Summer started off alright. Sure, we were still in masks, physically distancing, sanitizing every surface, and just generally working hard in old and new ways to keep our family and crew healthy during the pandemic. But we were thrilled to be outside again in the fresh air. The sun had returned and clean water flowed from every sprinkler head, ensuring a robust crop of rootstock.

By the time September rolled around and we headed into the Labor Day Weekend, we knew that summer was coming to a close, but we hoped as we always did, to wring a few more warm and sunny days out of it before the rains and dark skies settled into the valley for their six month (minimum) stay.

Our expectations for that gradual slide into fall were swiftly shattered when a wind storm took down a power line and sparked a fire just over the hill from our property. With dry conditions, high winds, and forest land and fields to burn, the fire spread quickly and evacuations soon followed. And as many of you reading this are likely aware, this was not the only fire blazing in Oregon. By current estimates, more than one million acres have burned over the past couple of weeks.

Our fire story ended with our little community, family, farm crew, land, crops and buildings safe and unscathed. Not a single plant suffered thanks to the quick action of our dad and co-founder, Christopher Dolby, who wasted no time putting water on the perimeter of our nursery as a precaution. An incredible team of firefighters, loggers and landowners from near and far heeded the call, and behind each of them was a community member, local business owner, or Facebook Friend offering water, food, horse trailers, or refuge for a stranger on safe ground.

While we are grateful for our own luck, our hearts go out to those in the rest of our state who have lost so much, including loved ones, pets, homes, barns and entire livelihoods. The path to recovery will be long, but Oregonians are resilient and tenacious. And those dreaded rains? Thankfully, they have returned. The smoke is clearing and we are beginning to take steps toward recovery.