Adams Creek Cohousing Community Member Bios

Thirty-five years ago, as our rented U-Haul truck chugged past
Mt. Hood and the town of Parkdale, Patrick and Becki Rawson
drank in the breathtaking vista of the Hood River Valley and we
have never stopped being grateful that we call this place home.
We intentionally chose this area for the diversity of cultures and
it has been an incredible place to raise our four children.
Several months ago, moving from our rural property to Adams
Creek Cohousing has been the icing on the cake for us. We
relish the walkability, the convenience to the pool, parks,
shopping, hospital and even hiking trails. But most of all, we are
struck with the beauty of intentionally sharing space and lives
with our amazing community. The spontaneous gatherings, the
sharing of whatever item happens to be in abundance (fruit,
fresh baked scones, kitchen organizers, or whatever), the
gleeful squeals of children playing in the creek, and the depth of
connection are highlights. There is also plenty of opportunity to
be in our own space as a couple and a family. We are in awe of
the smart, resourceful, energetic, passionate, generous,
thoughtful, enthusiastic, dedicated community members with
whom we are sharing lives at Adams Creek.
Patrick pursued careers as a social worker and college teacher
and is now a hospital chaplain and Becki is a Nurse Practitioner
at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital where she has
worked since we arrived 35 years ago. Our other passions
include hiking, swimming, cross country skiing, kayaking, and
being with our five grandchildren.

Hello! This is Becs, happy to tell you about our family. Sequoia (5) is an artist, a chef, a singer, and an avid boulderer. Albert (4) is a pirate who loves Halloween. You can’t miss us at Adams Creek because we’re always outside drawing sidewalk chalk stories, playing in the sandbox and mud kitchen, or making fairy houses at the creek.

Joey and I both work in software and work from home. I describe Joey as my “yes man” - always willing to join in whatever adventure I have planned. And I’m the planner, always thinking about ways to bring more joy and diverse experiences into our lives. And boy have we found a likeminded community of “yes people” at Adams Creek. We have been wholly embraced here.  

My favorite moment so far has been my son Albert turning 4. He loves Halloween so, naturally, his favorite film is Nightmare Before Christmas, a Halloween movie. He wanted to do a screening of the film and so many residents turned up to the common house to join us. I got to watch my son share something very special to him with his new family while he started a new year of his life.

We’re extroverted introverts, meaning we love to participate in (and me to plan) a vibrant social scene but we recharge ourselves through quiet family time. We love retreating to our unit at the end of a community filled day to enjoy our little foursome.

As we were wrapping up our careers as teachers and writers, we started to imagine an ideal lifestyle and location for our next step. Our life in Portland had gotten a bit lonely, especially after our daughter graduated from college and went off to grad school in Scotland. We’d read about co-housing and were getting curious. We knew something of what community can feel like, having earlier lived for many years in a meditating community. We felt we needed more of a shared life with others again. So, in early 2024, we felt ready to make the leap—out of our home of 20 years and a lovely Portland neighborhood and into one of the few units left at Adams Creek Cohousing. We trusted our instincts. We didn’t know Hood River, and our connections with the community were just forming. But we were drawn here by the kindness of the ACC members and by their various personalities and rich stories.

Now, after a short time here, we love this community. Some highlights for Larry: the company of other “seekers,” talks about mindfulness, and morning yoga sessions in the Common House. For Nancy: the daily view of the mountains that she’s longed for her whole life, and the company of other artists to encourage and inspire her. For both of us, there’s the spontaneous conversations as we go about our days, and beauty in the hills and hiking trails, a sandy beach by the river, nearby orchards, and always, when one wants it, the company of others to enjoy it all with. There’s the sound of children playing in the morning and when evening comes, their chants of “star light, star bright, first star I see tonight,” as a sky full of stars opens out overhead.

I grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and attended a one-room school for grades 1-6. After high school and college in MN, I started my teaching career just outside of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It was an amazing 3 ½ years teaching mathematics in a local school, learning to know people of diverse backgrounds, enjoying the beauty of the tropics on the edge of the South China Sea, and meeting the wonderful Chinese-American man who became my husband of 35 years. Bob and I moved to the California Bay Area where we lived and worked during the years our two lovely daughters grew up. Bob served as an Episcopal priest, and I taught mathematics in middle school and high school. Later we moved to Washington where I taught at the University of Washington, Tacoma.

