Moving On

I can't believe it has only been 12 days since the fire. It feels like a couple of months!  Needless to say, we've been very busy. We've just about finished our house contents inventory list. I spent anywhere from 6-8 hours a day for most of last week typing it in and checking prices online or in stores.  Then I set it aside, but at least once a day I had to go back and add something I forgot.  Keith has been on the phone several times with our insurance adjuster, Lee. We had planned to meet him in Gatlinburg last Tuesday, but our property wasn't accessible until later in the week.  He went ahead and took his photos on Thursday and then called us to get answers to questions about the house. He thinks his report (pertaining only to the "structure") will be ready next week.  Once we see what is covered under "structure" we will be able to finish our list for "contents".  Well, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about insurance claims!

I mentioned in the last post that I was dreading the trip back up the mountain, but we really needed to go put up some caution tape and "sift through our ashes."  Lee sent Keith copies of the photos he took so we had a pretty good idea of what we were going to see. Knowing what to expect before we got there made it easier for me. (We saw one of our neighbors and she was quite upset because she had no idea how bad it really was!) We determined our house was gone from viewing a long-distance aerial shot.  That softened the blow.  Then once we accepted that reality, we viewed our damage in close up shots, one image at a time. That made it easier when we actually set foot on the property. In case you were hoping for photos - sorry, not happening. Surveying our damage is a personal private thing so I'm not gonna put it on display here. 

Our house was located way up high against a cliff and everything that burned went down. Keith, Jenny, and Jeff went below but I stayed up top. Getting down there without the steps or anything to hold on to was too treacherous for me. The last thing I need right now is a broken body part!  I stayed up top and surveyed the damage beyond the rail.  I felt like a coroner examining a cadaver!  There was lots of scrap metal laying around. I identified my stove, sink, and water heater. Our grill had rolled partway down the mountain. Half of my metal dinette chairs were inside the foundation and half were in the yard. We found Keith's aluminum ladder....melted. We found all these metal poles and decided they were what was left of our Coleman folding chairs. Jenny was able to salvage two of the four metal sculptures that used to hang in my dinette area.  We hope to refurbish them for the next house. 

 

Jenny also found one of my Christmas bell ornaments from the Christmas tree. If I had had a ribbon I would have tied it around my neck!  All of the stone from the front of the house is laying in the driveway. We hope to gather some of it and make a bench or table or something for the next house. Oh, there is one other thing that made it through the fire. In fact, as far as I could tell, this particular item survived at every single house that burned!  (Keep in mind, this fire was so hot that my neighbors iron skillets were welded together!) Anybody want to guess what it is?  

 

That, my friends, is a FIREPROOF, bear-proof trash can cage!  Every house still has one!  The paint melted off and the cans inside melted but that sucker is still standing. Whoever makes those things could do a commercial about just how sturdy they are!  

Oh, and there's one other thing on the mountain that is still as beautiful as ever. 

 

Anyway, we had our "funeral" and then we headed to Gatlinburg for some fun. I put on my Santa hat and filled my pockets with candy canes and headed to town, to spread good cheer!  It was good to see so many people bustling about town.  In the parking lot I saw cars from all over the South. That means so much to the locals. Tourism is their livelihood. We started with lunch at Old Dad's. Those boys behind the counter got a handful of candy canes. I think they made sandwiches all week for firemen.  The lady at the check-out was so gracious and friendly. The mood in town was magical. We saw a few tears but mostly lots of hugs and smiles. Even the tourists seemed a little friendlier. 

After lunch we headed to the Village to do some shopping. One of our favorite shops, The Day Hiker, was having a big clearance sale. (All the hiking merchandise was 75% off and comes "pre-smoked"!) Each of us bought something then we headed over to the Donut Friar for donuts and hot chocolate. None of us needed the calories but we decided to splurge anyway!

 

 

 

(That spooky looking midget by the window is a statue, not a real friar!) After donuts we headed home to continue planning Smoky Point II.  We've had conversations with my nephew (who just happens to be a builder of custom log homes) and when we got home there was a big box he sent me sitting on our porch. 

 

Yep, we are moving on!  

The Process After the Fire

Disclaimer:  I want to say right up front that I'm not trying to hold a pity party here.  I just need to vent. And perhaps some of my words will give people food for thought about what to do if you ever have a disaster.

I don't think of myself as a "victim of disaster" but I guess I am (sort of).  I have received a tremendous amount of love, kind words, and warm thoughts from friends, family, long lost acquaintances, and total strangers. (My social media "friends" list is growing). This whole thing has confirmed my belief in the goodness of people. Again I must say how much we appreciate your kindness.

