Our story began in early January of 2024, when we met in person for the first time on a ski date at Mt. Hood Meadows. It was a glorious powder day, and we bonded over our shared love of deep snow and steep slopes. A few days later, we got together for a delicious dinner of braised short ribs and mashed potatoes at the orchard in Hood River. We discovered how many passions we had in common - skiing, gardening, cooking, pets (Maude had just gotten two new kittens, Hops & Barley) and being outside in general, to name a few.

We fell in love quickly, and discovered the kind of partnership we both had always hoped for. As we began building a life together on the farm, we added chickens to the dogs and cats, expanded the garden, repainted the interior of the house, and slowly filled this place with our love, quirks, and everyday routines.

While we have made the farm our own, we continue to keep Cindy’s spirit and traditions alive. We have hosted multiple Thanksgivings, Christmases, Fourth of July celebrations, and even a family reunion - bringing together the Collins crew, the Graham crew, friends/family from the Hood River community, and more. In so many ways, this farm has continued to be a place of warmth, togetherness, and celebration, and we feel lucky to carry that forward. We both deeply share a spirit of family, community, and hospitality, and love opening our home to our many guests.

Ultimately, it’s these shared values and passions, and the partnership we’ve built, that have brought us to where we are today. Maude is working at Geico as a software engineer. Cole ran the harvest solo on the farm this past summer, and works for Mt. Hood Meadows in the winter. We’re excited to continue learning the ins and outs of small business and farm life, to keep skiing, mountain biking, gardening, caring for our ever-growing crew of pets, and continue building a life we love - together.