A couple of weekends ago when we were reeling from the suddden loss of our dog we fled north to visit friends in Sierra Valley. We knew instinctively that it was the best place and these were the right people to be with as we tried to assimilate the news. The valley is a ranching community and our friends have been cowboying in the cattle-ranching industry for decades. They understand life and death, right and wrong, and what really counts in the long haul.
This place is near and dear to my heart. I only spent about four years living in this valley but they were special years. They represent a time when I was beginning to appreciate the value of community and the valley shaped my ideas of what community is and can be. It is very rural. At our friends' house we had neither cell service nor internet. It was disconcerting at first but ultimately very freeing as we were undisturbed in our conversations, meals, walks, and sleep. I worried over my online class but ultimately found an internet cafe where I caught up, voice mails were recorded and listened to when we had service, and the world kept revolving, the sun kept shining... it really was not a big deal that we were temporarily disconnected.
Years ago I bought a cafe in this valley because I was interested in community, and wanted to create a place where people would gather and share ideas, where bonds were forged over coffee and food, where different opinions could be aired and discussed. (That, and I love to bake). The cafe was successful in becoming a part of the community but financially it was a bust and ultimately I had to shut the doors and move on. It was heartbreaking at the time but the memory of that cafe lives on in this place and that makes the endeavour worth every minute I spent at it.
What I love about this place is not unique but it is uniquely rural. What brings people together here are work, food, and conversation. Brandings are big social events where neighboring ranchers join together to innoculate, castrate and brand cattle. If you are fortunate enough to be invited you are assured of laughter, sweat, cold beer, the acrid smell of burning hair, massive amounts of grilled beef, beans and coleslaw, and an endless array of photo ops. It is the type of day you want to hold on to forever because it represents the very best of being a part of a community. It creates memories both personal and place-based that become a part of the history of the valley.
There wasn't a branding the weekend we were there, but there were the best biscuits and gravy you have ever had - even if you think you don't like biscuits and gravy. There were dogs and horses and goats, walks through the woods and pastures, cold beer and creamsiccle drinks, grilled tri-tip with incredible potato salad and home made cole slaw that was so good you filled your plate again and again even though you were full to the brim. And there was no shortage of laughter in that house. College student home for the weekend, visiting married sibling from the big city next door, we were fortunate enough to share it all.
And it was so good for us. Our friends were so good for us. We got our feet back underneath ourselves and were able to pick up and move on once our visit was over. This isn't the only place this could have happened, of course, but for this weekend I think it was the best place. The Sierra Valley holds a special place in my heart and of course, Chance had lived a large part of his life there.
I'm sure I'd move back there in a heartbeat - but it is a tough place to make a living. We aren't ranchers and we aren't wealthy so we'd have to take some sort of work with us or commute (which in my opinion cancels out the whole point of living there).
Meanwhile we'll try to get there more often to visit our good friends and reap the healthy benefits of having friends who live in Sierra Valley. We'll help with the work, contribute to the beer cooler, join in the laughter, and add our opinions to the mix.
And continue to feel fortunate to be living this life, right now.
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