As I already wrote in the previous blog, we escaped the fire on Monday, we waited for news on Tuesday, and we got confirmation on Wednesday. I felt relief on Wednesday and I thought perhaps the worst was over. Uh, no!  You see as a "victim of disaster" I can tell you that your first reaction is to be shocked (Monday), stunned (Tuesday), and then numb (Wednesday).  I think numbness is what allows us to get through the very tough times without falling apart. But Thursday and Friday have come and a lot has been happening.

Yesterday we got to work on the insurance paperwork. Okay for those of you who've never experienced a disaster: If you are at home right now, take a moment, stop reading and look around the room.  Give it a good look - I'll wait.  Now close your eyes and try to list every single item in the room. This is what you have to do when you file a claim - every item in every room!  Furthermore, you have to estimate the replacement value. Could you do it?  Do you know how many t-shirts are in that drawer?  How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Can you remember everything you have in your kitchen cabinets?  What's in your attic?  How much will it cost to replace your furniture?  Well, you get the idea.  Fortunately, (unbeknownst to me) while I was running through the house collecting items of sentimental value, Keith was running through the house taking photographs ("just in case"). Also, we recently refinanced to get a lower interest rate and the appraiser was very thorough.  He took lots of pictures, plus I have taken a ton of pictures. So we sat down with our photos and started the long arduous task of listing all our stuff.

TIP # 1: Photograph your stuff! Especially the important stuff!

Okay, once I learned our house was gone I just said over and over "how glad I am to be alive" and "it's just a house and it can be replaced".  As long as I kept telling myself those words, I was fine. I just kept focusing on those words and I refused to think about any "thing" inside that house. After all, it's just stuff and stuff doesn't matter - or does it?  For insurance purposes, through photos, I was forced to step inside again and look at the contents of every room. I was okay inventorying the laundry room, pantry, and broom closet. No problem!  But then we moved into the family room and I remembered the wicker basket that a dear friend hand wove for me as a very special thank-you gift, the handmade  afghan that my mother crocheted, the game board that my father-in-law built for us.... I lost it!  I'm not an overly emotional person, but I had a major meltdown. Precious gifts from special people are treasures that are hard to give up. Wednesday's numbness was gone and Thursday had brought reality and grief. Thursday was the hardest day yet.

 

It's exhausting to keep working on a job you hate. We made it through the laundry room, powder room, pantry, hall closets, living room, dining room, and kitchen, but we still have to go through 3 bedrooms with closets, 3 bathrooms, sitting room, 3 hall closets, the man cave, outdoor storage area, and the upper and lower decks!  Sound like fun? No, but it has to be done. It kind of feels like having an estate sale after somebody dies. By Friday I couldn't breathe. We had listed all the stuff in the aforementioned rooms, but we weren't sure about brands or replacement value on some of it. 

TIP # 2: Keep copies of your receipts, warranties and owner's manuals on all your stuff at a secondary location!

So, on Friday, I opted for Plan B.  Keith is a people oriented, tough when he has to be, good with the phone, business managing kind of man.  I am a boots on the ground, give me a task, go getter kind of woman.  Together we make a pretty good team. He spent the morning talking to insurance people and I did what all stressed out women do - I went shopping! Well, window shopping actually. I spent the morning at places like Lowe's and Target, running through the store taking pictures of stuff! I got lots of strange looks, but I had a job to do. I was like a newlywed creating a bridal registry!  I was checking for the prices on appliances, weed-eaters, gas grills, linens, rugs, electronics, and everything else we had on our list. I went up and down every aisle and, as you might expect, I saw some stuff that we had forgotten to put on the list.  Things like - wait!  (All you photographers close your eyes and stop up your ears.  This is gonna be painful.) I lost ALL of my expensive camera equipment!!!  And my laptop.  So,  going down the aisles jogged my faulty memory.  I don't want to leave anything important off the list. 

TIP # 3: Don't rely solely on your memory and/or your photos! Try to procure your purchase histories if possible!

Meanwhile, back at the hacienda, Keith spent the morning on the phone with the various (3) insurance people assigned to our claim.  Up until now they have been wonderful, saying all the things we want to hear, but on Friday Keith had to field some strange questions: "What is your current income?" "How often do you go out to eat?" "How many times a week do you go to the dry cleaners?"  No, I didn't make that up!  He was being asked some bizarre questions without being given a reason why they were important. Then they wanted him to start listing the contents of our house to them over the phone. It was about then that Keith had his meltdown. He considers his time to be a valuable commodity. We were already filling out the papers - we weren't going to be reading them out over the phone.  No swift settlement here! We will take our full given 60 days to complete this process and it will be thoroughly documented!

