Our Story
A tale of friendship, love, and the dream of a place to grow…
We are Brian and Jessica, and our story began long before we ever imagined building a life together on a mountain. We were friends for decades, sharing stories, laughter, hard seasons, and the kind of steady trust that only grows with time. Then, in 2020, that friendship became love. What had always felt familiar suddenly became the beginning of something new. Along the way, we also discovered a shared love of adventure—traveling stateside and abroad, exploring new places, and scuba diving beneath the surface of beautiful waters. In 2024, Dolly, our beloved Aussie Adventure Dog, joined the family!
Together, as Jessica’s fourth child was preparing to leave for college, we found ourselves standing at the edge of a new season too. With the last one leaving the nest, the timing felt right to let go of the homes and chapters that had held so much of our separate lives and begin building something shared. So in 2025, we sold our homes, moved a tiny home onto twelve acres near Darling Mountain outside of Willamina, and began creating our forever home in the heart of Oregon timber country. This land has become more than where we live. It is where we grow food, tend an orchard, share harvests, welcome friends and family, and create a peaceful park beside the creek. Our hope is that everyone who visits—whether someone we love or a stranger who becomes a friend—feels the beauty of the mountain, the generosity of the land, and the warmth of a dream we are building together.
The Dream
We did not buy the land simply to own it. We bought it to belong to it. We imagine gardens where rows of vegetables would push through dark soil, berries warming in summer sun, fruit trees growing slowly toward harvest, and tables long enough for friends to pull up chairs without anyone counting how many places had been set.
We picture children running barefoot through grass, dogs tracking mud where mud did not belong, jars lined up after a day of canning, coffee on the porch, firelight after dusk, and friends lingering long after dinner because the mountain made time feel generous. We want a place where people can come tired and leave lighter, where food tastes better because it had been grown with care, and where memories take root beside the tomatoes, beans, and flowers.
More than anything, we want the beauty of the mountain and this life to be shared. Not only with friends and family, but even with strangers who might arrive needing a breath of peace, a taste of something freshly picked, or a reminder that good things still grow when people tend them with love. We imagine harvests spread out for others to enjoy, baskets filled from the garden and orchard, and the kind of abundance that becomes richer because it is shared with others.
Near the creek, we created a park, a place where the sound of water could soften the edges of a long day and invite people to slow down. The orchard becomes another promise planted in rows: trees that will take time, patience, pruning, and faith before offering their full harvest. Together, the creek, the orchard, the gardens, and the mountain became part of the welcome we hope to share with you.