View from the Pier

Lynn Pirozzoli, 55, is proprietor of the Black Horse Inn, an historic estate circa 1850 located in the rolling hills of Northern Virginia’s horse country. An equestrian from an early age, Lynn credits her love of the outdoors as the impetus for an initial career as one of the country’s first environmental scientists. Seeking to make change from the inside out, she pursued a career in the mining industry, where she designed and implemented ground-breaking programs in land reclamation. Her success led to the White House and a policy-making position with the Environmental Protection Agency. Returning to a corporate role, Lynn literally struck gold, a piece of good fortune that later enabled her to undertake a reclamation project of a more personal sort, transforming a run-down property into her dream home and a destination for those seeking a peaceful country respite.

That leap took courage—which Lynn has in abundance. From crossing miners’ picket lines to proposing a position for herself with the Department of the Interior—not to mention surviving a fire that consumed nearly two-thirds of her body–Lynn has dared to live a life of intention. Along the way, she married the proverbial “boy next door” when in her late forties, and today she shares their labor of love, the Black Horse Inn, with couples seeking the perfect setting for their vows. Lynn reminded me that life is short and we need to make time to honor our dreams and all that we consider important. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Lynn.

Meg:  I understand you have been a life-long equestrian. Tell me about how that passion began.

Lynn: The riding that I did as a youth served as the foundation for riding throughout my life. Wherever I was, I always rode horses. They have been a huge part of my life. They are my love; they provide me with a respite from the stress and strain of everyday life. To quote Winston Churchill, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

I was born and raised in Connecticut, with much influence from my Grandmother, who survived the Depression and my parents who gave me a strong work ethic. When I was 12 years old I started my first business, where I would clean houses after school. Many of the homes that I cleaned were  nearby, but there were many that required “taxi” service by my mother in her Cadillac. My clients always had a good laugh when “the maid” would arrive in a Cadillac! Eventually I saved enough money to invest in the stock market. At age 12, I asked my father what might be a safe investment for my hard-earned money. He told me to invest in utilities, and I did, reaping the rewards of a safe, but steadily growing industry. I learned much about investing and finance from my father. With the profit, I was able to put the money toward my riding and my education, which gave me a terrific sense of responsibility.

My sisters and I started riding lessons at an early age. I was just seven years old. As we progressed and became more proficient riders, we asked my father if we could purchase our own horses and keep them on our property. After much pleading for many months, my very wise father gave us conditional consent, based on an economic analysis and yearly plan. This was the most important lesson that I ever learned in my entire career and I am forever grateful that my father taught us this very valuable lesson at an early age.

My sister and I had to develop a plan that would take into consideration all of the expenses of building a barn, fencing pastures and expenses for the feeding and care of the horses. He required that we meet with at least three contractors for bids on the barn. At ages 7 and 10 we interviewed contractors for the job, developing a blueprint for the facility and a plan to board horses for profit which would cover the costs of caring for our horses. We had to work on a presentation, which we performed in front of my mother and father. After careful consideration, we were finally granted approval, with the conditions that we were completely and totally responsible for the care and upkeep of the horses and the stables year-round.

Of course, the barn did not have running water, so that meant hauling water to the horses before school each morning and evening, even in the dead of winter! If our grades went below a “B” we would relinquish our right to own horses and keep them on property. My sister and I divided chores and made it work. We learned such valuable lessons from this, and if you think about it, some of the most important business dealings are based on the same requirements: gathering information, assembling it to appeal to the audience and presenting it in a favorable fashion. As a matter of fact, I am still presenting things in the same manner today. If you learn this lesson early on in life, it certainly can reap rewards that you never dreamed of throughout your life.

Meg: I believe you were an engineer in your first career—what prompted you to undertake that profession?

Lynn: I went to college at Colorado State University to get a degree in environmental science. My great love for the outdoors led me to a profession that would protect the environment. At that time, there were very few universities that offered curriculum–much less a degree–in environmental science. Colorado State University allowed me to put together a self-designed major and I graduated in 1978 with a degree in environmental science, with a strong background in range management and reclamation. I was one of the first environmental scientists in the nation!

