Digging around a burnt out home.....The MONA LIsas Sister

Today, the boys and I spent hours digging around the burnt out shell, of what was a luxurisous home in SADDLE RIVER.....The house was built in 1956, when Saddle River was considered the "toukis-arin", or ass hole no-where...very far from the city...approachable from the South, mostly by Route 17 North, which was one lane coming north, and one lane going South...
The area was farms....or forest. Not many people lived there....So a huge home back then in Saddle River was a rarity......The owner, whose name I will hold back, is still alive at 96....and is or was the owner of 600 rental properties in the RIdgewood Bergen County area, A drug store and a Restuarant...but so cheap, that she wouldnt spend the money to hire a gardener to take care of her property.
She was blessed with a drug addict daughter, who had one child at age 15...unmarried of course... and one son.. The daughter, they say is responsible for this fire...and since supposedly burning down this house, she has been in two more fires, buring over 70 percent of her body.
One of my customers bought this property, becuase it is situated directly across the street from their new gorgeous brick mansion......They are going to teat down this building, or should we say, what is left of it, and turn it into a 4 acre park..
We were there, trying to find some things that we could buy and make money on by reviving it....We did get a bunch of things...and now, Richy and the boys have to perfrom magic to make these items live again...Among them are chandeliers, set of 20C modern Chairs, Modern Danish flip to bar, Kindel Country Frenc Dresser, an Italian hand painted and hand gilded vanity....a few outrageously carved mirrors, a 20th C modern very strange desk, a small low boy, a modern table with inlaid stained glass top, and very funky lorge round mosaic tile table in a brass frame, most likely Italian origin, a few painted end tables and armoire (repros) prints, paintings,, glass, china, Asian Influence wall sconces, and much more....We already started washing and deoriderizing all of it....
Walking thru this burnt out shell of a house, with only a flash light and sunlight streaming in thru holes in the roof, where the blue tarp blew off.....makes me sad...The floor was carpeted, but filled with plaster, broken glass and pieces of this and that that was tossed around by the firement...and subsequent visitors...I tried to close my eyes, and visualize the sounds of laughter, music, holiday dinners....their xmas tree...sounds of people opening presents.......and in minutes,an entire lifetime went up in smoke. Luckily, the woman and her daughter survived......the one loss was their cat, who didnt come out when it was called...I am sure it was frightened.....So sad, but it could have been worse.
Anytime we get bargains,, there is always come kind of sadness involved.. Fire,death, divorce, moving, downsizing......or the need for cash....This is not a happy business..and it does take an emotional toll on me.