MT HOOD PERSONALITY

Inspired by a Mountain

Gary Randall’s Story

An everlasting memory will never be forgotten. What kind of an event in a person’s life makes such an impression that they will never forget?

About 45 years ago a small child looked up from the world immediately around him to notice a mountain in the distance. The mountain had always been there, but for some reason that day it was noticed and that memory became everlasting for that child.

The mountain was Mount Hood and I was the little boy. That one fleeting moment has, in many ways, defined my life. No matter how far I have travelled, I always returned to the place that so impressed that little boy. To me, Mount Hood has always meant home.
As time passed and I grew older, the mountain and what it meant to me has changed. Exploring the mountain and the area around it has always been something that I have loved to do, and that part of my life has been constant.

Today I live and work at the Villages of Mt. Hood. It hasn’t always been this way. Both my father’s military service and my own have taken me far away to places that could have easily captured me, but the memory of Mount Hood that indelibly etched itself into my memory kept calling me back. Even after returning to the area I sacrificed the time that it took for me to drive to Portland to work so I could live and raise my family near the mountain that I love.

I recognize that I’m blessed to live and work in a community that is as down to Earth and connected as The Villages of Mt Hood. Living so close to such beauty and to so many great activities is something that I will never take for granted. What more do I need that the area may not provide? We have world class resorts and restaurants, outdoor activities too numerous to mention and a close and caring community.

My work keeps me connected to the community and those that come to visit it. As a small business owner that provides services to other local businesses I connect to the local culture. As an artist and photographer, I can interpret the area according to the vision of it in my mind’s eye. I hope that my interpretation does it justice, but I know that no matter how hard I try, that perfect interpretation is always fleeting which makes me pursue it even more driving my creativity and fueling my passion for my home town.

My love for the area has also driven my research into its great, rich and extremely interesting history. My research into the local history has helped my understanding of how this community has become what it is today.

Today I look forward to my work day. I look forward to writing for the Mt Hood Magazine as a way of sharing my community with those less familiar. Involvement with organizations such as the Mt Hood Area Chamber of Commerce and working with the small businesses in the area is my way of encouraging their success and their contribution to the vibrancy and dynamics of our community.

The Villages of Mt Hood are a destination for those that seek clear rivers, mountain peaks, fresh skies and a sense and feeling of relaxation a small community provides, which coincidentally, are the same reasons that I live here.

Written by Gary Randall. Photo also provided by Gary Randall.

August / September 2009

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