Nick and Marilyn Calhoun moved into their new Tehachapi home in March. They actually arrived from Fruita, Colorado (near Grand Junction) in January and lived with their son Troy until they found their new house, a project that proved more difficult than they expected given the state of the local real estate market in January.

Before retiring, the Calhouns had lived in Colorado for 25 years. Nick said that over the years he has bought and sold trucks all over the world working for companies like International Harvester, Ford and Chevrolet and at one time even worked on the Alyeska Pipeline. Before moving to Colorado, they raised their family in Montclair, California in a home they owned for 35 years from 1961 to 1996.

Marilyn was born in San Carlos in the Bay Area but moved to Los Angeles when she was still young. Nick was raised in Texas and came to California when he joined the U.S. Navy. He went to boot camp in Long Beach and remained stationed there. He said he got to travel all over the world and was lucky enough to be in Melbourne, Australia for the 1956 Olympic Games. He and Marilyn met on a blind date and were married in 1960. Nick was then selling parts for International Harvester.

The Calhouns have three children. Troy, the oldest, lives in Tehachapi. Daughter Robyn lives in Iowa and Kyle lives in Whittier in Southern California. They have three grown granddaughters of which they are very proud. Hayley is a Navy wife, Tess is doing postgraduate work in engineering and Genevieve recently graduated from the University of Minnesota.

Nick has been working with wood for years as a hobby. Marilyn said he used to make beautiful furniture but had to get rid of most of his large equipment for lack of space in their new home. Marilyn likes to sew and work in the garden and both of them look after their animals, a cat named Lilith and Addie (Adalanta) a 7-year-old German Shepherd.

A big Tehachapi welcome to Nick and Marilyn. We know you will enjoy your new community.

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.