120 It Happened in Iona the property of the long, long ago. Dotted thus by its simple landmarks but firmly anchored, our farm rose gently from the highway to nearly the last cleared field up a-back. From its highest point there was an abundant view of the surrounding countryside for miles around. The land was sandy and average at best. Through hard work and good management the fields gradually improved, but it was a laborious and slow process. Yet by the time Dad's farming days were winding down by the early 50s the land's harvests were quite plentiful. At high noon on June 1, 1950, with the McClarey range hot from cooking, a nasty fire broke out between the kitchen ceiling and bedroom floor above. The blaze spread rapidly and the day was soon lost with the house and pump house near it reduced to ashes in short order. Fortunately the ones at home along with near neighbors were able to save practically everything in the house including the hot stove itself. Mother who was quite ill at the time was safely removed and brought to McGarry's directly across the road where she was tenderly cared for during the remainder of the summer. The fire brought us unbelief and sadness, especially as we stood on the edges looking down into the smoking remains below. It was a sombre reminder of how the work of many years can be reduced to nothing within moments. With the help of some neighbors and an insurance of $2000, efforts were soon underway for reconstruction. With sufficient logs assembled in the yard Russell Compton came with his portable sawmill, powered from the driveshaft of his one-ton red Ford, and sawed them into their proper sizes. New construction began in early July under the foremanship of Long Sam MacPherson , an old friend of Dad from Glen Martin . The new house of one and a half storeys was basically the same dimensions as the old and built on the same cellar though side on to the road. Downstairs there was a large kitchen, a parlor, dining room and bedroom with the upstairs left generally un¬ finished until later years. A number of new features were evident: the chimney set on a concrete base in the cellar and beautifully constructed by Lester MacRae , the stairway built inside the parlor, two dormer windows on the road-side roof and a verandah all across the front of the house. By late August we were able to move into the new house even though it was not fully completed. It was indeed good to have our home again. That fall a new pump house replaced the former one to bring the yard back to its usual complement of buildings. Dad was born in the Valley in 1880, the second of six