Being out West was a major positive factor for my love of the environment and provided me with many opportunities to use my degree in what had traditionally been male-dominated workforce. My professor called me just days after graduation and asked if I would be interested in mapping and managing mine land reclamation for a large uranium mine in Riverton, Wyoming. As a typical college student might respond, I said that I was going to Europe to backpack for the summer. He then went on to say that I would be the highest-paid student from the graduating class, and that I should said reconsider, since I could backpack in style in the future if I should accept this offer. He said that the mining industry did not typically hire scientists and they were willing to pay the salary of an engineer for an environment scientist, particularly a woman scientist, since in that day and age, there were quotas to be filled for women in male-dominated industries. Needless to say, I jumped for joy! It was a lucrative offer and I packed my bags for Riverton, Wyoming. By the way, I never did backpack in Europe, but since then I have seen most of Europe while staying at the finest hotels and taking riding trips through some of the most beautiful areas on the world’s finest horses.

Meg: What was a typical day in the life of an early environmental scientist?

Lynn: As the first environmental “engineer” on site at the mine, I rode the bus with the miners to and from work each day, a commute which took over an hour each way. At first, I was ostracized. There was not a man on the bus that would sit with me. If they did, they would be ridiculed by the rest of the Miners. In time I got to know many of the miners and we would share books on the bus. We even started an informal “book club” where we would discuss the books and trade books with each other.

It didn’t take long before mining management made me an offer to become a salaried employee. After that I no longer rode the bus with the miners anymore. However, the bond that we established was never lost and although I became part of management, the miners would always keep an eye out for me to ensure my safety and success. In fact, one summer the miners union had a strike and management had to assume responsibilities day and night to keep the mine running. I learned to drive a Michigan 357 Front End Loader to feed the “grizzly” (a crushing unit for uranium ore at the mill), a water truck and a haul truck that required a ladder to climb into the cab. The equipment was giant size and dangerous in the mines. One false move and you could go over a 1000-foot drop to the bottom of the pit you were mining. During the strike, some miners would sabotage the haul trucks that were going to be used by management to keep the mine operational. However, my truck was always safe and in good working order each day. The camaraderie on the bus certainly paid off in the long run. Management would also have me run into town crossing picket lines, knowing that the miners would never harm me. I have to laugh that they would hide behind a woman’s skirts to get the job done, but nonetheless, I was probably the only one that could cross picket lines unharmed.

I went to work in the underground silver mines in the Silver Valley of Northern Idaho in 1990 where I was again a pioneer in my field. In the Silver Valley, the only female profession was prostitution. There were three houses of ill-repute in town and the miners would frequent them nightly. The old superstition was that if a female went underground that her presence would cause a “rock-burst” resulting in a cave-in. Women were bad luck and not welcomed in the mines. The older miners still believed in these superstitions and I was not welcome underground. To teach me a lesson, they once Planned an episode on the “cage” (an elevator that would take you 5000+ feet into the bowels of the earth.) To frighten me they would drop the cage at free fall, hoping to hear me scream! With nerves of steel, I figured if they weren’t screaming that I didn’t need to either.

When I was hired by Hecla Mining Company, my boss, Bill Griffith called me into his office and told me that I was the first professional woman in not only Wallace, Idaho but the entire the Silver Valley. He told me that I was to uphold my professional image at all costs and he put out an ultimatum to all the miners in the Silver Valley (not just with Hecla Mining Company but with all other companies operating in the Valley) that offered me protection at all costs. He put out the word that if I was ever harmed, in any way, that he would personally see to the banishment of the individual not only in Wallace, Idaho, but the entire Silver Valley. Anyone laying a hand on me would be banned from ever working another job there forever more. He gave me some tips on being safe in the underground mines. He required that I always take a professional male counterpart with me underground, like a geologist or the mine manager, as not to be wandering around in the stopes alone. His advice was heeded and I lived very happily in the Silver Valley, conducting environmental work and doing mine land reclamation.

Meg: Can you define what reclamation is?