TIP # 4: Take your time and be thorough! Don't let anyone rush you into a quick settlement!

So Friday has brought frustration and mental and physical exhaustion. There are lots of phases to this process and there are still more phases to come. We still haven't actually stepped on the property. I think our area is supposed to (finally) open back up to property owners (only) tomorrow but we are waiting until early next week to go down and meet there with one of our 3 insurance adjusters. Who knows what we'll be feeling by then.  I have seen more video footage of my street. It's bad, but I did see one house standing in the midst of the rubble. (And the lucky winner is Chalet Village Rental 403!)  It's difficult to watch the film. Cars are going up the road we know so well, but it's barely recognizable without the houses. Like I said before, I dread the visit.  I just want to get through these many "feeling phases" and move on with my life. I want to be able to look forward to Christmas, our January trip to Florida, our big secret family bash coming up in April, hiking again in the summer.  There are still some bright things in our future - we just gotta get through this nasty charred bump in the road!

Sad

Hello friends,

Well, this is the toughest blog I've ever had to write, but I must report that our Smoky Pointe has burned to the ground, along with all the other homes on our street.

 

 

As you may have read in my previous blog, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  The kids left on Sunday and we stayed until Monday (as usual) to button up the house.  There was food to be disposed of, clothes to wash....the usual.  When we got up, there was a very strong smell of smoke IN the house and a strong wind blowing outside. We've had smoke off and on for over a month due to a wild fire in the park, but Monday was the worst yet.  I got on social media to get a fire/smoke update and learned that the fire on Chimney Tops had crossed the river and the road. The park officials closed the road between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, NC. (Escape Route 1 closed).  We were concerned, but not terribly alarmed because Chimney Tops is miles away from us.  Outside the smoke got thicker and our view was disappearing. 

 

I continued with my chores and kept checking my digital sources. The next thing I read was that the fire crews had been dispatched to the Twin Creeks Natural Resource Center to put out a spot fire. This facility is located close to Gatlinburg.  If you turn left at traffic light 8, you will pass Mynatt Park and just a few miles beyond that is GSMNP property and the research facility.  Now we were somewhat alarmed.  

 

This was close but sitting on level ground so we had confidence that the fire fighters would be able to handle it. I looked outside and our view was completely obscured and white ash flurries were falling. The wind was picking up.  I couldn't stay outside without coughing.  I went back inside and started throwing away food that I had intended to freeze.  I gathered all of my scrapbooks, journals, photos, and other sentimental items and put them in the truck. I hurried along with the laundry and we finally left the mountain at 2:30, oblivious to what was about to happen. 

 

We went home and relaxed for a while and then went out for dinner, glad to be home after a nice long mountain visit. Shortly a good friend in Gatlinburg who has done a lot of work for us called and asked, "Are you home? Did you get off the mountain? I was worried about you!" (Bless his heart!) He told us that the Chalet Village area was on fire and he couldn't get back on the mountain to check the status of our house.  We were stunned. I immediately got back on social media and started following live stream newscasts.  The "Spur" was on fire! (The Spur is the double Road that connects Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg). That fire spread so fast that the news crew had to drop their equipment and run for their lives.

 

I could not fathom how this had happened in such a short period of time? But, I knew that when the wind is blowing hard enough to blow ash for miles, it was also blowing embers.  The fire department closed the Spur into Gatlinburg  but left the "tunnel side" open so people could evacuate. As you can see, they had to drive through fire. (Escape Route 2 in jeopardy)

I heard that Cobbly Knobb Resort was burning. Cobbly Knobb is located on Highway 321. It's way out of town, but 321 is the highway that leads to I-40. (Escape Route 3 in jeopardy and we're running out of possible escape routes!)

I continued watching social media and news outlets all night. I was too stunned to sleep.  I discovered that the huge Westgate Resort Complex had burned.  Westgate is located up on the hill on the Spur opposite where you would turn to go to the Welcome Center.

 

I continued to watch in horror as Gatlinburg burned.  This is the view behind the aquarium.

 

They had to evacuate, leaving behind thousands of aquatic animals. Fortunately, they had generators to supply power to the systems that sustain those creatures and I am happy to say that the aquarium is still there and the animals are okay.  

