"Chi shows us, in this poignant and inspiring story, that there are things we can never lose. They are our memories and our stories, and they make us who we are. I met Chi while writing about the losses along Mussey Grade Road for The San Diego Union-Tribune." --Elizabeth Fitzsimons
"Chi Varnado captures the soul of life in a remote area in San Diego County's picturesque back country. The reader travels with her as she recalls the days of moving into a historic cabin, then losing it to the devastating Cedar fire in 2003. We rejoice with her as she moves on to the days-and years-in the fire's aftermath."--Ruth Lepper, Ramona Home Journal
"In A CANYON TRILOGY, Chi Varnado skillfully invites the reader into her Southern California canyon, and weaves a tale that is entertaining throughout and spellbinding in more than a few places. The visit is memorable and unforgettable; this memoir reads like a bestseller novel."--Susan Nelson, Author, Essayist, Book Reviewer (Partners in Practice, 1989)
The October 2003 Southern California wildfires destroyed nearly eight hundred thousand acres, 3,657 homes, and killed twenty-two people. In San Diego County, the Cedar Fire ravaged vast areas becoming hte largest fire on record in state history. Out of this federal disaster Chi Varnado and her family escaped with their lives from their canyon nestle on a log cabin and was among the minority who managed to rebuild in a little over a year. She writes first-hand what life is like in a year of loss: first her mother and then their home in the canyon.
