Fire
April 3, 1996

In April 1996, we went to the lake. It was unseasonably cold. After a few days of cleaning house, we decided to clean the shop. It was 20 below zero, so Dennis started a fire and we went for a walk with the dog. When we turned around after walking a mile or so, we saw a tall plume of smoke. There couldn't be that much smoke from the chimney, could there? We ran back. By the time we got there, the shop was engulfed in flames. We helplessly watched it burn, consuming twenty years of collected tools and parts. It will be difficult for those of you who have access to stores to realize the value of the "junk" in that shop. To get to the nearest store and back is a day's travel.

The photo shows what was left after the fire. The aluminum roofing and glass had melted. We were incredibly fortunate that it was a cold, still day. The smoke went straight up. The surrounding vegetation and other structures were safe.

Our misfortunes didn't end. I drove Dennis' snowmachine on the trip out to the highway. It died suddenly. He was ahead of me, so I started it again. A few hundred yards further on, it died again. I waited until he came back this time. He checked it out, couldn't find anything wrong, and started it. When it died for the third time, he did a thorough check. It was out of oil! The translucent oil container was stained to an appropriate level so that it looked like there was plenty of oil. By now, the engine had seized up. Dennis went back to the cabin on the good machine to get more oil. We made it out to the highway at last and were fortunate that the machine lasted a few more years.