Arriving in the late 1840s and through the 1850s, the members of the Bailey family were early pioneers to Benton and Lane Counties in Oregon and, although their major connection was not with the Lorane area, they had a strong presence in the Siuslaw Valley and other parts of Lane County, Oregon as well. Bailey Hill, the area where several family members settled that eventually took on their name, lies southwest of what was then Eugene City. In the 1850s, it was described as being 5 or 6 miles from Eugene City. Today, there really is a Bailey "Hill," and there used to be a Bailey Hill School District #7. The Bailey Hill Elementary School building still stands today on the corner of Bailey Hill Road and Four Oaks Grange Road, but it is no longer used as a school. The land it sits on was donated by Bailey family members and is still owned by the Eugene School District #4. It's very possible that the adjoining property where Churchill High School is located was part of their property, too, although it came much later. Several of the Bailey family members came through Oregon on their way to the gold fields of California. The gold that one brother found in turn helped to finance the family's movement across the plains from Missouri. According to Harry Bailey's obituary, published on November 6, 1929, when his grandfather, John Bailey, Jr., arrived in Lane County, "the Skinner cabin was the only building here." Several brothers volunteered to serve in the Rogue River Indian Wars that took place in Jackson, Josephine and Douglas Counties to our south from 1855-1856. In the aftermath of the war, in skirmishes with the tribes, two of the brothers lost their lives and one was wounded in separate incidents.

This book details my two fire service careers that took me to the “bumpy” road to the top. These careers consumed almost 34 years of my life. In this book I also included my colorful and exciting pre-teen and teenage years as well as my Navy experience. I originally wanted to be a Montgomery County Police Officer while in high school but after I finished my time with the Navy Seabees, unexpected events led me to the fire service. The fire service then afforded me an interesting career. In this book you will see where I was honored by being invited to “Ground Zero” by some of the FDNY Firefighters. This by far was the most emotional trip I have ever undertaken.

Celebrate a year in the life of The Cat Named Carrot, as she goes from humble beginnings in a shelter to a loving home with a family of three adorable little girls and internet stardom. Bailey was certainly no ordinary cat—an orange tabby who gained fans around the world when his humanlike antics went viral. Sadly, when 14-year-old Bailey died, his family grieved their loss. They’d never find a cat quite like him—or would they? Then along came Carrot, an orange tabby kitten born as a stray, who appeared just as Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah, and baby Claire were mending their broken hearts. Written in the voice of Carrot, follow her remarkable journey from shelter cat to top Instagram celebrity feline. Much like Bailey did, she loves spending time with her human family: making mischief with her girl gang; going joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts-and-crafts projects; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; celebrating Christmas, Easter, and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder that Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering millions of views on Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People, and many more. Complete with four-color photos that will leave readers purring with delight, the journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is love that will last a lifetime!