More Before and After the Fire, this one with a Chico mailing address.
Volumes could be written about John Westlund, affectionately known as “The Old Man Of Butte Creek Canyon”. I had the pleasure of meeting him in the summer of 2019 when I was wrapping up the photography for PEOPLE, PLACES & PIECES OF PARADISE. Ol’ John’s story is featured in the book including his quest to get a limited time offer Seared Duck Breast Sandwich at the Chico Arby’s...
more »More Before and After the Fire, this one with a Chico mailing address.
Volumes could be written about John Westlund, affectionately known as “The Old Man Of Butte Creek Canyon”. I had the pleasure of meeting him in the summer of 2019 when I was wrapping up the photography for PEOPLE, PLACES & PIECES OF PARADISE. Ol’ John’s story is featured in the book including his quest to get a limited time offer Seared Duck Breast Sandwich at the Chico Arby’s on the day of the fire (alas, he didn’t secure one).
Like thousands of others he lost his home in the fire, but quickly ordered a tiny house from Oregon, which rolled in bolted to a trailer in late fall 2019. His daughter Julia and her husband Dave raced to hook up water, septic and power after Ol’ John fell ill in the early months of 2020. After spending a short time at Enloe hospital where he was told –and accepted– the fact that his time in this realm was rapidly coming to an end, he was transported by ambulance back to his now ready-to-occupy tiny house.
The last few weeks of his life were spent receiving friends at a distance (owing to Covid restrictions, friends sat on the porch while he stayed inside), listening to podcasts and sitting on his porch watching the construction of Julia and Dave’s house a couple dozen feet away. The Old Man of Butte Creek Canyon passed away on May 9, 2020. To be sure, a life well lived.
Photos: Ol’ John at the site of his home and Julia and Dave sporting a couple of Ol’ John’s walking sticks (he made hundreds throughout his life) in front of his tiny house in Butte Creek Canyon.
A bit of a followup to yesterday’s post. Not exactly a before and after, but rather honoring the past while moving onto the future.
Two of Ol’ John Westlund and Julia and Dave’s “possessions” were their miniature donkeys Scooter and Petunia. They were unable to round them up before they escaped the fire, but a couple days later a friend told them they had seen a picture
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