Lynn: Reclamation is the conversion of mined or other disturbed lands into economically productive properties, such as grazing land or orchards; and the conversion of disturbed lands to natural or semi-natural habitat. Environmental rehabilitation includes both ‘restoration’ and ‘creation’. It is used primarily to indicate improvements of a visual nature to a natural ecosystem. In the Mojave Desert, the area had been severely disturbed by the ‘49ers” in the 1800’s. The “49 er’s” would mine gold that they could visibly see and would leave large “glory” holes wherever they mined. They were called glory holes, because if you accidentally fell into one, you could fall as much as a half- mile down a shaft, resulting in going to your “glory”. Our reclamation plan for this area was to reclaim the glory holes, without disturbing bat habitat and to salvage existing vegetation, place it in a salvaged plant holding area and use it for final reclamation to provide a “natural” habitat. We also constructed greenhouses for desert plant propagation, which was a first for a mining company to accomplish. We took direction from the University of California, who helped us extensively in the green house design and desert plant propagation techniques. The final product was most certainly an improvement over what the landscape resembled before the project started and is now safe and productive land for wildlife and recreational use.

Meg: I understand you’ve literally struck gold. Wow! Can you describe the experience?

Lynn: We all “strike gold” in life one way or the other, but I was literally given the opportunity to strike gold. There was an old mine in the California desert that had been mined in the 1800’s by the “49er’s, that held the opportunity to reap millions of dollars with the microscopic bits of gold left over long    after the 49er’s had reaped their rewards. With new technology these microscopic particles could be extracted and processed. Ross Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Viceroy Gold Corporation contacted me to conduct the environmental permitting to put the mine into operation.

There were a few things that would cause this project to be an uphill battle. First, the mine was in California, the most heavily environmentally regulated state in the Union. Second, the mine was located in what later became a protected area, with endangered desert tortoises. Third, there were seven environmental organizations that were opposed to the project and were pursuing legal action to prevent the project from moving forward. He only had a 50/50 chance of pulling this off, but he was a tenacious individual who had the Midas touch. I agreed to help him with the project. After three years and 30 million dollars of environmental mitigation, the company was granted the permits to finally turn the first shovelful of dirt. The seven environmental groups that were adamantly opposed to the project ultimately testified at the hearing on the project’s behalf. It was a win/win situation for the company and the environment and to this day I consider it to be the most challenging and most important projects that I have ever worked on. Of course, all that training as a kid on giving presentations came into play and I can only attribute the success in getting approval to my younger days of giving the best presentation to reap the rewards of success.

Meg: You have several firsts to your credit. I imagine being a pioneer isn’t always easy. Could you speak to the positives and challenges of paving the way?

Lynn: As a woman and an environmentalist in the male-dominated mining industry, my career was truly a challenge. The mining industry at that time did not even have a job description for environmental scientist. They paid me the going rate for an engineer, as they had no job description for a scientist, much less an environmental scientist. At that time there were many women who were breaking through the glass ceiling.

As a single woman, alone in a male dominated environment, I really had to be the best of the best. My professional and my personal persona were one in the same. I had to be the ultimate professional at all times and hold my ground to ensure that the mining companies did the right thing when it came to environmental protection. This was new to them, and taking direction from a woman was unheard of. These challenges were only overcome by attitude, and my attitude had a direct effect on their perception of a problem and the ultimate dynamics of our relationship to get the job done. This opportunity gave me the perseverance and tenacity to overcome any challenge in life. It made me the person that I am today.

Charles R. Swindoll said it best: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Meg: You refer to having had several mentors—can you talk about the role of counselors in your life, including how these relationships came about?

Lynn: Nothing in life is a coincidence. God puts people in our lives for a reason and though it may seem a coincidence, many times these people have a huge impact on our lives. One of the greatest mentors in my life was Ray Friedlob from Denver Colorado. Ray was the chairman of the RNC and I met him on an airplane when I was still attending college. We struck up a conversation on the plane about environment and he was astounded to hear of my philosophy toward the incorporation of environmental ideals into corporate philosophy. You see, I did not believe in joining an environmental group to make changes in environmental policy. I firmly believed that to make changes in an industry, one needed to wholeheartedly join it and make the changes from within. That is why I was excited to work in the uranium mines in Wyoming upon graduating from Colorado State University. It was a way to make a huge impact on the way things were done for the entire industry. The reclamation of hundreds of thousands of acres of land was a success story that was referred to in the text books as a hands-on case of how to conduct successful mine land reclamation.

