Yet to Come
February was an interesting month. On February 9, I had submitted the Right of Entry form allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to come in and remove the debris that was my house and garage. I was ready to see it go. A week later I was surprised when I went by the 411 and saw that not only had the EPA cleanup been performed but I also had a new sign at the front of the property.
OK, Whitney - here’s your new sign!
I was pleasantly surprised to find the Army Corps of Engineers sign in front of the 411. I made my sister take this photo of me with both signs.
On February 28, I received the call I had been waiting for: the Army Corps of Engineers was ready to meet with me and start the debris removal from the 411.
As I drove from where I’m staying in Pasadena up to the property, the BTS song “Yet to Come” was playing in the car. Listening to the opening lyrics, I realized the gravity of the moment and said out loud that it was the last time I cried for the house. I was more than ready to see the source of so much sadness go and I was preparing to meet the team who would make that happen.
This is the part of the intro lyrics I heard:
Was it honestly the best?
Cause I just wanna see the next
Diligently passing through
All our yesterdays
So beautifully
Yeah the past was honestly the best
But my best is what comes next…
The crew representing multiple agencies who took part in removing the debris from the 411.
This wonderful group of people who hail from all over the country are members of the Army Corp of Engineers, ECC, Tetra Tech, and Anvil Builders. They were efficient and professional yet amazingly empathetic and respectful of me and my emotions. I think I took them all by surprise when I asked for a group photo, explaining my intent to create a blog about the process.
The initial walkthrough was to understand each crew member’s roles and any items of particular note in working on this property. They also asked me if there was anything they should look for in the debris as they were excavating. I told them about two areas and hoped they might find a couple special tools that were my dad’s. Although it was late in the day, they got started.
After getting the massive excavator up the driveway, the area was hosed down to prevent debris dust flare-ups. Part of the gate was removed and the excavator got down to business, removing the front entrance and taking down the chimney. I sent this video to friends with the caption “Chimney go boom!” You’ll understand as you watch.
With the chimney down and it was getting late, the excavator was parked on the property for the night.
End of Day 1
The excavator turned out to be the last house guest of the old 411.
The next morning was cold and drizzling. I was at the property before 7:00 a.m. because this was the day I would see everything go. I’ll be honest, it was downright devastating to see my first house, something I had worked so hard to fix up over 13 years, first be destroyed by fire and then hauled away. But that house is gone and I knew it was time for it to go. I was ready to send it off, complete with fresh-baked cookies for the crew (my chocolate chip cranberry walnut cookies).
It was amazing to watch the excavator pull down sections of the house and place it in piles to be loaded onto debris or concrete removal trucks. At the same time, the vegetation that was in the ash footprint was also removed. I watched from a safe distance, mesmerized at how they worked and kept hosing everything down to prevent dust.
Clean that up!
The day started with the excavator getting right to work removing debris from the front.
This was the very first load added to a debris truck. I was fascinated with the process.
I had a mini-contest with my sisters to determine how many trucks they thought it would take to haul everything way. The highest guess a sister made was seven. I asked the foreman for the removal what his guess would be and he estimated 12-13 trucks. He was right; it took 13 trucks to haul away all the debris and concrete.
Mad props to the excavator operator because I was sure he was going to tip over! He was a master at carefully clearing the property.
It was an all day procedure. Over the hours I was able to chat with the workers when then they took a break, thanking them for their hard work. They were all kind, professional, and compassionate for what I was going through. A truly wonderful group of people.
While clearing the garage area they were excited to discover items intact. I didn’t expect to find anything, so this was a surprise.
Would you believe, china plates?
A set of six vintage china plates inlaid with gold. Only one was salvageable, but to find the set like that was incredible.
Vintage ceramic mini candle holders
This pair of vintage Christmas rocking horse candle holders belonged to my late mother. I cried when they handed these to me.
One Scary Ceramic Ghost
I was completely stunned when a worker handed me this ghost! He’s pretty baked but completely intact. Even after he was cleaned up half of him remained dark so I named him Ghost Two-Face and I intend to put him out on display (with a battery powered tea light) for my first Halloween at the new 411.
The work continued until after 5:00 p.m. It was still cold with a slight drizzle but the space was cleared. I had to stay until it was complete ( I caught a cold as a result but didn’t mind) so I could thank them all one last time for what they had done for me and for what they will continue to do to help change the lives of others.
Day Two debris removal complete.
The next morning I went back up to the property. Standing on what was my patio looking south, I kept hearing the outro lyrics of Yet to Come in my head. Here they are in English:
So was it honestly the best?
Cause I just wanna see the next
Dazzlingly passing through
The memories
So beautifully
Yeah the past was honestly the best
But my best is what comes next
We'll be singin' till the morn
Heading towards the day
More like ourselves
You and I, best moment is yet to come
My best moment is yet to come. My new chapter begins now.