Meet Your New Neighbors

It was a work transfer with a utility company that brought Dean Long to Tehachapi. He came from Rancho Cucamonga where he had lived since he was five years old. He found a beautiful mountain top home with spectacular views in Bear Valley Springs. His parents came to visit shortly after he moved into his new house and they brought some pictures that his father had taken of this area while working with a utility company back in the 1970s. One picture really looked familiar to Dean. On closer inspection, he noticed that rocks and landmarks looked really familiar. His father had to have been standing on his property when he took that picture over 40 years ago. What a small world!

Like his father, Dean loves photography and figures he has a perfect place to practice his hobby. Small herds of deer roam all over his 16 acres, as do other wildlife; and then, of course, there are those views that had captured his father’s imagination.

Dean was born in Arcadia, Calif. and has a brother who now lives in Tucson, Ariz. He has worked for utilities for 16 years and is now a supervisor. He holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Leadership from the University of La Verne, Ontario Campus. He has a 23 year old son who lives in Fontana.

He says that he has loved cars since he was old enough to drive and owns a 2010 Camaro that he races at the Autocross in Fontana and in Phoenix, Ariz. Then there are his two project cars, a 1967 Camaro and a 1964 El Camino. They are still housed down south. In the meantime, he can enjoy another passion, mountain biking.

Also, not with him yet is Allie, his Australian Cattle Dog. She is a three year old rescue from Arizona and will join him when her new home facilities are completed.

Welcome, Dean! Tehachapi seems to be the perfect place for you.

Last fall, Erin Love arrived at Hart Flat with her two children Caydence, age eleven and Hope, age five. They came from Monterey where they had lived for the last two years. Erin told me that she wanted to be closer to her family. Her parents also live in Hart Flat. Although her last name is now Miller, Love is her maiden name and it is the perfect last name for a Yoga instructor.

Although she was born in Salt Lake City, her family migrated to the San Francisco Bay area. She is the oldest of five girls and all but one of her sisters are still in California. Her family eventually moved on to Bakersfield and then to Hart Flat. Erin completed her Bachelor’s Degree

at California State University Bakersfield and received her teaching credential. She worked as a substitute Special Education teacher for the San Francisco Unified School District and then received her Master’s Degree in Teaching Special Ed.

Erin taught Special Ed for ten years. She said that she used Yoga as a way to cope with classroom stress. She has actually been doing Yoga for 15 years and has taught adults and children, as well as children with disabilities. For a long time she had been told she should have her own yoga studio and she thought it was a good idea if she could find the right space.

One day earlier this spring, her mother went to a movie at the Hitching Post Theater. While in Tehachapi, she noticed a space on F Street that had a lot of possibilities. In May, Erin opened Ananda Sundari Yoga Center, her first studio. She said that to her surprise, a lot of her inquiries have come from men.

Erin said that in July she will be holding Kids Yoga Summer Camp at her F Street studio. The two session camp will include yoga, crafts and fun through storytelling and music. Her first session will be for ages 5-8 and the second for ages 9-12. She added that it will incorporate the “Spirituality for Kids” program, teaching kids who are missing the spiritual to listen to their inner voice. For more information on the program, check out her website at anandasundariyoga.com or the Community Happenings section of The Loop Newspaper.

Erin also has a full schedule of Yoga classes for everyone. Stop by and sign up for a class at 112 E. F St. Suite C. Welcome to Tehachapi, Erin.

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.