Meg: How did you ever go from the mines to the White House?

Lynn: To further my professional career, I started the first environmental committee for the Northwest Mining Association in Spokane, Washington. This organization hosts one of the largest and most well-attended conventions for the mining industry in the Pacific Northwest. As Environmental Chairman,  I invited a number of renowned government officials from Washington, D.C. to speak, including EPA Administrator, Ann Gorsuch-Burford, while she was being indicted by the Justice Department for exercising her right of executive privilege. The media was all over her at the time and as a result, when she came to the convention, there was not a room that could hold the media, reporters and participants! There must have been 1500 people in attendance at the session. My mentor, Ray Friedlob, guided me in making a most favorable impression on the Administration officials, including hosting a cocktail party for all of the renowned guests attending the convention.

This bit of sound advice later resulted in a political appointment in Washington D.C. My first assignment was at the Department of the Interior in the Office of Surface Mining, where I soon learned that government was a huge machine that worked a snail’s pace in comparison to private industry. I knew that I was destined to help in a bigger way, and at age 22 I wrote a proposal (yes–my experience as a child shines through once again) to the Secretary of the Interior, proposing a new position in his office. I suggested that he needed a person to monitor Cabinet activities and policy issues and suggested that I was just the person to act as his interface with other Cabinet agencies and brief him on matters with the President. There was no one more surprised than I when he assigned me an office in his wing as Special Assistant for Policy Review and Cabinet Affairs. Later I went on to represent the Secretary of Energy in the same capacity with the White House and later became White Hose Liaison at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While at the EPA I wrote over 100 pieces of testimony which ultimately molded policy at the Agency in the 1980’s.

Meg: Tell me about becoming a Virginian and the owner of the Black Horse Inn.

Lynn: When I served the Administration in the early 1980’s I had brought my horse Zack from northern Idaho to Virginia while I worked in Washington DC. We had always been a successful team, competing in three-day eventing out West. I took Zack with me and started to ride with the hunt in Virginia. The landscape is the ultimate dream for riders. You can ride for miles and miles without ever having to open a gate. The terrain is challenging, the footing is terrific, there are many people that love the sport as much as you do and it is a joy riding in Virginia.

Hunters Haven Then

I purchased the property in 1992 and it was in “dire straits.” It required a considerable amount of time, effort and money to restore it into the majestic estate it once was. It had suffered from years of neglect. Why did I buy the property? Well…the horses made me do it! I had seven horses that I had purchased in California and after I left the gold mining operation I took a position as Vice President of Resource Management International, with offices in Washington, D.C. After searching for a property that could comfortably provide a respite for me and my horses, I came across the manor house that is now known as the Black Horse Inn.

After one year and three months of restoration and renovation, I was able to open the doors to the public. I had decided that corporate work was no longer for me and that I would explore my entrepreneurial skills.

Hunters Haven Now

Thus the Black Horse Inn was born. Named after the Black Horse Cavalry, the Inn possessed the features of Virginia lifestyle, including history, horses and old time charm. In 2001 we added a grand ballroom to the property to host the ever expanding weddings that have been such a popular draw to wedding couples from near and afar.

Our success is contingent on our attention to detail. We are blessed with a beautiful property that hosts many memorable events for  our brides and grooms and there is nothing that gives me more pleasure than to share this beautiful property with others.

Meg: The area of Virginia you are located in is known as “Hunt Country.” Can you explain what a Hunt involves, what about the activity draws people, the culture of the sports?

Lynn: The sport of foxhunting Virginia is steeped in tradition and history. While there are very obvious similarities to fox-hunting in Britain, such as the traditional dress code, there are many differences that may not be as obvious to the casual observer. The biggest difference between the two is in the focus of the sport. Foxhunters as a group and individually, demonstrate a deep appreciation for the environment they use for hunting activities and respect for all other users, particularly the wildlife, which are seen as opponents in a game rather than as candidates for extinction.

