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This is not exactly the type of fire a Scout would build...sigh...


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We purchased this home two years ago, and among the features that sold us on it were a fireplace, a large cleared yard with a small wood and a creek at the outer boundaries of our property. Our son lost no time in earning his Fireman Chit so he could make a fire circle in the wood. My husband chopped firewood from trees that toppled to light the fire in our fireplace with its woodburning stove insert. Today my husband is thrilled but I am having a hard time getting used to the constant hiss the pilot makes, the "heat" smell rather than woodsy smell, and the...get this!...remote control that is used to light it. It's not exactly what I like in a fire--effecient and clean yes, but I miss my real fire already (not a complaint, just missing it more than I thought I would). Guess it's time to spend more time out back using the fire circle :)

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There was a big debate sometime back in Australia as to if Boy Scouts would still learn to light fires. I read a lot from both sides and both made a lot of sense.

Who knows maybe even over here your days at the fire circle may be numbered.

You could take a picture and use it as a screen saver. Then in time bore the pants off everyone telling them how it was in the good old days. (I'm joking.)

Eamonn

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Heck, even in the classic star trek show they didnt start fires, just point a phaser at a rock, made it red hot and then basked in the glow...

 

Good point, OGE... I guess that in between the better known "Stun" and "Kill" settings was the "Campfire" setting.

 

I bet Captain Archer knows (will know? will have known? future-grammar always messes me up) how to make a real fire, though. He is (will be?) an Eagle Scout.

 

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Laurie:

 

I think I know what you mean. When I was a kid, we had a real fireplace in the house. My father seemed to always build a good fire that started the first time and I learned the skill as well.

 

Now Dad (the real Mr. Steele, I'm just Dave) lives in an apartment in Downtown Kalamazoo and has a gas fireplace. I don't much care for it. It's not a real fire with wood popping, the smells, the work, etc. It's nice, but it's not the same. Flipping a switch to "off" shouldn't end a home hearth fire.

 

I do, however, have to admit that I liked the fireplace in our (meaning my wife and my) previous house. In that home, we had a "gas assist" fireplace. You threw a couple of logs on the grate, turned on the gas, and waited for the logs to burn to self-sufficiency, then turned the gas off. That way, we had the real fire without the work of lighting it and didn't have to save newspaper or worry about kindling.

 

This house has a "real" fireplace and the local merchants have a penchant of seasoning wood for about 30 minutes prior to delivery.

 

I sure miss the gas assist . . .

 

Dave

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They can have my fireplace remote when they pry my cold dead hands from it!

 

Actually, I have a switch instead of a remote. My old house had a gas assist fireplace like Dave's. I MUCH prefer my gas fireplace. No more tramping out in the snow, cold or rain to get firewood which was usually buggy, rotting or wet. No more dropping crud all over the floor. No more having to open the door to create a draft to keep the smoke from rolling back into the house. For Pete's sake, we wanted a warm fire, not a door open to the cold. No more having to clean the fireplace and making a mess. No more having birds in the chimney. It did keep the cat mystified however. No more chimney sweep. No more rain down the chimney. No more worrying about it burning out at bedtime. I do miss the crackle, pop and smell though. But like I said, they can have my fireplace remote when they pry my cold dead hands from it. Simply flip a switch on and flip it off. Good trade for me.

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So, SR540Beaver, I take it you like your gas fire? ;)

 

Mine is growing on me, and it sure was easy to turn it on and turn it off today while I needed extra heat in the house. Our remote is now referred to as the phaser, and I think of my fellow Scouters when I pass the fireplace :).

 

 

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