Meet your new neighbors

It was the clean air and country setting that lured Curtis and Sharon Cummings to Tehachapi. Two of their children have been plagued by allergies, so they were really looking forward to the healthful change in beautiful surroundings.

Curtis has been a directional driller for Geo-Guidance Drilling Services in Bakersfield for seven years. Of course, I had to ask what a directional driller does; Curtis told me that it was his job to steer the drill to the oil. He has a fifth wheel trailer, which he takes to job sites as his office and his home away from home. He was born in Oakdale, California, but was raised in Bakersfield. He is the middle child of three boys. His brothers are both in Bakersfield. He is a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves to fish if he gets the chance.

Sharon was born and raised in Bakersfield. For years her father worked in the oil fields but is now retired. Her parents moved to the Bodfish area and her dad continues to work as a handyman.

She has a little brother, newly married, and two older sisters. She is a licensed Tupperware dealer, but is mostly involved in raising fourteen-year-old Adrie, eleven-year-old Alaina, and two-year-old C.J. (short for Curtis Jeffrey). When she has a few moments she loves to sew, can, and create scrapbooks. She has dreams of someday creating a space for horses in their back yard.

In addition, the Cummings have three grown children. Two of them are living in Bakersfield, and one is attending college in Yorba Linda.

During football season Curtis and Sharon are dyed-in-the-wool San Francisco 49ers fans. They have season tickets and have had them so long that they have first rights to tickets for any 49er’s event. That should make them the envy of many.

Welcome to Tehachapi Curtis, Sharon and entire Cummings family.

According to Tonya Beyer, she and husband Mark came to Tehachapi from Wichita, Kansas, by way of Moose Lake, Minnesota. It was Mark’s work that brought them to California, and the natural beauty of the mountains that brought them to Tehachapi. Mark is an aerospace engineer and director of flight services for Virgin Galactic with offices at The Spaceship Company in Mojave.

Both Tonya and Mark were born and raised in Wichita. Tonya told me that they met at church and they have lived all over the country. Mark, who graduated from Washington State University, worked for Cessna in the 1980s in the field of theoretical wing design. The couple spent three years in Albany, Georgia, when Mark worked for OMAC (Old Man Aircraft Company). He has used the wind tunnels at NASA, been self-employed in Wichita, and worked on blimps for the military in Virginia. Prior to their move to California, he worked for Cirrus Aircraft in Moose Lake. During his down-time, when he has some, he likes biking and hiking.

Tonya’s favorite things to do involve music, art and movies. She said that she loves to draw. She and Mark have twelve children, six boys and six girls.

The oldest six are grown and either married or in college. They also have two grandchildren. All of them have been home schooled by Tonya.

Each of the six children remaining at home have their own interests outside of school work. Seventeen-year-old Brooke is interested in music. Fourteen-year-old Nathan said he likes doing anything creative. Josh, 12, likes video games. Eden, 9, likes to draw and make ice cream. Seth, 6, told me he likes to tease his siblings (then said he was just kidding), he also is into video games. Aiden is eleven-months-old and enjoyed being carried around by his brother Nathan.

Outcast of the day was Snickers, the family’s Miniature Pincher/Terrier mix. At the time of my visit, Snickers had recently had a run-in with a skunk and it seemed no amount of treatment or confinement could completely eliminate the “eau de skunk”.

A great big welcome to the entire Beyer clan. Including Snickers, who learned that skunks are just part of the natural environment of 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.