In Europe and England (until the controversial ban of the sport in 2004), the goal of a hunt is generally to kill the quarry, whereas in North America, the goal is to “account for” the quarry. Rarely is the quarry killed. Here, it is the thrill of the chase that counts. The quarry, in Virginia it is usually fox, is chased across fields and through wooded areas over all sorts of obstacles by a pack of specially bred and trained hounds, followed by the riders on horseback. The hunt ends when the hounds lose the scent and the fox gets away, or when the quarry is treed or brought to bay, the hounds are called off by the Huntsman, and again, the quarry gets away. Many supporters of foxhunting here give of their time, energies and financial resources to further the sport but do not actually participate in hunting themselves. For many of the members of the hunt, the social aspects are a big part of the sport. Hunt Breakfasts (which don’t always take place at breakfast time), Hunt Balls, Point to Points, Tailgate Parties are all part of the social side of Foxhunting in Virginia. Non-riders are often welcome at these social events.

Meg: I understand you relatively recently married the boy next door. Can you describe finding your partner under your nose?

Lynn: I never thought I would find my true love, but as soon as you think that, he finally appears. When I moved to Warrenton in 1992, I met all the neighbors, including Edra and Bill Mauro and who lived just two doors down. We would get together when there was an issue that required the attention of the neighborhood. Generally these meetings were hosted at the Black horse Inn. One day we had a meeting and there was a very handsome fellow that I had never set eyes on before. I introduced myself and asked who he was. He said he was Jimmy Mauro and that he grew up just two doors down from the Inn. He had played in the Inn as a child and had hit golf balls into my pastures for the last few decades. I was amazed. How could it be that I had never met him before? Come to find out he worked at nights for the government and was never around during the day time!

We courted for two years and decided to tie the knot. After helping so many brides plan the details of their weddings over the past 14 years, I had a new challenge–planning my own. Our wedding odyssey began at the Black Horse Inn where we were married for the first time about a month before departing for Rome Italy where were married a second time in a 14th century church near the Vatican. Following the ceremony, a reception was held at Casina Valadier, a restaurant located high atop one of Rome’s famous seven hills in the Villa Borghese, a 17th century park and unparalleled views of the city. Jimmy and I shared a horse and carriage ride through the city, stopping at all the magnificent sites in the city. Since many of our family and friends could not join us in Rome, our third and last wedding was held in the fall of 2006 at the Black Horse Inn, for the entire cast of family and friends.  So…Jimmy and I have been married three times now as respective spouses!

Meg: You came to the conclusion that corporate life was not for you and deciding to pursue your entrepreneurial instincts. Since then, you have successfully created a livelihood that combines a life-long passion with service to others. Any words of wisdom to others who seek to create a meaningful vocation from their passions?

Lynn: Corporate life ceased to be of interest to me when I was asked to do something that I considered unethical. I was at the top to the top as VP of a large environmental consulting firm based out of Sacramento, California, and I suppose that the closer you get to the top, the more management pushes you to pursue opportunities that they see as profitable, no matter what the cost. I was not willing to compromise my morals and ethics. Subsequently, I decided to become an entrepreneur and start my own business with the proceeds of the gold mining options that I had exercised. The change in lifestyle afforded me the luxury of setting my own schedule and enjoying the sports that I was passionate about. I would ride frequently and enjoy participating in the hunt.

Weaning myself from the comfort of corporate life took some doing. It was uncomfortable at first not having a corporate office to go to daily. I was restoring an old inn with my business plan literally penciled in on the back of an envelope. I had no cushion to pad myself with. There was no steady stream of income and I had to watch every dime to ensure my success. It was scary when the phone didn’t ring, because I would ask myself if I had taken the right course of action in marketing properly. It was scary when the phone did ring, because I was a single woman running the entire show and the success or failure of my new business was completely dependent on me. It took some time before I felt comfortable with the freedom of not having a 9-5 job anymore, but as time progressed, I finally got into a groove of enjoying the business and creating a wonderful life for myself.

