Last fall Chris and Carolyn Wiles finally moved to Stallion Springs from California City where they had lived since 1998. Carolyn said that she used to drive around Tehachapi pretending that she lived here. As a result of her work as a supervisor at Terra-Gen Operating Company, Carolyn was often in town. She represents Terra-Gen at Chamber of Commerce meetings and has been on the board of both Tehachapi and Mojave chambers for some time.

Chris is a civil service employee at Edwards Air Force Base, so when they finally became empty-nesters, they thought that it was time to make the move to the mountains with their two rescue dogs Tippy and Bella.

Carolyn was born in Melrose Park, Illinois, near Chicago, and moved to California as a first grader. Her family settled in Canyon Country and eventually she raised her own family in nearby Valencia. Her two sons, Bryce and Pierce, are now students at California Baptist University in Riverside and are involved in football and wrestling.

Chris was raised in Nebraska but was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base when he was active duty military. He has worked as a plumber and in the field of family support. His son, Christopher, lives in Nebraska and his daughter, Amber, lives in Colorado. He and Carolyn met online in an aol.com chatroom 17 years ago.

They both like to camp and often go with friends to Camp Pendleton and Point Mugu over on the coast. Chris loves NASCAR and had a room dedicated to it in Cal City. In the new house it will be a “sports room”, he said. Chris also likes to cook and Carolyn told me that he also sews. Her favorite pastimes are scrapbooking and crafting.

We are so glad that the Wiles finally moved to the Tehachapi area. Welcome!

After their retirement last year, Mitch and Sherri Thresher and their daughter Brandi made the move from Bakersfield to the clean air of the mountains. Mitch had been an inspector for the Kern Building Department in Bakersfield and also Mojave. Sherri spent nearly ten years at the call center of the Welfare Department in Bakersfield. Brandi has worked in Bakersfield for six years doing administrative office work.

Sherri describes herself as a “bare-footed Arkie”. She was born in Benton, Arkansas, near Little Rock. She told me that when Mitch came to Arkansas to get a divorce, she was introduced to him by family. She said she didn’t really like him at first but that changed and they eventually married.

Mitch was born in Bakersfield and had actually lived in Tehachapi at one time. His parents lived here until his father passed away some time ago.

The Threshers have five grown children, including Brandi. They also have eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Sherry said that most of them live in Las Vegas, Nevada, or back east but they do have twin “grands” living in Bakersfield where Sherry can visit with them often. She said that they are her hobby. She is also “mom” to the couple’s two dogs, Bo-Bo and Chewie. She is an avid recycler and said that she would like to start a recycling program in Bear Valley.

In his spare time, Mitch loves to fish and hunt so he has certainly moved to the right area.

A big Tehachapi welcome to Sherry, Mitch and Brandi!

Mary Alvarez is the new manager of Golden Hills Salon in Old Town. She has been a barber for 27 years but, of course, works on women as well as men.

Although born and raised in Bakersfield, she lived for some time in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was totally into body building and fitness until she was diagnosed with second and third stage uterine cancer. Although the disease is now somewhat under control, she is still being monitored and some of her prior activities have been curtailed.

Her family is her pride and joy. Her son Neal lives in San Jose. His wife is in the military and is a tank mechanic stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Mary says that they are “soul mates” and even finish each others sentences. They met when both of them were stationed in Afghanistan.

Mary’s daughter, Erin, lives in Bakersfield and literally married the “pastor’s kid”. Erin is the mother of Mary’s three grandchildren, Mia (10), Don (8) and Alice (6).

Mary loves to quilt and has been quilting for nearly 20 years. She still does all of her quilting by hand. It is her dream to put together a ministry group to make quilts for cancer victims.

Welcome, Mary!

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.