End of an era

[M R Dux]

They say all good things must pass. I just didn’t want it to end like this.

My cell rang at 1:58 Monday morning. A voice asked me”Has anybody contacted you?” Still asleep, I asked about what? He then said he was officer somebody and my building was on fire! That got my attention!! I threw on some clothes, tore the road up the three mile drive thru town, and arrived at my taxidermy studio to see flames from several hundred yards away and it surrounded by a dozen fire trucks.

By the time I got there, most of the roof had already collapsed. The view thru the hole that used to be my front door looked like the gates of hell. I couldn’t do a thing but watch, hoping nobody got hurt, and feeling thankful that Camo the killer cat, my shop mascot, had passed away a year ago and wasn’t in that inferno.

I just tried to stay out of the way and take some pics to document it for insurance. I then thought about our scheduled crappie trip that morning probably wasn’t going to happen.

Thankfully, nobody was injured and by daylight, most of the fire equipment was headed back where it came from. The walls were pulled down by backhoe so water could reach the hotspots ( by request of the fire chief). The last hotspot flare -up was doused at 4:30pm. Very little remained that could be recognized.

We are OK. I have insurance but not nearly enough as in most cases. I lost everything that was my taxidermy business for 20+ years. I lost all my equipment I used to paint crankbaits and mold jigs plus supplies. I lost all my hunting clothes, boots, calls, and several guns with ammo. I lost every trophy fish or game animal I had ever mounted for myself and all my awards. I lost several client pieces and those hurt the most. Thankfully none of my fishing or guiding stuff was located there.

The fire inspectors were there today and quickly determined exactly where and why. It started from an electrical short at one of my air compressors. Lacquer paint, along with other taxidermy substances, and fire don’t go good together.

It was a good run but this closed the curtains. I’m done. I’ll continue to guide and hope to for a few more years. I don’t need or want for anything. I just thought I had better explain things since many here have been in my building.


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