Longmont’s Llama Lady, who lost her home and possessions in a brush fire in January, is living in a room above a neighbor’s barn and hoping for better days.
Her neighbors are planning a fundraiser Thursday to help her recover from her losses.
“Friends are so helpful. I lost everything except the clothes I had on, and now I have lots of clothes, and I am staying at a neighbor’s house temporarily in a very nice room above the barn,” said Bobra Goldsmith, 78, owner of Rocky Mountain Llamas.
Her home was insured, and an architect is working on plans for a new one. “I’m going to need furniture and things to make the house livable,” she said today.
Goldsmith’s home was the only one destroyed when the Olde Stage Road fire scorched thousands of acres.
The ground and trees surrounding the home at 7202 N. 45th St. in Longmont were tinder dry on Jan. 7, and vicious gusts of wind were raking her land.
She watched as an instrument on her property measured gusts up to 80 mph.
“I had a two o’clock dentist appointment and went in and had lunch. I was getting my teeth brushed when my assistant ran up and said, “There’s a fire.”
What happened next is seared into her memory. She watched helplessly as the home — with its treasure trove of art, much of it by her mother, and mementos — burned to the ground.
Her mother left her “gobs of paintings and woodcuts, and she was weaving before she died. We had a Picasso. It wasn’t a big one, but it was very attractive. I also had a lot of antiques from my dad when he passed away.”
She continues to work at the farm seven days a week. And she takes meals to her 93-year-old stepfather who lives on nearby land, where she keeps a small number of llamas. “We eat dinner and then play Scrabble every night.”
Michelle Winston, Goldsmith’s neighbor, said it hit her hard when she learned that Goldsmith’s house was gone.
“To have someone in the community, in this neighborhood, experience what so many of us feared was heart wrenching.”
Winston and several other members of the Boulder Senior Interagency Group, which advocates for senior citizens, decided to help. They started putting together the fundraiser three weeks ago. Winston said response from community members — who have been making donations — has been “awesome.”
The fundraiser will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Villas at the Atrium Senior Living Facility, 3350 30th St. in Boulder. It will feature food, music and a silent auction.
Winston said she expects as many as 500 people to attend.
Donations also are being accepted at Elevations Credit Union.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