I first learned about co-housing in 2011 and immediately knew it was how I wanted to live – in an intentional community with people who care about each other and want to share resources and life experiences. My husband had died a few years earlier and I had moved to Hood River to be near my older daughter and her family. It was supportive to live close to them as I learned to live alone, but I also wanted to live in community. Although I knew there were many cohousing communities around Oregon and the rest of the nation, I really wanted to stay in HR. So in 2016 I was thrilled to find other people in HR who shared my interest in cohousing and, working together for eight years, we made it happen!!!

I am delighted to finally be living in Adams Creek Cohousing. I am settled into my comfortable and cozy home that gives me the perfect amount of space, and I am surrounded by caring friends with whom I am developing ever deeper relationships as we talk and work together. Now 80 years old, it is life-giving, life-enriching to have daily interactions with people of all ages. One evening recently, 5-yr-old Sequoia and I had a short conversation as she was walking past my home. As she started to move on to her home, she said “nighty-night, Ruth.” I am so blessed to be in this beautiful place with Adams Creek singing me to sleep each night

Adams Creek Cohousing literally brought Gary and Marilyn together. Marilyn moved to Hood River from Boulder, CO in 2020 to become a part of this developing community. Gary came on board in 2023 as the general contractor’s project manager to build the development. They met as collaborators to bring Adams Creek Cohousing into reality with construction finally completing in the spring of 2024. What started as a working relationship evolved into friendship and then a loving partnership. We now share a cozy home with Ava, Marilyn’s Colorado husky rescue who has adopted Gary into her pack.

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There’s a lot to learn in both our new relationship and living in cohousing, and of course these experiences are rewarding and at times challenging! Gary, who has longtime roots in Portland and the Columbia Gorge, has introduced Marilyn to forest bathing, hiking, camping, warm water soaks, and his love of small towns and coffee shops. Marilyn, having worked as a chef and culinary instructor in Colorado, loves to creatively prepare all manner of locally grown and foraged foods served with a gem of a local wine or cider. Her respect and appreciation for local growers and producers is evidenced in the foods she makes, whether in a simple dinner for two or a more elaborate family or community celebration. Gary and Marilyn love that we both have children and grandchildren nearby in Portland, and we are creating new shared family experiences. Our home in Adams Creek Cohousing provides enjoyable social connections and meaningful community work with other members. And we love the ability to walk to downtown Hood River, hike in nearby wild areas of mountain, river or waterfall, or just enjoy a quiet evening in our home overlooking a year round babbling creek. We’re learning to enjoy our retirements in balance to our still pretty busy lives. And we’re grateful to share this time together and in community.

I moved to Hood River 26 years ago, partially because of the water and part due to the incredible agricultural resources.  The recreational offerings in this area are plentiful, with the water being my focus for paddling my kayak.   
 

I am a single woman, retired psychotherapist with a love of animals. The introduction to cohousing was exciting, as it was a solution to not wanting to live alone the rest of my life.  I tend to enjoy my own company and find community living to give me both privacy and social interaction I need. 
I love to travel and have lived in different parts of the world.  Being among different cultures, finding new and unusual people and customs is what has educated me.  I believe in giving back to my community so am involved in some local volunteering, including local art events and plays. 

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​Nutrition and health are essential to my wellbeing, as well as the daily practice of compassion.  I have always lived around the availability of products/produce straight off the local farms. This is very important to my plant-based food philosophy.  And, I love to cook.

Twenty-five years ago, we dreamed of living in the country, far from town with enough land so that we did not hear or see our neighbors. What were we thinking? It was quiet, beautiful with lots of wildlife, and very lonely. Now we clearly understand and appreciate the value of community. Living at Adams Creek Cohousing within walking distance to town in beautiful Hood River brings a new appreciation for having a close connection with our friends, neighbors and community.
 

