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Well almost 2 years have gone by since my life was turned upside down. This has been a long journey for my family. After the fire we knew money would be tight so we tightened the wallet and pinched every cent. The fire was on Jan 21st 2013, just 3 days before my sons 7th birthday and less than an hour after everyone left his birthday party. Insurance cover a week in the hotel, but after that it would come out of our own pocket. Our home could not be rebuilt because it was in a flood zone. So moving was the only option. We found some land which we bought and moved into the only building on the property on Feb 1st. A very drafty garage. A month later we finally got the electric hooked up on the property. Then a couple weeks later we bought a small leaky camper to live out of until the insurance check came. It was a long winter to say the least but we stuck together and made it. Once the insurance check arrived we bought our new home.

Ever since we have been just working on getting our lives back in order. Well I am finally to the point I can start looking to get back into the R/C/ world. Now it is time for me to start cleaning up the stuff I dug out of the ashes. Some may be restorable but none of it will be as nice as it once was. The amount of cleaning I have to do on everything will take years. Guess I should get started.

Good to hear that you and your family are getting back on track.

Sorry to hear this but glad you are getting back on track. A lifetime of collecting and a lifetime of possessions gone in a flash. Fire I'm sure is the worst fear most of us have followed by burglary.

We are currently experiencing the worst bush fires since 1983 and it's only the start of the season. I don't know what I'd do in that situation but I congratulate on not giving up and pushing through. Hope most of your stuff can be saved.

Did you find out the cause of the fire if you don't mind me asking?

Chimney. Whoever it was that put the addition on our house (before we bought it) only put 12" of liner in the chimney so that just enough stuck out the top to pass code. Over the years since the concrete block chimney cracked. One crack was right next to the rafters. Hot ash fell through the crack into the rafters and smoldered until the fire decided to take over. By the time I was able to get out the rafters were already falling. The house was built in 1937, wood sided, and dry as a bone, so it went up in flames very fast. I was able to get my son and all of our pets and animals out. The wife was at work.

Here is a pic of the crack. This was next to the house and could not be seen from the inside or outside.

Sounds like a tough gig mate keep doing what your doing, and I am glad you are all ok physically..

Oh dear, I had no idea you are going through this! Best wishes to you and your family and hope things are getting better!

Glad you're picking up a wrench again! Good to hear from you!