Following John Mauriello

unedited 3/09 Tahoe Mt. News

Editor's note: This is an occasional feature following one of the hundreds of people who lost their home in the Angora Fire in summer 2007.

By Kathryn Reed

Relaxed has not always been a word associated with John Mauriello.
It’s amazing how comfortable he is in his own home.
Moving around the spacious Christmas Valley kitchen he is surrounded by shiny, new appliances and gadgets. That’s good and bad.
It’s good because Mauriello has physically moved beyond the devastating June 2007 Angora Fire that reduced his and 253 other homes to ash. It’s bad because the 70-year-old, like the other victim-survivors, had to reconstruct a life in a way that most others take for granted.
Mauriello isn’t done shopping. A king mattress sits on the floor. His four cats almost have more furniture in the master bedroom than he does. He has a brochure that he shares with friends who sit on the bed trying to advise him on what might look good in his bachelor pad.
If it hadn’t been snowing, stars would have been shimmering through the multiple windows. From this room Mauriello can see the sun setting. On the other side of the house, where the kitchen is, he sees the sun rise.
Downstairs, where people first walk in, is Mauriello’s favorite room. As his fingers stroke the ivory keys of his grand piano, his guests melt into the comfy furniture while the gas fireplace flickers nearby.
He calls it the warmest room in the house. There’s something inviting about it. Even though a flat screen television is on one wall, this room seems to beckon music lovers, book readers and conversationalists.
It would seem the TV upstairs is more conducive to sitcoms and ballgames.
On the lower level are the guest room and office. Mauriello spends a lot of time in the office -- catching up on the news and sifting through paperwork.
Paperwork in regards to the fire is still part of his life. All of the inventory issues associated with losing his belongings from his former Mount Olympia Circle house have not been resolved.
Still, he’s getting on with his life. He’s entertaining friends. He’s shoveling a whole lot of snow. And he’s more relaxed.