Homestead in Oregon

Many years ago a young boy attended this school.

As the story goes, he would ride his horse down this road, perhaps seeing these same moss covered trees on that Oregon road.

Into town he would ride when there wasn't work to be done on the farm (if there was, he was excused from school!)

His great grandfather had come out on the Oregon trail to homestead in this area, Amity, Oregon, and settled on land that is still in the family today.

Who was that young boy on horseback many years ago?

Dave's dad, Dick Patty!

And there is "Patty Lane" as evidence of his family's long-time presence in the area.

Although Dave's dad left the farm to follow God's call on his life, the land never left his heart. He's always been a farmer at heart, still gardening probably the biggest garden in Englewood, Colorado!

He may not be in Oregon, but that's still some of the Patty land there where the marionberries are being grown.

We took a trip down memory lane as we came out to the area to see friends, and not only stopped by the Patty land, but also by the house Dave's dad grew up in, where Dave loved visiting in the summer.

While the house no longer belongs to the family, Dave has many fond memories from summer trips out to Oregon with his family to visit his grandpa and grandma at their farm.

He remembers watching his granddad milking his cows, shooting sparrows in the granary, driving the tractor for the first time at ten years old, and taming a sheep to make it a pet. He would've made a good farm boy too, had God not called him elsewhere in the world!

Being an Oregon girl myself (though not from a farm!), I loved being out in Oregon country today, soaking in the beauty of the farmlands, and remembering the heritage of my Patty family!