Growing Up on the Ranch at Fairview Canyon!
I will forever be
grateful to my parents for having the vision and wisdom to take the time
to find a place that was truly made for raising a family. My friends
were raised amongst the asphalt and street lights of town. While their
days were filled with lawnmowers, car horns, nosy neighbors and barking
dogs, I lived in a different world altogether.
I grew up at the
end of a dirt road. No streetlights, pavement or car horns. My days
were full of sunshine and priceless solitude. At night you could see a
million stars. I would lie in a sleeping bag in the yard and count the
satellites and falling stars (Strange how the number of stars seems to
decrease exponentially the closer one moves to town). As darkness fell
the crickets would come alive and their symphony would wash over you in
gentle waves that seemed to always bring a sense of comfort and
tranquility. Even today I can close my eyes and listen for the sound of
the crickets in my mind's ear and find peace in the memory. Over the
crickets the coyotes would raise their voices to the moon as if to
express their joy that they too called the ranch home.
I'll never forget
the warm summer nights when the gentle breeze would bring the sweet
smell of sage down Fairview Canyon. I would stand on my bed, face
pressed against the screen, breathing deeply of the night air and
planning the next day's adventure.
As a boy growing
up on the ranch, each day could bring a new adventure. I remember
chasing mice in the six acre field beside the house with my mom's
ancient and exceedingly patient black lab Julie. From her I learned the
fine art of excavation. She did fail to mention that the average field
mouse was particularly ferocious when cornered and prone to biting.
Some things you just have to learn on your own! It is hard to imagine
now, looking back some 30 years, how large and wild that little field
seemed to a small boy of 4. I'm sure I wouldn't have had the courage on
my own. A boy must have a dog, and the ranch was just the place for a
boy and his dog to call home!
When I was deemed
old enough to accept the responsibility I was allowed to get a puppy of
my own. Turning ten was a wonderful time and marked the beginning of
the best years a young boy could imagine. Having a companion with
boundless enthusiasm and energy meant that no nook or cranny of our
domain went unexplored. Actually, not even a rock went unturned.
Mom would pack us
lunch in a brown paper bag complete with snacks and two peanut butter
sandwiches. (Golden Retrievers like them as much as small boys). We
would spend the day building forts amongst the vines and thick trees
around the spring, or searching for porcupines in the deep ravines of
Fairview Canyon or the sandstone outcropping on the back edge or the
ranch that we called the "Rooster's comb." Often we would make our way
to the top of the ranch where we would eat our lunch and gaze down from
our perch and watch the Wenatchee River snake its way through the valley
awash fruit blossoms while the breathtaking white tips of the majestic
Cascades looked down on it all.
Looking back I
cannot think of a better place to have been raised.
Shane
Back to the Ranch Page!
Call Al at 509-630-6769 for
further information!
Fairview Canyon Ranch $1,495,000