For those of you who’ve been following — and those tuning in to this final chapter, it is with great sadness that we share the news that our beloved Dovetail Lodge is gone. She went up in a blaze of glory early morn Saturday, April 9th. At over 100 years of age, she was the original homestead of our neighborhood. There is comfort in knowing we are not alone as we grieve and mourn for a dearly departed loved one. It has also been reaffirming to know that neighbors we know and more we don’t, have been supportive and patient with the glacial pace of our reclamation and reimagining of this matriarch of Indian Springs. Given the history of the land and the burial rites of the Native Americans who lived here long before any of us, it makes sense that she went away cloaked in brilliant flames. Her remains continue evolving into a mound of debris.
As to the first question on everyone’s minds, we don’t know how the fire started — was it an old electric wire? Was it something more nefarious done with intent by human hands? The inspector’s investigation is ongoing and the insurance company will be following up as well. For us at this point? It really doesn’t matter. She’s gone, literally taking all of our dreams and visions for her up in smoke. We are devastated.
We are also very grateful for the multitude of silver linings inside this tragedy. Most importantly, no one was hurt. One benefit of being uninhabitable means that no one was inside. Our neighbors, their families and their homes remained safe thanks to firefighter battalions on the scene who formed brigades containing the blaze. The possessions we cared about most that were stored in the house — were also safe. Our heirloom furniture, the bespoke pieces crafted by Ralph, along with many of the items from the lodge we had carefully stored away, were soggy but still in one piece. His tools — also mostly intact. And the mountains of family photographs stayed dry inside a closet that escaped both flames and flood. Talk about miracles. I mean — it is still just STUFF — which as George Carlin points out, puts in much lower on the list of importance. Yet it would have made it that much harder to bear if it were gone too as much of it is all we have left of parents, grandparents, family and friends who’ve already crossed over. Can’t help but think they were also on the scene forming a protective brigade of their own, looking out for all of us.
As for the other question everyone is asking — we don’t know what’s next. At the moment we just need to rescue that which we can and let go of the things we cannot. All that started today with borrowing a trailer and renting a storage space. We signed on the dotted line to reclaim, restore and reimagine this gorgeous house. Though the evidence has been incremental, we’ve remained steadfast in that commitment. Being of Appalachian blend of Irish, Scottish, Welsh with a hefty dose of German thrown in for good measure — we are very determined people. It would take something catastrophic to make us pivot. And this event has certainly caught our attention. Once we have our precious keepings packed up or pitched — we will take a pause. And a breath of fresh air. And a nap. All that will help to make a more informed decision.
As creative as we both are, neither of us could have ever imagined that Dovetail Lodge would end this way. Yet, in the dust of her phoenix -esque departure, there is much to be gleaned from the ashes. We remain grateful to our daughters who are beside us every step of the way — and to family and friends who also shine their light in our direction. To the people who called 911 - thank you. To all the firefighters, policemen, paramedics and other members of their crew and support teams, we are most humbly in your debt. To everyone else we don’t know but we hear are in our corner, we appreciate your support.
