Gatch House

On the way back from the blueberry farm this morning I decided to finally stop and take a quick pix of this building just a few blocks from where I live. I believe it is the Gatch house -- owned by an long-established family here in town. Today it serves as the Senior Art Center and Gallery. It's really cool -- just needs some horses, cowhands and all the acres back that used to surround it. The house stands on Boone's Ferry Road -- a main thoroughfare in the state. And, yes, i am told there actually was a ferry that crossed the Willamette River, in fact, I am thinking that it might still be there. The thing about Boone's Ferry Road is that no matter where you are in the state you can always cross Boone's Ferry Road -- a fact that was always confusing to me when I lived here all those years ago. You can close your eyes and point to anywhere in the state on a map and there's a good chance your finger will land on Boone's Ferry Road.

I always think it would be cool to be able to be transported back in time just for a day (or until I needed to take a shower) and see what life was like in this part of the country so many years ago. I hear stories of Native American settlements along the river from old-timers (well, they actually still call them Indian Settlements) and about the stagecoach stop in town and other great stories about the wild, wild west. Oh, and did I mention the two big rodeos going on in the neighboring towns of St. Paul and Mollala? Yes, i said rodeos. It is an interesting place this Pacific Northwest.