January 7, 1979
by Rose Garacci
John Day, OR
I arrived in Eugene Oregon, at 6pm in the evening on January 7, 1979. It was raining and cold. The trip was long, coming from the bayous of southern Louisiana. I stayed the winter in Eugene, but fate took me over the Cascades into Eastern Oregon, Grant County, June 16th, 1979. And this was the moment my soul connected with my special spot on earth. The sunshine, the desert wind, the smell of juniper and sage, I knew I had found the place. That was 30 years ago. I still appreciate the sunrises and sunsets in the John Day Valley, I will never take this for granted. My children were born and raised here, so I have given them a very special gift. I love eastern Oregon and while I was not born or raised here, I will most certainly die happy here. My ashes will be spread on the top of Strawberry Mountain, and in the Alvord Desert. I am home.