A desire to live a more sustainable lifestyle led us to our modest home in our cohousing community with solar energy, water saving features, a beautiful forested creek, and an opportunity to share resources with our neighbors.
 

Having the privacy of our own home while having the luxury of a cozy common house where we can enjoy community meals, movie nights, and meeting spaces to hang out with our neighbors is a dream-come-true. We are so grateful that Adams Creek Cohousing is finally a reality!

John has lived in Hood River since 2005. He came after living in Seattle, Geneva and Berkeley. John is a retired clergy person of the United Church of Christ and has been an ecumenical/interfaith and spiritual leader throughout his career.  He is an organizer for the Columbia Gorge Climate Action Network and is active in the movement for immigrant justice. 

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John has built a lifestyle that embraces community, civic participation and works for social and environmental justice. He likes to spend time outdoors.   He loves socializing around the table — loves a full house. Loves good humor.

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John has three incredible daughters and a friendly 10 year old ‘rescue’ dog named “Wilbur”. He has been a part of developing Adams Creek Co-Housing for years and now enjoys the practice of living more intentionally and modeling a more sustainable future.

My life has been characterized and influenced by living in many parts of the U.S., as well as internationally. Through these relocations, I’ve come to appreciate differences among peoples and cultures, as well as the intrinsic value that each of us brings to this party called ‘Life.’ This journey has taught me to stay curious, engaged, resourceful and resilient, with a healthy dollop of humor and a robust sense of adventure! As a native Louisianan, I try to infuse a Cajun sense of joie de vivre to my everyday endeavors.

I’ve reinvented myself several times, career-wise, including human resources, corporate communications, public speaking/training and workshop facilitation. I made a mid-life career change and went back to school to learn cardiac ultrasound. 

ACC is a great fit for me! There are many creative spirits (adults and kids!) to 'play art' with. We connect and collaborate on projects large and small. All our doggie friends know about the treat jar just inside my front door. While recently retired, I love keeping my 'admin' skills sharp with our sociocratic decision-making process, knowing that all voices are included. Hood River has welcomed my interests as well. A shiny, turquoise electric bike takes me to the Aquatic Center, the gorgeous library, farmers market and beyond! Such a beautiful place to live, and beautiful friends to live with. Come join us!

I was walking by my neighbor, LaJuan’s home, and glanced in as I passed, and saw her at her kitchen table.  Our eyes met for a split second as I strolled by, so I stopped, backed up, waved, and blew her a kiss.  She waved and blew a kiss back.  That was it.  Just a momentary connection, but it sweetened my day and reminded me why I love living here so much.  That same day, I was moving my laundry from a washer into a dryer in the Common House, and ran into Nancy, my nextdoor neighbor, and we laughed together about many things, including the nearly impossible challenge of folding fitted sheets properly.  Later, I needed a box to mail something, and sent an email out to the community, asking if anyone had one of the size I needed, and was offered three within half an hour.  Living among people who I care about, who care about me, people who love to share food and laughter, and also concerns and heartbreaks, who share the same vision of living closely together, in a caring, connected way – who are committed to the hard work of learning communication skills together, so we can deal with the inevitable friction of being humans together - this is a dream come true for me.  I’ve never been so happy as I am now, living at Adams Creek Cohousing.  And I had a quite wonderful life before.  I had one of the world’s best jobs teaching English as a Second Language to adult immigrants in Redwood City, California, once our son, Isaiah, was in high school.  He’s now finishing up college in San Diego, and his first words upon visiting us here last summer were, “You’re so lucky to live here!”   We agree.  Peter’s an IT professional who manages an international team.  He initially had doubts about moving here, but has discovered he likes it far more than he imagined he would.   We both love how making this move has allowed us to see each other with fresh eyes.  Marriage feels richer.  And we enjoy being around children who share their lives with us.  Watching 4-year-old pirate-loving-Albert inspire a room full of adults to shout “aye, aye, captain” is a kick.  We find that living here calls on us to be our best selves, and it stretches us in ways I think none of us imagined before we began this adventure together.  The friendships we’re forming are warm and deep.  We’re very happy to call ACC home.

