Meet Your New Neighbors

Ron and Glenda Rich moved to Tehachapi about a year ago from Ridgecrest where they had lived since they married five years ago. Both had previously lived in Bakersfield and loved the clean air, natural beauty and seasonal weather of Tehachapi. Ron's health issues were the final motivating factors in their move to the mountains.

Ron was born in Kansas and spent his early years working on the family farm. The family moved to Bakersfield in the late 1950s and Ron finished high school there. He joined the Navy after high school and was sent to Vietnam. His experiences there left him with severe PTSD. For more on Ron's experiences, read Craig Luther's article in the June 5, 2021 issue of The Loop. When Ron finally retired in the late 1980s, he was an assistant scientist in a biology laboratory at Kent Sea Farms in San Luis Obispo County.

Glenda said she was born in San Luis Obispo but her family moved to Bakersfield and she lived there most of her life although her daughter was born in Los Angeles. She is an artist and the owner of The Cricket's Thicket Studio. She was teaching art techniques at paint parties in Ridgecrest before her move here and hopes to start that again as soon as things open up again this year. Glenda said she has been painting since the 1970s and is mostly self-taught. She said she actually failed Art in high school but, 30 years later, she had the opportunity to show her art to that teacher who apologized for his lack of judgement. For seven years she worked as a Master Highlighter for the artist Thomas Kincaid.

Glenda said that she and Don actually knew each other in high school through mutual friends. They were each married to other people for over 30 years before they reconnected through friends in Ridgecrest. Glenda has a daughter and Ron has three sons, two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. When they married Glenda had been living in Green Valley just west of Lancaster. Ron said that they reconnected with the song, "In the Misty Moonlight." Glenda once heard the song, made it her song and said she would fall in love with someone who sang it to her. Well, he did and she did.

Ron currently makes mobiles that he sells through Olcott's in Bakersfield. He has also taken up painting, voice acting and acting. Most recently he has joined the Tehachapi Community Theater group. He added he also likes to cook. Glenda is focused on her art and looking forward to teaching again very soon.

Welcome to Tehachapi, Ron and Glenda. I know we will hear more from both of you.

If you have moved to Tehachapi within the last six months, Hilltop Welcoming Service has a bag of information about the Greater Tehachapi area, its activities, events, government and facilities. There are always a few coupons and gifts, as well. It is a great way to learn about your new community. Being part of this column is strictly optional. If you would like a visit from the Welcome Hostess contact our office at (661) 822-8188.