More Members

NANCY & ROGER

Nancy and I live on the Eastern Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains in VA. We have three sons, one daughter-in-law, one grand grandchild, two grand dogs, and a fluctuating number of grand chickens all of whom live in Oakland. Everyone loves California and will never look eastward so it is apparent that if we are to spend any time with our family (as in granddaughter) we must live closer than 2500 miles. Hence, Wolf Creek Lodge is a perfect compromise—not too far and not too close. We are also looking forward to being intentional good neighbors in our new life.

We enjoy cooking, gardening, and spring wildflowers. Nancy also plays bridge and tennis. (I say I play tennis but those who have seen me do not agree!) I am an accomplished curmudgeon, and I am currently working on an advanced degree in Lollygaging.

BOB M.

Bob was born in England of an English mother and a Scottish father. At the age of eleven he moved to Scotland. So far he is the only member of Wolf Creek Lodge to captain his High School cricket team.

He graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in Physics. He and his family moved to the greater Boston area in 1978. There they joined the local Unitarian Universalist congregation. They have continued to be active Unitarian Universalists now at UUCM in Grass Valley.

Bob worked in the computer industry in a variety of roles and for companies large and small. His major contributions were as a manager of software engineers for both large companies and two startups.

In the winter months Bob is a ski bum, both downhill and cross country often at Sugar Bowl and Royal Gorge. In the summer he rides a mountain bike in the nearby Empire Mine State Park and hikes either locally, in the Grouse Ridge area, on the Sierra Summit or around Lake Tahoe.

He works a little for his son’s engineering firm and gets volunteered as a computer person by various non-profits. Now as a member of the “eComm” team at Wolf Creek Lodge he supports both community systems and those of the individual members.

IRENE

Bio coming soon

CASEY

I was born in New York. My father worked for General Electric so every six or seven years we moved. I have lived in Schenectady New York, Roanoke Virginia, Cincinnati Ohio, and back to Westchester, New York during high school. I attended an all-women’s college in upstate New York where I doubled majored in Literature and Fine Art. After graduating I visited San Francisco and decided that was the where I wanted to live forever. Been in The Bay Area ever since.

I loved to create things right from the get go and was heavily encouraged by my father who, from a young age brought me to museums and galleries all over the world. He also supplied me with wonderful art books and an embarrassment of art materials with which to play.

After graduating college, I married Ken Haven and proceeded to get a Graphic Design degree from The Academy Of Art College in San Francisco. I worked as a graphic artist until 1986, when I quit to pursue abstract painting full time. In 1990 at the age of 39, I gave birth to a magnificent baby girl named Emma.

I continued to paint and started designing jewelry. In 1992, I learned to program HTML from a Dominican Sister at the local convent…there were no books or programs at that time. It was so magical and I jumped in feet first. Unlike most artists at the time, I was taken with the World Wide Web and was thrilled to add web page design to my accomplishments.

Emma grew up and attended Iowa State University where she majored in Agronomy with a specialization in Soil and Water Conservation. She is now happily employed as a Soil Scientist and loves every minute of it. I am so proud of my girl, a young woman thriving in a traditional man’s world.

Recently, after 42 years of marriage I found myself divorced. The first thing I did was check into Cohousing. After reading many articles over the years, it seemed an appropriate solution for a newly single woman. I found The Wolf Creek Lodge on the internet and started a series of weekend visits, resulting in my decision to buy a unit and move in ASAP. The real gold mine in Grass Valley is this community. How I lucked out, I’ll never comprehend but I am so grateful to have landed on my new happy feet. And I intend to take up my arts again full time.

I don’t think of Cohousing as alternative housing; I think of it as housing the way it’s supposed to be.

PATRICIA

Before moving to Wolf Creek Lodge Patricia lived in Albany in the Bay Area. She investigated many cohousing communities in California and even one in North Carolina before deciding Wolf Creek Lodge was the right choice.

