Thanks for sharing that story. I'm glad to hear I've "rekindled" some mostly good old memories.

We have been heating our California home with eucalyptus wood this winter, and so (between memories of the old wood stove and the present) I'm abundantly skilled in fire starting. I wish I had the old wood stove here, but our fireplace at least has a metal "heatilator" envelope that captures quite a bit of the heat and channels it (via convection) into the living space.

I had to look up your childhood mountain range, and pleasantly discovered that we were "neighbors" back in those days. I lived on Long Island, New York until I was 12 years old. I recall traveling one winter to a lodge in the Catskills area when my folks chaperoned a church youth group on a skiing trip.

I am also no stranger to rising in the cold and hastily starting up a fire on occasion. However, my wood stove was so efficient, it would run all night with no problem, and I could simply get a draft moving, open the door, and add more wood for the new day.

Thanks so much for sharing your memories, and the snapshot of your brother!