Gwen Nordgren
sits for a portrait by
the pool next to the
charred ruins of her
former home in Para-
dise, California. Two
months after the fire,
Nord gren allowed
Muller to accompany
her on her return to
say goodbye to the
“perfect retirement
house,” a place filled
with 15 years of mem-
ories. The pool holds
a special place in her
thoughts. “I would
go in the pool in the
morning by myself,”
Nordgren says. “I’d get
into my bathing suit
and get into this gor-
geous pool, and I just
felt like a queen. I’d
look up at this beauti-
ful California blue sky.”