It's closer to July 4th than Thanksgiving, but THANKS has no season.

<a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/thank-you-sign.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3100" alt="thank you sign" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/thank-you-sign.jpg" width="280" height="210" /></a>My thanks today goes to the 1,464 firefighters working the West Fork Complex Wildfire burning in my backyard. These men are phenomenal. They leave their homes and families to come put their lives in danger to save our homes and lives.

Their sacrifice is magnified by what happened at the Yarnell Fire in Arizona.

Our  firefighters stopped, remembered those comrades

<a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/learning-of-yarnell.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3102" alt="learning of Yarnell" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/learning-of-yarnell.jpg?w=300" width="300" height="199" /></a> and then went right back into the belly of the fire.

<a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/bk-to-fire.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3103" alt="bk to fire" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/bk-to-fire.jpg" width="280" height="210" /></a>

My thoughts and prayers to the fire fighters that lost their lives in Arizona and their families.

After very real threats from the West Fork Fire, more than a week of evacuation, and currently living in a pre-evacuation conditions, there is a lot of gratitude for the hard work from the fire fighters, national guard, red cross, sheriff's office and other officials for  all the efforts put forth to protect South Fork.

These wildland fire fighters work long hours in difficult and often dangerous conditions on the ground and in the air to provide skilled and professional fire suppression services when wildfires threaten our homes, property, and the natural resources.
<p style="text-align:center;">Thanks hardly seems enough.</p>
If you'd like to do more, here are some places to donate:
<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.wffoundation.org/" target="_blank">Wildland Firefighter Foundation</a> This organization picks up where agencies cannot and assists firefighters and their families</li>
	<li>South Fork Fire Rescue These guys were first responders when the fire pushed toward our homes. Mail contributions to:
<div>PO Box 579</div>
<div>South Fork, CO 81154</div></li>
</ul>
All photos are courtesy of the media library provided by the West Fork Complex crew. If you want to view more photos of the West Fork Complex Fire burning in Colorado, click <a href="http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/WestForkComplex/library/" target="_blank">here</a>