As a professional theater artist I have always valued creativity, community and collaboration. And that, above all, is what I get from living in Adam's Creek. We work hard together and play hard together. We confront the challenges of life together. We see these growth opportunities paying off every time we get together for a meal, a game night or a party. Every day we model our values, living into them with humility and resilience. 

The most awesome part, as a parent, is that my kids (Zora - 13, Cleo - 11) also get to experience the joy of living in community, as well as the learning that comes with that. I am a single co-parent, and have been part of the ACC community since 2020 when we moved to Hood River from the UK to join the project. The girls love many aspects of the cohousing experience: for example last summer when community members put on activities (art, cooking, games) for all the ACC kids and their friends once a week through the vacation; or taking friends to play down in the creek on our property; or singing and playing piano at the neighborhood block party we hosted earlier in the year.

But most important for me is that, as a parent, I see my kids surrounded by a loving and caring village of adults who have chosen to follow their dream, even when it involves some risk and sacrifice, because they are driven by a higher sense of purpose. What could be a better example to pass on to our kids?
 

Lynn-Marie is a retired union organizer, lawyer, and public policy wonk with deep roots in Oregon. She moved to Hood River from Portland three years ago to help make Adams Creek a reality.

She loves to garden, so she’s snagged two plots in a Community Garden a quick walk from her new home. She loves to hike and to share the places she knows with the rest of us, often calling one of us on the spur of the moment to go out for a few hours. As a long-time political and community activist, she’s been delighted to find that it is easy to become a part of the vibrant social justice community in the Gorge. With the dedicated help of a fellow Adams Creek resident, she’s been operating a free walk-in legal clinic to help folks get their criminal records set aside once they get their lives back on track.

She especially enjoys the early morning light, the sound of the creek, and sharing food with friends.

Hi!  My name is Jerri, and I live with my dog Willie in a one bedroom condo at Adams Creek Cohousing. As a well-traveled person who loves hiking and kayaking, moving to walkable Hood River was not a difficult choice. After traveling for three years in my 24 foot R.V. it feels good to have solid walls to call home again! My life here is an active one, beginning with doing yoga most mornings in the common house with friends, and often ending by relaxing over a beverage  with someone on the deck!  I have multiple conversations each day as I step outside my apartment, most unplanned, and at the end of each day I know I have been enriched by living in this way. When I need solitude, I wander down to the creek that runs through the property, or head for one of the many trails that are close by. My friends here help me think harder about how to live more sustainably, and eat in healthy ways. I love the warm atmosphere of friendship that pervades our sharing meals together in the common house, and our commitments to celebrate milestones with each other.  I look forward to book discussions, camping trips, hiking, and making music together.  Adams Creek is my little “blue zone” in the world that supports me living my best life! 

Richard grew up in a very small town in Southeast Texas not many miles from the Gulf of Mexico. His mother's parents and his father's mother lived in walking distance and were a deep connection to family and community. He spent most of his first 31 years in and around Texas in his hometown of Angleton, Houston, Austin, and Galveston. He has lived on the West Coast for the last 40 years in Washington, California, and soon in Oregon. When he read about co-housing almost 25 years ago, it seemed to be a good fit. Having lived in a Buddhist monastic community, an Episcopal seminary, various archaeological field crew settings, and shipboard at sea, co-housing provides a balance for his rather solitary nature and his love of people.  

Kathleen grew up mostly in So. Cal. and has lived most of her adult life in No. Cal. and the Pacific Northwest.  She met her husband Richard in seminary and together they have served Episcopal churches for over thirty years.  She is excited to be part of a community committed to care for the Earth and mutual inter-generational support.  Richard and Kathleen have one adult son, Aidan and a mighty Chihuahua named Phannie.

Having grown up in the shadow of Mt Hood, living in Hood River is the right place for me.  I switched from seeing Mt. Hood in my backyard to Mt Adams and that’s okay, sometimes it’s good to have a different point of view.  My formidable years (a kid) were spent “outdoors” and as an adult I lived and worked many years on small Forest Service compounds, so living in a community where you know everyone works well for me. My condo is right on Adams Creek. I keep my bedroom window open at night, falling asleep to that soothing sound. 

