Linda Shaw:  

Life I have come full circle. I loved growing up in Sisters, OR in the 1950s...a truly happy time in a quiet small town. After college and marriage to my high school steady came 3 years teaching high school in Eugene and then a move to Eastern Oregon. Because of certain health issues that I only learned of later, I was very lucky to have one child...a great son. My husband's work took us to live in various interesting but isolated places...a ranch high on the side of Rudio Mtn. in Grant Co.; to Kinzua, a company-owned mill town that is now only a tree farm; and for 26 years, in a house that survived the great Heppner Flood of 1903. Living in Heppner was much like living in Sisters...a quiet town that is good for raising children and retiring. I enjoyed the community and teaching at Heppner Elementary (reading specialist and coordinator for assessment and programs for talented and gifted students). I was active in the community and in 1992 was named Citizen-Educator of the Year. I stayed in the house for 15 years after divorce in 1989, updating the house and caring for a big yard full of roses and perennials. I retired from teaching in 2000...the same year my son was married...a great year all the way around! Finally, in 2004, I sold the house, down-sized dramatically, and moved to Bend to rent a duplex in which the owner pays for the yard maintenance! When I drive around town, which is very close to Sisters, and look at the Three Sisters and other magnificent peaks of the Cascade range, I feel almost as though I'm back home in Sisters again. That was the main reason for choosing Bend, but I also can visit a very close friend more often and have better...Expand for more