Meet your new neighbors

A desire for a quiet and peaceful lifestyle is what originally attracted Ellen and James Rice to Tehachapi. After 31 years as a heating and air conditioning fitter, James finally decided to retire. The couple had lived in Palmdale for 21 years and was more than ready to make the move to their mountain retreat. However, before settling into their Bear Valley home in the fall, they spent almost six months in Bridgeport, California, where James could enjoy the outdoor activities he loves: archery, target shooting and fishing.

James was born in Auburn, Washington. His family came to California in 1961 and settled in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley. He has a brother who lives in Newhall, and a sister who lives in Little Rock (in the Antelope Valley not Arkansas). He spent three years in the army and was a demolition specialist in the combat engineers. He and his unit swept mines in Viet Nam during the war. He told me that his unit still gets together every other year. As a result of injuries suffered during that war, James is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He is also a member of the veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Disabled American veterans. Since moving to Bear Valley he has also become an active member of the newly formed Bear Valley chapter of the VFW. Along with his love of archery, fishing and target shooting, James also enjoys woodworking.

Ellen was born and raised in Sylmar, California. She has a brother who still lives there and a sister who lives in Canyon Country. She moved to Acton in the 1980s and then moved on to Palmdale. She loves rabbits and has raised them for show. She currently has two Mini Rex and is a member of the Antelope Valley Rabbit Club. She said that she named one Given because she tried to give him away.

Between them, Ellen and James have five children: Jesse, April, Guy, Cheryl and Michael. They are all over the age of 35 and have given them ten grandchildren. This makes Ellen a very busy grandma. The couple also has a nine year old Cocker Spaniel named Maggie who follows them around, well, like a Cocker Spaniel. She’s a real cutie.

Welcome to Tehachapi Ellen, James and Maggie.

The power company Pacific Gas and Electric is primarily responsible for bringing Paul and Susy Milne to Tehachapi from Porterville. Paul is head of operations at the PG&E Kern Canyon Power Plant and also the Tule Power Plant in Springville. He had been at the Porterville plant for 12 years and at Santa Maria for 18 years before that.

Susy told me that their new home came with chickens but it took time and a few mishaps for Tule, their German Shorthair Pointer to learn that they belonged on the property. The normally good natured Tule got his name because Paul was able to take him to work at the Tule plant.

Paul was born in Los Angeles but grew up in San Luis Obispo. He went to college and graduated from Cal Poly. He has two brothers and a sister. After college he worked at the nearby Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

Susy lived in Rangely, Colorado until she went to college. She also has two brothers and a sister. She attended Ricks College and then Brigham Young University in Utah where she studied to be a physical therapist. It was during her internship in Atascadero, California, that she met Paul. She said that she worked as a recreational therapist at Atascadero State Hospital for two years.

The Milnes have four daughters: Heidi, Emily, Anna and Julie. They range in age from 23 to 30. Three of them are living in Utah and one is living in Wisconsin. Paul and Susy also have six grandchildren. Four are in Utah and two in Wisconsin. Susy considers playing with her grandchildren one of her favorite hobbies along with sewing, reading and hiking. She likes to make both clothing and quilts.

When he is home, Paul likes gardening and hiking with the dog although he was working on a “honey-do” project the day of our visit. A big welcome to Paul and Susy!

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.