I’m enjoying life with my yellow lab, Ziggy.  You’ll probably see me out walking somewhere in town, the waterfront, or on the pickleball court. I keep busy working in our creek and playing as much pickleball as I can. Oh, and walking Ziggy.

While bicycle touring in the Columbia Gorge in 2015, we fell in love with lively Hood River, its orchards, forests, and water all around, and majestic Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams towering in the distance. Little did we ever imagine living in this beautiful place!

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When our son and family relocated to Portland and our teaching careers came to a close, we knew it was time to move from our California home of 35 years. Finding connection in the ACC community sealed the deal, and we’ve never looked back!

Now we have the best of both worlds - Exploring the great outdoors near and far, then coming home again, where we are greeted with big hugs and “Welcome home!”, where our place is completely secure and the flowers are watered.

At home, Sandy’s happy place is connecting with neighbors in conversation and creating beautiful spaces together. Hosting and facilitating Nonviolent (Compassionate) Communication is her favorite ACC work, fueled by morning yoga and neighbors dropping by with homemade goodies.  She also loves quiet time puttering in the kitchen and playing with art.

Troy is amazed at how the community gets things done together.  Everyone plays their own part in keeping the whole apparatus, which is ACC, thriving.  One of his favorite times is music afternoon in the studio, gathering to play instruments and sing familiar songs.   If he wants a bit of solitude there is a favorite bike ride that takes him up the hills through fruit orchards with grand views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams, and a quick downhill return back home. 

The things that first brought us to Hood River, the community and the outdoors, are alive and well here for us at ACC. We are so grateful.

We joined Adams Creek Cohousing in the summer of 2020. Deb is a grant writer and Kevin is a retired physician. We chose to live in an intentional community so we could deepen connections with our neighbors and have a smaller ecological footprint. A few months in, we feel this is home. As we share meals, make decisions, and pull blackberry bushes together, our bonds grow stronger. We enjoy hiking and cycling in Hood River, and sharing this beautiful place with our children and grandchildren when they visit. We feel lucky and grateful to be part of Adams Creek Cohousing!

I grew up in Oakland and attended Berkeley High and consider my youth there to have been wonderfully enriched by the extremely diverse community where I always felt safe, curious and welcome, and where being weird was practically normal.  After developing fluency in Spanish, thanks to a summer in Mexico at 16, a year abroad in Barcelona, and a BA in Spanish, I decided to do something really wacky and study agriculture education in grad school.  There, I met an irresistible Chilean and ran off with him to sell and service microclimate monitoring stations for farmers in South America. We eventually returned and settled down in Southern Oregon, got jobs at Harry and David, got married, and had kids. Later we moved to the Central Coast of California to work in the berry industry. Curiously, I’ve managed to make a career out of providing training and development for farm employees in Spanish. Currently, I work developing a Spanish language farm apprenticeship program for the Center for Land Based Learning.  

My kids, Misha (20) and Nina (18), may or may not live with me once the move to Adams Creek becomes reality, but they are both very stoked about visiting me there, when they’re not visiting their dad who has recently retired and returned to Chile after our divorce.  Misha has been working for the last couple of years as a field hand for a local organic specialty citrus grower here in Ojai, CA.  He loves few things more than backpacking and snowboarding, and he’s listened to anything and everything ever recorded by Alan Watts and Terrance McKenna, probably twice.  Nina is a freshman studying Plant Science at Cornell University, with a particular fondness for primitive carbon-fixing plants and botanical drawing.  She spent last summer working on a friend’s organic farm on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Both kids know how to cook real food from scratch, and are eager to get to play around Hood River, exploring the myriad outdoor opportunities (the water sports! the snow! the Cascades!  the PCT!), not to mention the exotic big-city thrills nearby in Portland (food trucks! public transit! the Goodwill bins!).  We are all supremely enthusiastic about becoming a part of this dynamic and down to earth community! 

Lynn and Kim are very excited to call Hood River home. First on the list are the people of Adams Creek Cohousing. A warm and caring bunch who they have been getting to know first through zoom meetings and now face to face. What fun that has been. Secondly, the city of Hood River is a treat in itself. Imagine living in a place that is noted for the most rainbows.

