A friend of mine worked construction near Telluride, Colorado when lots of fancy folks started buying property there in the late 80s. Ralph Lauren bought the entire top of a mountain and had literally miles of split rail fencing built around it.
Oprah bought or built a very big house out there. One of my friends’ pals worked on the exterior construction. He said that she furnished the whole house, but became dissatisfied with the decor, and just had her household staff pile it all out at the entrance—sofas, cabinets, tables, chairs, one thing on top of another—having already ordered a truck to come and haul it away. Gone in a couple of hours.
The stucco and brick men sweating on the outside of her mansion would have gladly used their pickups to take a piece or two home to the family, had she given them a chance, but she didn’t, or wouldn’t. Oblivious to the little people—working class white Coloradans, grandsons of pioneers.
My neighbor worked the plumbing of her barrier island house a few miles from where I am. He said she treated her help well with nice cars, etc.
She was able to buy Maui land at what I think was a modest price. Oprah is a smart woman. Like her fellow Chicagoan Obama, she saw her opportunities and took them.
Near where I live in Florida, FPL has had a lot of trees marked red for removal.