History

We moved from Colorado to western Washington state fall of 1981.  It wasn't long until we were managing multi-family residential properties.  We purchased our first rental by early 1987.

5729-66th Ave. N.E. Marysville, WA

While searching the Granite Falls area with friends who were looking for property, we found the Homestead in 1990.  I'd been working with some experienced real estate investors in the management business.  All recommended we keep the rental.  We didn't & instead sold it to purchase an acreage with a manufactured as our first home. 

The Homestead~

I took this photo flying over in a Helicopter, October fifth - 1991.  The pilot/helicopter owner participated at the Granite Falls Railroad Days Celebration - by offering short charter flights.  I managed to convince him to take us a little off his usual flight pattern around town & extend it to the west a few miles.

The Homestead became our home St. Patrick's Day weekend of 1990.   A fixer-upper - with almost half the property in good sized second growth cedar - we spent almost 27-years building, planting & loving our home here.

The Home Place, July 4, 2017~

We made the move from Washington to Iowa in October of 2016.  You can visit my blog written during those years at the Hoge Home Place~   Buying two adjoining lots, I tackled the wooded area, over the years making it into a woodland garden. 

We expected this to be our retirement home, but things change.  Butch was still working & after the first five years, started driving OTR.  By late 2026, he was ready to be done & I was ready to have him home.  We decided to sell & head west back to Washington. We'd missed our daughters & grandkids terribly.

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We are both country people at heart, coming from several generations of farming families.  Butch's family, after immigrating from Norway, began farming in North Dakota.  The artist rendering below is of that 1905 farm owned by Seven & Christina Smaaladen - Butch's maternal Great-grandparents.

Artist rendering of the Smaaladen Farm, ND

My maternal Grandparents, John & Carrie Fleming owned & operated the farm below, where I happily spent my summer vacations.  I learned to move cattle for Grandpa & loved riding my mare - Topsy - over the rolling hills of the SW Iowa countryside.

Fleming Farm - 1970

It wasn't until the early 90's when my grandfather passed, that the farm went to his brother & my grandmother moved to Creston.   Listed on the Iowa historic registry, this farm also received Century Farm designation with the State of Iowa.