Paisley, Oregon

We took a trip to Paisley to visit my mom last weekend.  It is always a nice and relaxing trip.  On Saturday, Emma wanted to go for a walk around town.  So I grabbed the camera to take some pictures of things that are still around from when I was growing up there and things that are new since I was growing up there.  Then Emma, Riah and I spent a couple hours hiking around town with them asking me about what it was like when I was here before.  So here are the photos from this trip and some of the memories from growing up.

The first view of Paisley as you are driving south on highway 31.

This is the first house I remember living in.  Our family moved here when I was 1 year old and we lived in a couple of other government houses before moving to this one.  My parents had a house built and we moved out of this one when I was in the 5th grade.

Here is the house my parents had built when I was in the 5th grade.  So I lived here from then until I graduated from Paisley High School.

Here are Emma and Riah being silly in some snow near mom's house as we started our walk downtown.  The next 3 pictures are from the top of the hill behind mom's house looking down into Paisley.

This is a common site in town as well.  There were nine deer in this field right next to some homes.  2 of them were bucks.  There has always been deer in town.

They are a little more brave than I remember though.  They have been hanging out ON my mom's deck and staring in her back door!

As we were headed down the hill the girls were looking forward to doing a stick race in the irrigation ditch that we have to cross.  Unfortunately, it was not flowing very fast so the sticks did not move!  Other than to bounce off the ice.

 Just below that frozen irrigation ditch is the town fire hall.  I am not even sure what kind of fire apparatus they have now.

This is a new addition in just the last couple years.  Paisley has a coffee stand now!

This is the main part of downtown Paisley. There is the Pioneer Saloon, the Mercantile, and the Homestead restaurant.  Across the street to the north is the Chewacan Garage. 

 To the east of the Chewacan Garage is the Post office and behind that to the south in the Paisley community center where most events happen in town.

Here is the 100+ year old church that my mom goes to church in every Sunday.

This is a fence around a front yard at a house next door to the school.  It is in pretty good shape for being as old as it is.

 Here is the front of the school.  My class graduation was held on those steps right there.  There was 18 of us graduating that year.

 Emma and Riah playing on the swing set at the school.  The chains and seats are probably not as old, but the frame of the swing set was here when I was a kid.  Just in a different part of the school grounds.

 GO Broncos!  We were the Paisley Broncos and this was on the gym above the entrance.

 Not sure if this is still the same old bus they had back when I was here, but it sure looks the same.

The high school building.

This next picture was take by something that was not here when I was here.  ODOT has a camera set up that you can access on the tripcheck.com website.  I called Brooke and waited for her to save a picture of us from the ODOT camera.

Emma, Riah and I went for a walk around town Saturday afternoon. Here we are waiting for the ODOT camera to take our picture.

 Here is the site of a sawmill that used to employ a lot of people in town.  It closed down after I had graduated from college and this sign is all that is left.

 I saw this and had to take a picture of it for a friend of mine that was in the Marines.  I won't say anything about the truck or him being old and wore out.

Anyone want to go for a swim.  This was the local swimming hole in the Chewacan river just out of town past where the old mill used to be.  Might be kind of chilly today!

Here is the US Forest Service office.  My dad worked here from the 70's to 1997 when he retired.  I am not sure how many people work here now.  But I am sure that it is a lot less than when I was growing up.

Not every town can claim to have a skull from an Elicorn!  That would be a cross between an elk and a unicorn!  But there is one hanging on a barn in Paisley!

Here is my dad's old truck.  I learned to drive in this truck.  I inherited it when dad passed away.  One of these days I am going to take it home and start fixing it up.  I have lots of plans for it if the budget ever allows.

 Here is the entrance to the Paisley Cemetery.  They have made a lot of improvements to it since I lived in town.  The big sign over the entry way was a project from a graduating senior just a few years ago.

Here is Emma looking at Papa's headstone.

There's a lotta bull hanging out close to mom's house!

The Paisley "P".  When I was going to school here, the seniors and freshman would all go up there on a certain day during homecoming week in the fall.  The freshman would have to rearrange the number into the current graduating classes year and repaint the rocks on the number and the P white.  Then there would be a big paint fight between the seniors and freshman and we would all walk back to school.  A fun time!  I am not sure what they do now since they do not have enough students to field a football team so there is no homecoming football game.

 Here is some pictures of what was my back yard or playground growing up.

 There was always someplace to go play and something to do.

 I spent little time at home.  Now I live in a house in a town and have a lot the size of Mom's front yard!  Makes me wish I could be back there in Paisley again.  I always enjoy going over there for visits.  All the wide open spaces, a much slower pace, no traffic, and all the people are friendly.  What else do you need?

Here is one more thing that was not here when I was growing up.  Someone has built themselves a half pipe!

So if you are looking for a nice relaxing place to go on a vacation, you can go visit Paisley, OR.  The food in the restaurant is good and all the people are really nice.  I sure whoever built the half pipe would let you use it!

One last thing.  If you do go visit, watch out for the mosquitos!  They have been known to carry people off!