As the business has become more successful, life has come full circle. I struggle daily with running the business and taking the time to enjoy family and friends. There is less and less time to enjoy those things that I value most highly and I know that I will soon need to readjust the way things are done to allow myself time for the important things in life. As I stated before, time is a thief and we mustn’t let time pass us by without enjoying the fruits of our labor. We must learn to smell the roses along the way and cherish our family and our relationships with others. The most gratifying thing about having the Inn and working with brides on their weddings is that I can give something back to them in this regard. Their perfect day is one day where I can help them to slow down and relax and enjoy the ones that they love the most. When they arrive on property they put their cares and troubles behind them and focus on the most important things in life– including family and friends. When it all comes down to it, these are the treasures that we have in life and if I can play a small part in assisting them with one of the most momentous occasions in their life, then I a m proud and honored to do so.

Meg: It seems your career has involved a willingness to take calculated risks. Would you agree and if so perhaps talk a little bit about your process and how you balance your “head” and your “heart”?

Lynn: My words of wisdom: timing is everything! There are ebbs and flows in business and in the economy and you must take advantage of the moment. Calculated risks are successful if all the key elements are in alignment. However timing is one factor that must not be overlooked. Building a nest egg while the economy was on a high was key to my success, much in the same way that investing wisely in times of economic downturn. Buy low; sell high is the old adage.

However, knowing when to take advantage of the crests and troughs of the economy is like reading a crystal ball. There have been many instances where my heart has urged me to make a move, but in my heart I knew that the timing was not appropriate. I would override my desires with my head and wait for the appropriate moment to make a move. Balancing my heart and my head has not always been easy, but being able to chart a course with the appropriate timing has certainly been a key to my success.

When I bought the Black Horse Inn in 1992, the property was in a shambles and needed extensive renovation or as we would call it in the mining industry “reclamation.” I had waited nearly a year and a half to make an offer, and finally did so at the appropriate time, when the real estate market return would be at it’s highest for my investment. At my first party at the Inn, prior to its restoration, my friends laughed and told me to step outside, that they would be happy to torch it for me. I said, “you have no vision…this will be a jewel someday.” With my earnings from the mining industry, I started restoration of the Inn and reclamation of the grounds. Fortunately, the timing was right and today my initial investment has turned into a “gold mine.”

History repeats itself and my husband and I recently restored a “shack” in St. Michael’s, MD. Fencing on the property was deceptive and most buyers never looked beyond the fence to see that the property boundaries just happened to have one of the prettiest views of St. Michael’s harbor. My husband and I both realize that with a little “reclamation” a minimal investment could become another gold mine–in time. Our purchase of this property in 2009 was when the real estate market was at an all time low, and contractors were hungry for work. Our “shack” is now called “Second Wind” and is a respite for us from our hard work and busy schedules. We hope to retire there someday.

Meg: Your life seems to have been a successful combination of drive and karma, with the latter being evidenced to a certain extent by that first job offer and meeting your husband. Would you say that both personal ambition and fate have been factors in your life?

Lynn: I agree that personal ambition and fate have had much to do with the outcome of my life. I have a lot of drive and when I set my goals on something I generally get it done! I focus so strongly on getting from Point A to Point B, that I sometimes miss anything else that is going on outside the box. My personal ambition and drive made me a successful corporate executive, government official and entrepreneur. It made me a terrific athlete and enhanced my personal ability to kayak Class V waters and ride to the hounds with ease.

It is a wonder that with such strong personal ambition that I didn’t forget to stop and smell the roses as I was achieving my goals. I was so driven, that I thought I was forever destined to be a business woman, rather than a wife. It wasn’t until I was in my late 40’s that fate took me for a ride and showed me that I could have both a wonderful husband and a thriving career. I met the man of my dreams and he has become a huge part of my professional life, ensuring that everything runs smoothly at the Inn and with all of our weddings at the grand ballroom, The Gilded Fox, where we host weddings that must be perfect for a bride’s special day. Regardless of rain or shine, emotions or bridezillas, we do our best to ensure that each bride’s event is customized and that each event is as perfect as it can be.

