There’s a rumor out there that the hardest part about “blogging” is starting. In my case, that rumor happens to be true…. many times, I’ve tried to start but really didn’t know how to put what we’re doing into words. So now I’m going to try.
My name is Garrett Lowe. My wife, Beth, and I live in Wallowa, OR, a small town of just shy of 800 people way up in northeast Oregon. They say that “you can’t get there from here” and it’s probably true. In fact, the nearest Walmart is an hour away. But we chose to live here. Beth’s ancestors showed up here six generations ago, Beth being the fifth and our two sons who live here in town being the sixth. Needless to say, we have deep roots.
We have always had a deep-rooted love for our community, one that drew us back here about 12 years ago after most of our five children had left the roost. I have always been impressed with the way that the members of this community always have banded together, especially in really rough times. They still hold alumni banquets for the alumni of the local high school that draws people who graduated 50+ years ago. Where else do you find that?
Over the years, we’ve seen our town decline. Wallowa used to be the county seat until the courthouse was moved to the town of Enterprise, which is roughly 17 miles away. We used to have three working sawmills but those are all gone now. We used to have 2 grocery stores and three gas stations but are now down to one of each. Farming, ranching and logging used to be the staples of the economy, but like everywhere else, the economy has shifted, and things have changed and continue to do so. Some say for the better and others say for the worse. But either way, our town is changing, and we can either roll over and watch it happen without us or we can stand up and help it change in the positive direction that we want it to go. So, Beth and I have decided to do something about it.
Some years ago, I was electrocuted by a lightning strike that came through the metal jacket of the cable I was splicing. Rough day…and rough days since. But be that as it may, I remember the day that my doctor said that I was still here for a reason. If I hadn’t had both ends of the cable in my hands, I would have been the stopping point for the energy. And I wouldn’t be here writing this blog. She told me that I really should be paying attention to the fact that I was still here, and that I needed to find out what it is that I really should be doing and get after it. No more wasting time, no more monkeying around. Find out my purpose and DO IT.
I think we found it. When I say “we”, I mean Beth and me. We’ve been married for 37 years this month and we’re pretty much inseparable. About the only time we aren’t together is when she goes to get her hair done. There’s nothing much there I need so I try to find something else to do.
Roughly eight years ago, we were approached with the opportunity to purchase our bronze business, timber bronze 53, llc, from a couple who have turned out to be good friends of ours (well, I think so anyway….). It was a good compliment to the business that we brought back to Wallowa with us, a company called Dry Creek Design, wherein we reuse, repurpose and restore old materials taken from various projects. These two businesses were all well and good for us, but what about others in the community? What can we do as a small cog in the wheel do to help our town come back to life?