Meet your new neighbors

Sara and Fred Nilson moved to Tehachapi last October from Bakersfield. When I asked what brought them here, Sara said it was the beautiful area, the horse-friendly atmosphere and they also had friends here.

Both of them were raised in the Bakersfield area. Fred attended Kern Valley High School in Lake Isabella and is an only child. He currently does international sales for an oil related company in Bakersfield. His company builds and leases out mud coolers to be used on hot oil wells. He is a wine enthusiast and likes to play golf in his off time. He is certainly living in the right community.

Sara was born and raised in Bakersfield. Her father and sister are still there. Horses are her life and if asked what she does for work, she will answer “take care of horses”. Anyone who has ever had horses knows what she means. When she is not with the horses, she volunteers with Alpha Canine Sanctuary in Bakersfield, a no-kill haven for homeless dogs.

I was not surprised to learn that the Nilson’s animal family was all rescued. Bubba is a Percheron/Quarter Horse mix and is 16 hands high. Sara says he is twelve but acts like he is two. Jack is a paint Thoroughbred and Cash, a Quarter Horse, is her primary riding horse. They have three dogs (Bogey, Maggie and Murray) and a tuxedo cat named Elvis.

Welcome to the entire Nilson household whether canine, feline, equine or human.

It was just before the Christmas holiday that Elsa Yedinak and her two children moved from Moorpark, California, to their new home in Bear Valley. She liked the natural surroundings of the area plus, the affordablity. She also has a brother here. Elsa is a registered nurse and is currently employed through the state of California In-Home Supportive Services.

Elsa was born in Victorville, California. Her father was in the Air Force and she said that growing up she spent a lot of time between Las Vegas and California. She lived at Vandenberg Air Force Base through high school and went to college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She worked at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles for ten years.

Elsa’s ten year old son, Jacob, is into electronics and computers. He likes to draw. He said that at one time he wanted to be a paleontologist but now he is not sure about that. He is in his last year as a Cub Scout, a Webelo, and looking forward to transitioning to Boy Scouts.

Five year old Audrey loves to dance. She said that she likes ballet and tap but not hip-hop.

Last but no least is the family’s one year old bulldog named Bella. Welcome to all of you.

Debbie and Richard Boyd try to spend as much time in Tehachapi as they can. For now the home that Debbie recently inherited from her mother will be their vacation home. It took a while for us to get together as the Boyd’s still make their home in Clovis, California, where Richard is in charge of grounds at Buchanan High School and Debbie is a medical transcriber. After a couple of failed tries due to the flu and weather, I was finally able to meet them and Shelby, their friendly Golden Retriever. Debbie said that she had always loved the house as well as the beauty of the Tehachapi area. She told me that they were able to furnish their home here for $900.00 off of Craig’s List.

Richard was raised in the Los Angeles area. He and Debbie met when Richard rented an apartment from Debbie’s ex-mother-in-law. His father lives in Palmdale and they were reunited last November after many years of estrangement. He has a step-sister in Reno and a step-brother in Valencia. His two sons live in Wyoming and Colorado. He loves fishing, hunting and woodworking and is looking forward to exploring the area around their mountain home on his motor bike.

Debbie was born in Bakersfield but raised in Lancaster. She attended Antelope Valley High School. Her father, Frank Dodson, worked for Rockwell Aerospace and retired to Tehachapi with his wife Kathryn. She has a sister in Rosamond. Debbie enjoys knitting, crocheting and oil painting in her free time. She has four grown children but it is her daughter McKenna and her two children who live the closest. Five year old Jordan and 20 month old Bentley are Grandma’s pride and joy.

We know the Boyds will have many enjoyable years in Tehachapi.