If you have a Volcano in your backyard, let your neighbors know!

I'm filing this under "things I've learned in my strange life that normal people will never find out." :D

so here I am, enjoying a glass of Sierra Vista Wineries finest Cab, tending to a thick rib eye cooking slowly over mesquite and apple wood chips, listening to back episodes of The Quiet Village Podcast, all of the tiki torches in the backyard are lit and Mt. Ubangee is happily chugging away putting out puffs of theatrical fogger smoke every couple of minutes. The wind is still and the smoke from the volcano is hanging in the air above the mouth of mystic Mt. Ubangee nicely in the fading light, the red spot light in the volcano and the flickering tiki torches are making the smoke look spooky and realistic... all is well in my tiki paradise backyard.... until I hear sirens and notice flashing red lights reflecting off the neighboring house. The unmistakable sound of a structure truck diesel engine and its attending fireman echo across the roof of my house to the tranquil oasis I've constructed out back.

I really didnt think toooo much about it at first. Then thinking of a couple of my elderly neighbors, I took a stroll out front to see if any of them were the center of all this First Responder attention. I opened my front door to find 4 firemen in full turn out gear peering over my side fence. Huh... I wonder what they are looking at? I walked up behind them with a "whatcha guys looking at? Is it anything COOL?" sort of attitude. Then I notice, hey... when you look at it just right from across the street, the smoke is carrying the flickering light from the tiki torches and the spot light a good 50-60 feet in the air. WOW, that looks pretty COOL!!!! It almost looks like there is a volcano in my back yard.... OR... it looks like the backyard is on fire.... huh... uh oooohhhhh!!!!

I started explaining to the nice firemen "... you see, I have a volcano in my backyard, well, its not a REAL volcano, no lava or anything like that, well, not yet anyway, you see I want to add a water pump and backlight the water red so it looks like lava flowing down the slopes of Mt. Ubangee, but there is not FIRE in my backyard, well, unless you count the dozen or more tiki torches, but those arent a problem, come on back would you like to see it? Its pretty cool really... can I mix any of you fine gentlemen a Mai Tai? No? on duty? Thats probably best...."

So in short, if you have a volcano in your backyard, let your neighbors know. Invite them over for a cocktail and show off your tribute to Pele, lest you end up showing off your tectonic wonder to the brave men and women of you local fire dept. :D

[ Edited by: Choptop 2011-11-02 19:06 ]

Hilarious story Choptop :lol: And your idea of the backlit waterflow has inspired me...

Pics???

Just found the pics, that's AWESOME

This is hilarious! Too bad the firemen didn't want the Mai Tais.

but now what happens if you ever DO need the (previously) vigilant neighbors to call the fire department??

(maybe you need a neon "Volcano is ON/OFF" sign out front?

:P

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=24403&forum=18

Pics of the volcano.

Great story. Made my day.

Adding that rumbling to the neighborhood with your smoking volcano is going to get you your 15 minutes of fame!!! Bet the fire department is still talking about it. :lol:

I have that same problem when I fire up my smoker .

whats funniest about all of this is that I've removed the flame function of the volcano... the firepit shown in the construction pictures is now gone (the automatic re-light circuit is shot and I thought that made it too dangerous to use)... so its just smoke for now... and NOW is when someone calls the Fire Dept. :D

I guess I REALLY need to add the audio part of the show so that if the neighbors see smoke all they have to do is listen and if ther hear jungle drums and rumbling, they'll know its just the Mt. Ubangee Show in my backyard.

On 2011-11-02 18:53, Choptop wrote:
I'm filing this under "things I've learned in my strange life that normal people will never find out." :D

I can think of a few threads around here that should be filed in that folder... Where is that folder?

Don't forget the screaming virgin!!!

I notice in all of this that the neighbors don't just look over the fence themselves....is that because you only wear a loin-cloth during the mysterious lighting ceremony? Or do you no longer wear that either?

On 2011-11-03 11:44, LoungeShark wrote:
I notice in all of this that the neighbors don't just look over the fence themselves....is that because you only wear a loin-cloth during the mysterious lighting ceremony? Or do you no longer wear that either?

Loin cloth!?!?! Dont blaspheme about the sacred rights of the mysterious Mt. Unbagee!!!

one is only allowed to wear war paint and a delicious mixture of poi, mango puree and Mia Tia mix. Vegas Showgirl head gear or tiki mask optional.

Approves

[ Edited by: Choptop 2011-11-03 11:55 ]

I am very, very glad I read this before starting work on Mt. Kapoliopele! I will heed all the sage advice available here - smoke, firemen and loin cloths. Oh, now that I type out the consequences...it doesn't seem so bad - smoke, firemen and loin cloths...hmmmm.

Thanks!
-lava

The house I lived in in the Oakland Hills still has a volcano in the side yard!