She arrived in 2019 with a pickup truck and a pickax. She immediately set to work painting her new home. Patricia has retired from her job as a speech therapist working mainly with children. She is working in the gardens under the guidance of members of the landscape team.

KELLY

I’m an eco-minded person who is into the outdoors and learning better sustainable practices for the betterment of all. Getting back to basics in eating (fresh, unprocessed foods) and living (having less is more) is key to a healthier life. I currently drive a 100% electric Fiat 500e.

Growing up a tomboy in northern Ohio, I moved to the Bay area of California with a seventeen year layover in Dallas Texas; earning a Bachelor Degree at University of North Texas in Business.

My work experiences have been from various sales positions to a Residential Loan Officer/Manager to managing a few rentals while doing improvement projects. Being that my first job was in my Dad’s tool and die shop I have been drawn to using more tools after purchasing “fixer uppers” and learning a variety of home improvement and building skills through the years.

My mom exposed me to art, music, crafts and kitchen skills (most recently I’m learning more sewing and knitting skills). Yoga, Qi Gong, hiking, bicycling, playing piano, listening to a variety of music and tennis are activities I really enjoy.

I have traveled throughout Europe and did a camping trip in 1999 across the west (just me and my dog), settling in the beautiful land of California.

My partner Matt and I met through “OkCupid”; we’d both like to see more of California. I feel I will cherish my time here and look forward to getting to know folks in our wonderful community.

DEANNA

Wolf Creek Lodge became my home recently after looking into Cohousing over the last few years. I knew I wanted to live in a community with people who are interested in sharing meals, doing projects together, and helping each other as we age.

Long ago I began work in a new and upcoming field, at the time called Data Processing, now called Information Technology. After close to 20 years, and approaching my 40th birthday, I took a leave of absence and moved to Yosemite, it was supposed to be for 6 months, but extended to 2 1/2 years.

Just before leaving for Yosemite, I completed massage therapy training, so when it was time to leave, I moved to Sonoma County where I practice massage for my next career. I owned a business, directed the massage program for a large health club, and taught.

Soon, it was time to move back to Sacramento, my home town. I had known I would return for my parents end of life. I didn’t know my younger sister would pass too.

At 71, I took yoga teacher training. I had been practicing for 5 years this time around. The first book we read was Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. I joined the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento about the same time. Both of these thing took me on the journey of how I wanted the last big chapter of my life to look.

This journey has brought me to Wolf Creek Lodge.

JIM

Jim was investigating Wolf Creek Lodge when he discovered a home was coming on the market. He made an offer to the seller and was the new owner before availability of the home was generally announced.

If you are interested in moving to Wolf Creek Lodge you should follow Jim’s example. Get to know the community. Make sure you have what we call a “host” and be ready to move quickly.

Ayrshire in Scotland was divided into three parts – Kyle, Cunningham and Carrick. Jim has visited Ayrshire to find out where his ancestors lived.

Jim already lived in, and works in Grass Valley. He joins the few non-retirees at Wolf Creek Lodge.

MAUREEN W

I moved to Wolf Creek Lodge in March 2022 from Auburn, just a short drive away. After the isolation of COVID, some surgery and an injury, I decided to look for a supportive community of active adults near pickleball courts, trails for hiking and snowshoeing, and lakes for kayaking. I visited four Cohousing communities within 50 miles of my home and after several walks and meals with members of WCL decided that this was the place!

I appreciate that the Lodge is within a block’s walk of two grocery stores, a gym, post office, department stores, and the Farmer’s Market. It’s a pleasant walk to downtown Grass Valley and the Empire Mine State Park. Since being here I’ve joined the Landscape team and Participation team, and I rotate with several other members to clean the Common House floors and to help with set-up/clean-up for the Saturday potluck. I very much enjoy the food and camaraderie of all our shared meals, whether potluck or Common Meals creatively prepared by our members. This is the best of both worlds for me – remaining close to family and long-time friends but also gaining a whole new family of wonderful neighbors!