, many are not safe. I’m thankful my sister and BIL only lost a home and can rebuild. Others are losing much more.
Meanwhile, the kids and I made it to California and are visiting Cate today, Thacher tomorrow. I wish it were warmer but can’t complain too much as we were put in a gorgeous room facing the ocean. (Company perks!). Happy 4th to you all!
@buuzn03 - just catching up on CC - hoping all is going better now for your sister and family! Best wishes for a well-deserved break out in California!
Non-sequitur…I went down a rabbit hole today looking for various versions of a song I’ve mentioned before, “Aguas de Marco”/“Waters of March” by Antonio Carlos “Tom” Jobim. I was familiar with the Elis Regina/Tom Jobim audio, as it’s considered by many to be THE version…but I had never seen this video.
I’ve probably watched it 5 times today, and hope you watch it at least once: https://youtu.be/E1tOV7y94DY
It really captures the essence of the song, IMO.
@buuzn03 I am sorry to hear what your sister and BIL have been going through! Glad that USAA has been so responsive and that they are safe.
@SevenDad , My colleague listens to this song every day at work. Great song. You have good taste.
@Mama Paradox: I’ve always liked it…it’s the sort of song that you can listen to all the time and still get something out of/hear something new. Or at least I do. The music and the lyrics are like a koan or mantra.
I like both versions, too…the English and the Portuguese. I came to the song via the bilingual David Byrne/Marisa Montes version by way of a Banana Republic video nearly 20 years ago.
This series of Atlantic posts was what led me to that Regina/Jobim video:
https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/all/2015/09/the-worlds-greatest-song-chronicles-aguas-de-marco/410104/
I don’t know if it’s “the world’s greatest song”, but it’s a contender. At least in my book.
@SevenDad if you enjoy Brazilian music, especially Tropicália, I recommend Tropicália 2 by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso (especially the enjoyable cover of a Hendrix tune): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhi4_VRwz6o
My all-time favorite Tropicália artist is Tom Zé. David Byrne re-release some of his older stuff years ago, after Zé had largely fallen into obscurity. A good introduction to his music would be the two double album sets, Dois Momentos Vol 1 (Se o Caso é Chorar and Todos Os Olhos) and Dois Momentos Vol 2 (Estudando o Samba and Correio da Estação do Brás) - they’re both on Apple Music.
I 
Caetano Veloso
Yesterday, I ran into a couple of old friends… our kids had been in school and community theater productions together when they were young. We caught up on what the kids are up to ( they have 4, so they did most of the talking!), and it was so interesting to hear… eldest kid (who was a math and science genius) left HS after 10th grade to attend early college, transferred at the end of those 2 years to a traditional LAC, and is headed now to Scotland for a graduate degree — in music direction for musical theater. Second kid just finished at LPS, will be going to Williams, has no idea what his major will be, but he is bursting with excitement at all the options open to him there. Third kid is off to spend junior year of HS as an exchange student in South America. Youngest kid has decided not to return to LPS for senior year, will instead get GED and enlist in the Coast Guard. All 4 kids are so bright and talented, and I came away from our meeting feeling so happy. I am filled with admiration for these parents, who are high achievers themselves, and yet are “poster parents” for those who truly support and encourage their kids to become their own people… no pressure or predetermined expectations. It also reminded me that more and more these days, it’s not always a clear, traditional path for kids in order to be happy and successful. Everyone we knew thought they’d grow up to become respected medical professionals like their parents. It just really made my day to hear about how they are all finding their own way. 
From another thread…
I wish I had read this as I was selecting colleges. I chose a school that didn’t fit and then tried to “act as if”… Instead of becoming more of myself, I became less. One of my life’s regrets…
@HMom16 : Now we’re all dying to know where you went to school…and where you think you should have gone!
FWIW, one of the reasons we liked Thacher and SAS so much was that the kids didn’t seem like they were trying to be anyone other than themselves. At some schools, the kids seemed like they were trying hard to project a particular image, one that they thought was appropriate for their school.