unexpected excitement!

I was able to get enough people for a Tuesday night Cinema Brittahytta & potluck BBQ, so about 11 of us had eaten, chatted with cocktails & cider, started the firepit, and gotten comfy in our chairs & blankets, voting on a smaller scale picture this time to try out Sheila’s vintage portable movie screen, and the side gate was still open since people had been coming in that way. We were about 45 minutes into The Producers (Lane/Broderick movie) not even 10pm yet, when we saw lights bobbing…

I thought it might be a car turning around in the street, but they kept bobbing closer. 3 firemen in full reflective firefighting gear came into the backyard! They had to ask if we had a fire going since they couldn’t see the tiny firepit past the papasan chair so we had to point it out to them. They said, ok, that’s no problem, you’re only allowed to burn wood which you are doing, that’s totally legal. Someone had called in a possible fire! I said I had a similar evening fire in the little firepit last week and nothing happened? They said it seems everyone is nervous right now because of the awful air hovering over the entire Bay Area from all the wildfires. I apologized several times saying I didn’t ever expect any problem with such a tiny enclosed fire in my own yard, and they took my name & phone number as owner of the house, but they said it was no problem & don’t worry about it. We even offered them fruit salad but they smiled & said no. We all agreed better to check & be a false alarm than the other way around, and thanked them as they left. From their reactions I think they were completely surprised they were called for such a teeny tiny fire! After the firemen left & I shut the gate this time, it took awhile to get the movie going again since we were all shocked & laughing…I kept saying, of all the big parties I’ve had upwards of 80 people, even Halloween fog rolling out into the street, never any cops came, and here the firemen show up for such a tiny little get-together! Sheila & Robin said “Hey but they were cute! Maybe we should have gotten their names & invited them next time!” I laughed & said well they do have my name & phone number now…haha…A bit embarrassing as hostess, but what do you do? At least we all had a good time laughing about it…

After our little “intermission” we finished the movie, a bit later than usual so people left about midnight. We had a fun evening, and it seems weeknights are better for most people for movie nights, so I think that will be the Cinema Brittahytta plan for this summer.