Kim has been a nurse for thirty years and particularly loves working with elders. Kim is also an artist who combines her whimsical, folksy style with her love of birds. She is currently using her skills as an artist and wordsmith for writing and illustrating a children’s book. Kim also loves working in the garden with friends, listening to all genres of music, cooking and walking around town with their nine year old Labrador, Marigold.

Lynn’s career has been as a psychotherapist for the past thirty four years. Her focus has been on death, dying and grief. She has been honored to be a Grandma of two boys, Carver and Gates, who are now in their early twenties and on the way to creating their own lives. Kim has delighted in being called little grandma by these two six foot five young men. Lynn is an avid cook and feels love in her heart for those she cooks for and is excited to use her collection of recipes for cooking dinners in our Common House. Her history includes being a potter and developing her work thrown on the wheel with hand building in creating her lively pieces of art.

They are a card playing family and look forward to cribbage tournaments with their new community. They work hard at making the time for morning meditation and then they quickly move to The New York Times games, particularly Wordle, Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee.

Gregg and Barbara, aka Izzy, have been engaged with various kinds of community their whole lives. 

In Maine, when Barbara was a younger mother and a homebirth midwife, she lived off the grid, working the land and gardens with several other families, in a place they called Big Mystery Farm. As a Unitarian Universalist minister, most recently serving a congregation in Tulsa, OK, Barbara realized that once again, community was at the heart of her work.  

As a kid, Gregg lived as part of a community of military dependents. As an adult, he lived in a therapeutic community in rural Wales as a "pottery craftmaster" with two developmentally disabled apprentices and later in Kimberton, PA in an alternative therapeutic community with neurodivergent housemates. As a psychologist working with injured workers for thirty years, Gregg gets to teach the dharma as a means of living at peace with chronic pain.  

Gregg and Barbara moved together from Haystack Heights, a cohousing community in Spokane, WA.  "How wonderful to find ourselves together now, in beautiful Hood River, co-creating community - the most meaningful work in the world."   

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I have a vivid memory of the joy and sense of wonder I felt as I drove down the Columbia River Gorge for the first time in 1989. This was en route to a job interview for a family medicine physician position at La Clinica, Hood River's migrant and community health center. This could be my dream job, working in the clinic and hospital, delivering babies and getting to speak Spanish in a beautiful setting. I received a warm welcome from my future coworkers, got the job, and was thankful to call Hood River my home for the next 12 years. 

Hood River allowed me the opportunity to do many fun things that Hood River offers. I enjoy downhill and cross country skiing, sledding, hiking, camping, backpacking and cycling.  I even got to summit a few local peaks while I lived in the Hood. I cherish those busy years.  Marriage and parenthood were part of my Hood River experience.  I was blessed with two children who are the light of my life. 

Life's journey took us to AZ and eventually back to Portland, OR. I was able to continue my life's work with underserved medical communities, and recently retired. My children are grown and I am single since my family restructured several years ago .

Now a few decades later, Hood River is drawing me back. I am super excited about being a member and future resident of Adams Creek Cohousing. I love the idea of living and growing in a multigenerational community with others who are like minded in some ways and yet bring new gifts and perspectives in other ways. This community is full of welcoming, down to earth, interesting, fun, engaging, kind individuals with a wealth of diverse life experiences.

Sharon and George grew up in fruit country of the San Joaquin Valley in California, so in 2023, when they were looking for an intentional community to retire to, they fell in love with Hood River. Before moving to Adams Creek, life had taken them to Diamond Bar, California where George worked as Administrator for the Pomona Valley Transportation Authority and Sharon worked as a registered nurse, pastor and independent patient advocate. She loves ballroom dancing, day-hiking and practicing tai chi and yoga. George is an avid reader and movie/TV aficionado. He also enjoys walking in nature and learning more about the Columbia Gorge and its history. One of the most surprising and delightful things George has experienced at ACC is looking out the window to see children playing. Sharon loves to sit at her front door bistro table with coffee in the morning greeting friends passing by. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with this beloved community.