Without Jimmy, my life would be empty. He is the “rock” that I come home to at night. Having been close to death in a fire at the Inn, which consumed nearly two thirds of my body, I now realize what is really important in life. It isn’t the countless hours that you spend at work. It is surrounding yourself with those special people, your family and your friends. That is what life is all about. My husband, my family and my friends complete me.

Meg: Your courage is amazing—would you be comfortable sharing about your near-death experience?

Lynn: In July of 1992 I was consumed in a gasoline fire that exploded behind the barn at the Black Horse Inn. Over two thirds of my body was severely burned. I had trained as a hell-attack firefighter (attacking fires by helicopter) in California and Oregon, back in my college days and fortunately I knew the game plan which was to drop and roll. I was able to extinguish myself and I calmly walked through the barn and said goodbye to my horses, as I knew that I was seriously injured and it would take many months to heal. I called 911 and immediately went to my room, filled the claw-foot tub with ice cold water and jumped in it. Having the presence of mind to do so, probably saved some of my skin, however, my face was charred and half of my hair was burned down to the scalp. The hospital should have called the helevac unit to take me to the nearest burn unit, but they didn’t and instead they released me that evening to go home.

I was part of a prayer group at the time and they would stay over each night to feed me and help me through the night. I was so fortunate not to have died of shock. I was in so much pain that dilaudid (a form of morphine) and oxycontin became a staple in my medicine cabinet. I would use them heavily on days that I went to therapy for “debreeding” which is where a therapist removes the damaged skin from your body. My limbs, which were burned the worst, swelled so terribly that it was very tough to get around. I would literally crawl to the bathroom in the morning. On the verge of throwing in the towel I asked to be admitted back into the hospital. It was there that I contracted a staff infection, which caused considerable scarring. None of the doctors could diagnose the infection, and why my skin was not growing back. Finally, I called the burn unit in Washington D.C. who had me come in that same day. They correctly diagnosed the staff infection, and had me fitted for compression garments that I would have to wear for a year to help with minimizing the scarring.

Fortunately, my face only had second degree burns and my hair grew back, but my arm serves as a daily reminder of how fortunate I was that my “angels” were looking out for me that day. My family, who has always provided a cushion for me in all aspects of my life, was there for me. My parent and my sisters came to the rescue, and took turns caring for me and running the Inn and the weddings. My oldest sister actually left her home for two months and lived at the Inn with me to get me through the physical therapy treatments, as well as detoxing from the mega doses of pain medication, while taking care of business at the Inn, quite successfully I might add. It made me realize just how precious family is. I cannot thank them enough for all they did for me. Additionally, my strong belief in the Lord and my prayer group got me through the worst of it.

There was much concern that my skin, with grafting and the like would not grow back with enough elasticity to ever ride again. By the grace of God, I was able to hop on my horse eight months after the accident, wearing compression bandages. It was the best therapy of all. After the accident, I had abandoned the possibility of ever marrying. After all I was in my late 40’s and I was one big scar. Just as you abandon all hope, it seems as though the Lord grants you your wishes. Sure enough, my wonderful husband came into my life shortly thereafter. The scars were never an issue. I guess he looked past the scars and into my heart. He has helped me immensely through the healing process from a psychological perspective. Today I really don’t even notice the scars. On occasion I will notice someone staring at my arm and I will think about how proud I am to be able to have survived the ordeal and still be standing to tell the story. I wear the scars proudly, as my badge of courage.

Meg: As someone who has searched for gold and found it both literally and figuratively, what words of advice would you offer to someone pursuing a dream?

Lynn: Dreams are golden. Time is the thief. Don’t let the passage of time steal your dreams away from you. The fact is, the pursuit of our individual dreams is as important as our business and family dreams because they define the quality of our lives. At the end of the road, more often than not, we regret what we didn’t do, not what we did. So, don’t abandon your Individual Dreams – those dreams that are specific to you, that rest in your soul that you long to pursue… It may be the passage to the destination of your dream, not arriving at the destination that can be the most rewarding part of pursuing your dream.

For more images of Virginia, see the Travel Photos Section