There were rumors that Ober Gatlinburg was destroyed but that turned out not to be true.  There was damage at the chairlift center in Gatlinburg.

 

Most of downtown Gatlinburg, as you know it, is intact, but many homes and businesses at either end of town and immediately behind the "main drag" were damaged or destroyed. I've heard that Hillbilly Golf is gone. 

 

I haven't heard for sure about The Peddler.  I  heard that my favorite shop Old Dad's is still there and was feverishly making sandwiches for firefighters. If that's true, then they were well-fed!  Love that place!

I watched footage all night and posted comments to worried Facebook friends in Gatlinburg who couldn't sleep either.  I remember commenting: "I feel so overwhelmed that I really need to cry, but the tears won't come!"  I finally turned it all off and went to bed for a couple of hours.

I got back up early on Tuesday and watched more live streaming news footage. I was particularly interested in the press conferences. I must say that the mayor, the fire chief, and the GSMNP superintendent did a wonderful job of patiently and calmly answering questions.  Tuesday was a very, very, very tough day.  Gatlinburg was closed, our road was impassable and we had no way of knowing if our house was still standing. You want to hope, but you're afraid to hope.  I had two mental images running through my head.  One dream image of our home standing tall and safe and another nightmare image of a pile of rubble. I was heartsick either way. I already knew about so much devastation that if the dream image had come true I know I would have felt terribly guilty. Uncertainty is a horrible predicament.  The "not knowing" one way or another was excruciating! When you add lack of sleep - I was barely functioning on Tuesday. I went to bed early and slept quite well.

On Wednesday, I got up well-rested and ready to face whatever the day would bring. For my peace of mind, I  chose to accept the worst (with a slight hope of perhaps a good outcome). I got to work doing my usual "catch-up" work that has to be done after being out of town for two weeks.  There were errands to run, bills to pay....  I got a text from my housekeeper that one of my neighbors (whose house she also maintains) was getting calls from ADT security that his smoke alarms were still going off which wouldn't be possible if his house was gone. (Guess they were wrong.) Shortly after that my housekeeper sent me video confirmation that all of our houses were gone.  Those first photos are frames from that video.  If you are interested in seeing the entire video, go to YouTube and search for "Aftermath of Gatlinburg Fire from the Air" filmed by Knoxville News, but I'll warn you that it's  difficult to watch.  

Okay, now we know.  A lot of people have asked how we're doing and how we are feeling.  We're feeling a lot of things.

1- I'm relieved that we finally have an answer.  Uncertainty leaves you with a paralyzing inability to plan and/or act.

2- I'm feeling extremely grateful. Grateful to be alive. Grateful that we already had plans to leave that day as usual and got out ahead of the danger. Grateful that this horrible thing happened on Monday after most of the "Thanksgiving vacation renters" had already left and gone back home to work.  Grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love, support, compassion and prayers from family, friends, and complete strangers from all over the country that are my "digital friends" on the Hike The Smokies Facebook page we follow. Grateful for fire fighters, national guard, road workers, utility workers, and elected officials who have been working tirelessly to save our town, even while they are suffering from their own personal disasters. Grateful that I was able to save a few personal items that have sentimental value to us. Grateful that I documented (through this blog) so many of our precious mountain memories. 

3-I'm feeling heart sick.  We've lost a home that we have thoroughly enjoyed and shared with family and friends.  I'm sure I will shed some tears when I actually set foot on the property.  (I dread that.) But mostly I'm more heart sick for my neighborhood that is gone. I have friends there who have personal stories.  People who just bought their retirement home. People who have spent years refurbishing their home with their own hands. People who have been displaced for the third time.  People who just rebuilt from a previous fire. People who lost, not just their home, but their family business as well.  People who rely on those homes for their income. (housekeepers, private trash collectors, maintenance people, rental companies...). It's heart-breaking. I'm devastated to learn about the fatalities. I fear there will be more. I worry about the people unaccounted for. I pray for their families. We're okay, but I hurt terribly for all of these people. We fully intend to get involved on a personal level with helping those who lost so much more than we did!

People have asked me: "Arent you angry?" We've all certainly got reason to be angry, bitter, resentful. After all, there is strong evidence to support the theory that the original fire at Chimney Tops was intentionally set. ARSON

Also, I've read some nasty comments on social media about this fire:

-"It was Isis!"

-"I'm laughing my a--off.  That's what you folks get for voting for Trump!"

- "It's God's wrath on Gatlinburg because of all your moonshine stills and whiskey stores!"

