The Old Hotel of Gwynn’s Island in a family photo, and at right, burning in 1964, in a Gazette-Journal file photo.

Things happen that trigger memories, good things and bad.  Last week’s fire near our home brought back memories sometimes too hard to believe.

Fires can destroy everything. As we saw the smoke, Skip asked if it brought back memories. Fire can take lives but lucky for the Vogel family and ours it spared us. In the blink of an eye, however, your life can be changed. Everything you worked for, gone. Keepsakes turned into ashes. A few days, months and years later you’ll go to get something only to remember it was lost in the fire.

Our house lovingly known as The Old Hotel was a part of Gwynn’s Island. For years it housed families during summers or year around. It had two apartments on the second floor and at times we rented the main floor, keeping an apartment upstairs for ourselves.

For years we lived in the winter close to Daddy’s jobs. Our family live...