A couple of weekends back, a family that is historically associated with the house in which Martha's Vineyard West is operated came to McMinnville for a family reunion. One of the direct descendants of an early owner, Brian R. stayed with us at MVW and enjoyed several days of the family gathering and touring throughout the Willamette.

He brought pictures of the house as it looked in the l940's and a picture of his grandmother who was the owner. That owner, Pearl Bryson, was born in 1899 and died in 1990. She had a daughter named Donita Bryson who was Brian's mother. Donita lived in the house during all of her growing up years. She was especially proud of her bicycle and is shown here in the mid-50's. She attended school here in McMinnville, ultimately married and her one child is Brian R. The pictures of the house from that period show that the front exterior of the house has remained quite intact, but the interior is definitely different.

During the course of the weekend, nine other family members who had lived here at 835 SE Villard for varying amounts of time came to visit, tour the house and reminisce about older days in McMinnville. The relatives of Brian R all seemed to appreciate the renovations to the house which I have accomplished since my arrival in McMinnville in 2005. Altogether, the stay of Brian R and the visits from his other relatives made for a most enjoyable weekend.