Meet Your New Neighbors

Fran Riggs had many reasons to move to Tehachapi when she retired. Although she had been born in Kern County, she has not lived here for many years. She did, however, still have family in the area and she had always loved the mountain setting and the change of seasons so Tehachapi seemed a natural choice when it came time to retire and move from the crowded city environment of Fullerton.

Last fall Fran finally retired from 13 years as a buyer for the City of Fullerton. I was not sure what a buyer did but I found out. Over the years, she worked with the police department, the fire department and the Department of Homeland Security and had purchased much of their equipment including numerous vehicles, aircraft and even a helicopter. Prior to working for the city, she spent 30 years in banking. As a busy executive, she was responsible for Consumer Compliance which means that she was responsible for making sure that bank was in compliance with current laws. She has also done consulting and education in banking. Fran has always had a real interest in community-theater and is now looking forward to becoming involved with our local theater group.

Born in Bakersfield, she is one of eight children who were raised with horses in the central valley. Her father, who passed away two years ago, was the designer of the X15 fighter jet and an engineer on the B1 bomber. Her 86 year old mother still lives in Carson City, Nevada, where the couple had retired. Fran’s siblings are mostly in California with the exception of a sister who lives in Washington. Her brother, Gordon, and his wife live in Bear Valley Springs so she sees them often along with their daughter who recently won an award at the Oral Language Festival.

She shares her cozy home with two very active characters, a Chihuahua-Schipperke named Li’l Guy Noir and a very vocal Amazon Orange-wing Parrot named Kermit. Welcome to Tehachapi, Fran! Your life here will not be dull.

Last November Caitlin Roberts returned to Tehachapi from Arvada, Colorado with her husband , Ian, and their four month old son, Liam. She had been home schooled here and had graduated from Monroe High School before moving out in the world. In Colorado she trained to be a dog groomer at Petsmart and this is the skill she has brought back to Tehachapi. She is currently working at the Grooming Spot and quickly building her clientele.

However, Caitlin is really a horsewoman. Her father was Air Force so she moved around a lot. Her mother trained horses and at one time trained race horses in Louisiana. It is not surprising that Caitlin took after her mom. She had her first ranch job at the age of 9. She said she was basically a “slave”, taking care of whatever a horse needs. While still young, she exercised horses for trainer Dave Ferry in Tehachapi riding bareback. According to Caitlin, they called her a “sack of potatoes” because she just wouldn’t fall off – “sort of like Velcro.” At that time she had mustang named Shelby – Shelby Mustang. She loved the work and the riding. When she graduated from high school, she moved to a ranch in Texas and broke 2 year old colts for nine months. There she learned that working for a large ranch was not for her. That’s when she moved on to Colorado.

Caitlin is now glad to be home. She currently rides a 14 year old Missouri Foxtrotter named Joey who is actually from Missouri. She has become a specialist in gaited horses and plans to get back to horse training in the not-too-distant future. Her mother is also in Tehachapi and still trains and teaches English style riding. Caitlin, just let me know when you’re ready. I have a Rocky Mountain horse that could use your help. We’re glad your back in Tehachapi.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call 661-822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.