-"I guess somebody's meth lab blew up!"

That's just a small sampling of how some people feel/think/talk. 

Then there's the pain of knowing your neighborhood is burning and nobody came to fight the fire.  They let it go up in smoke.

Am I angry?  Am I resentful? Am I bitter?  NO!!! Absolutely not!  There is only room in my heart for gratitude, love, and grief.  Anger, resentment, and bitterness delay healing. (That's my new philosophical motto!  Feel free to use it. ) It's the truth. 

I feel pity and sadness for people who set fires and make hateful comments. People who have no capacity for compassion, sympathy, empathy. They must lead miserable lives.

As for the firefighters who didn't come to our rescue. I understand and I think it's important for all homeowners to try to accept and understand. It's pretty simple. What's more important - rescuing people from a burning hotel or saving empty non-primary residence vacation homes?  What's more important - securing evacuation routes or saving rental houses?  What's more important - saving the businesses that provide livelihood or saving homes?  What's more important - saving our houses or putting firefighters at risk of being trapped on a mountain, exposed to falling trees, electrical lines, and exploding propane tanks?  The answer is obvious to me. 

I've been asked what we will miss. We will miss family dinners on the deck, entertaining family and friends, watching the bears, enjoying the view from the hammock, reading in the swing, scotch in the hot tub, S'mores at the fire pit..... so many memories!  But the mountain is still there. The view is charred, but still there. We will rebuild and make more memories. We are fine. Don't worry about us. Pray for Gatlinburg. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry this is so long, but writing is my therapy and now I feel better. So farewell for now, but the blog is not over. I will continue to update our mountain activity. Till next time good night and good-bye Smoky Pointe!

 

 

Thanksgiving 2016

What a wonderful weekend we had. We started our time together by going to a late movie (Allied) in Pigeon Forge on Wednesday night. I didn't particularly like the movie but there was Bradd Pitt....and the chairs were really comfy.

 

For Thanksgiving Keith smoked a turkey. We spent the day with a lot of food and football. 

 

 

 

We continued our Black Friday tradition of attending one of the many Christmas shows in Pigeon Forge, but first we went to the Island and attempted another "escape". The Prison Escape is the toughest room of the game!  It was very long and complicated and if we had had about two more minutes we would have made it out. So we "almost" escaped.

 

We enjoyed wandering around the Island looking at the Fountain show and the Christmas decorations. 

 

 

 

 

Then we walked over to the Lumberjack Adventure. It used to be known as the Lumberjack Feud but Dolly bought it and turned it into a high energy, musical extravaganza! (Think Dixie Stampede with lumberjacks). We had a fine meal and a lot of fun cheering for The MacGregor's!  

 

 

 

On Saturday we started what we hope will be a new family tradition of Breakfast at Crockett's Breakfast Camp!  If you haven't eaten there you might want to check it out. It is located in Gatlinburg across the street from The Park Grill.  They are known for their gigantic cinnamon rolls, inch thick pancakes, and large skillet meals. 

 

 

 

After breakfast we walked across the street and checked out the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I had my photo made with the big guy (and Santa!)

 

Then we headed home for a day of drones, football and jigsaw puzzles.

 

 

After a big Sunday morning mountain breakfast the kids packed up and headed home.  As Bobby put it, "the weekend flew by" and was over too soon.  

Autumn

Okay, I've been lax in my blogging so it's time to catch up. My last post was way back in August. Since then we have spent a lot of time at football games. The Battle at Bristol was quite a spectacular event. Way to go, Bristol.  We had a blast!

We've spent a lot of time in Knoxville, tailgating with family and friends. 

We saw some nerve-wracking, nail-biter football. 

And a tear-jerking half time show. 

In October we had lots of company. We had great fun with Dustin's family at places like

Dollywood

 

 

And The Island

 

 

We had a great weekend of hiking and shopping with my sister and brother-in-law. We had a tremendous breakfast that included a gigantic cinnamon roll at Crockett's Breakfast Camp. 

 

 

We saw a very early snowfall (Oct 21) at Clingman's Dome. 

 

We started off November celebrating Winterfest with a visit to the Island. We had dinner with my nephew, Darrell and wife Kathy. The decorations are bigger and better than ever. 

 

 

 

 

We dropped by the DreamMore Resort to check out their decorations. Spectacular!

 

 

 

Then we topped off the night with Light the Way 5K at Dollywood. 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it and now I'm caught up. Next up- Thanksgiving!