John A. Weeks III ) wrote:

: If you think a gas fireplace is not pretty, then you haven't
: seen the modern ones. They look just like wood burning.
: Go check one out, not that you have to buy one, but to get
: up to date on what the options are.

So, can I select the logs to fit together with just the right gaps for
a good draw, watch them as they settle, add wood as the logs burn into
embers, and have the satisfaction of building a "one match" fire from
the assortment of wood and kindling available? Can I teach children
how to build a fire, the way I was taught when I was a child?

For me, a gas fire is just as pretty as a wood fire, in the way that
watching a video of people walking through the woods is just as
satisfying as going back-packing. It may look the same, but you
aren't *doing* anything. You just turn it on.

Now, I agree with you that wood fireplaces pollute, and so we should
give them up because it's a skill that's no longer necessary or
feasible in today's world. But please don't say that a gas fireplace
is just as pretty as a wood fireplace; it just indicates that you
don't understand the real enjoyment that people get out of building a
fire, and keeping these old skills alive.

For me, I'd rather limit myself to one fire a year, than get a gas
fireplace and never be able to build a fire.

--- Chip