Cathy Benson | The Botetourt View

Rebecca, Tara and Lee Smith.

The moon rises over Shenandoah Gateway Farm.

The living room of the Smiths' home in Buchanan.

"The rain softened the ground and the wind blew over a huge oak tree on Lee and Rebecca Smith's Buchanan property. Lee burned the small stuff and gave away the trunk that could be made into lumber. Because they don't have a fire place, Lee has been cutting up the branches and putting them where his driveway meets Pico Road with a FREE sign. Within an hour of each load, they have disappeared."

"He set a new batch out on Monday and they stayed all day. Then Lee realized that he had neglected to put up a sign. He put up the sign and the wood disappeared once again."

"The Smiths moved here from California because they wanted the values and lifestyle found in small towns. Honesty is a nice thing to find along the way."

The above note came to The Botetourt View recently and we just had to find out more!

They lived the California Dreamin' on a sunny day out close to L.A. but two years ago on Sept. 1, the Smiths, Lee and Rebecca and daughter Tara, decided to get away from the huge population of southern California and moved to Virginia.

Rebecca had relatives in Southwest Virginia and North Carolina and liked the Virginia area. They settled on a house built by the Turnipseed family on a hill just north of Buchanan on Pico Road. The house is clearly visible from U.S. 11, Lee Highway North, and many may have wondered, "Who lives there?" Lee is retired from Fed Ex and drives a school bus as a substitute for Botetourt County. Rebecca is a library assistant (and avid reader) at Fincastle Library and Tara is a Dean's List senior in biology at Virginia Tech. They have two more children -- a son who is an engineer for Lockheed-Martin in New Orleans and a daughter getting a Master's in Life History in London.

The house is lovely and large. Two beautiful cats Rebecca found in a dumpster in her California town now live the Buchanan good life. The Smiths hope to turn the house into a bed and breakfast one day. The interview centered on a huge covered back porch replete with ceiling fans where the discussion ranged from genetics, Tara's volunteer work at Botetourt Social Services and the Christian Free Clinic, about space, school bus driving, sports, pet monkeys and many other great questions of the universe! The house and farm, however, were most interesting of all.

They have named the 60-acre property "Shenadoah Gateway Farm."

"There's a sign on Route 11 across from Limestone Park that says, 'Welcome to Buchanan, the Gateway to the Shenanadoah Valley,' so that's why we named it," said Rebecca.

She takes the BV reporter on a spin around the property in a four-wheeler, talking about trees and sink holes and the natural beauty. The coolness near the fallen oak enveloped the four-wheeler as Rebecca pointed out a natural amphitheater on the property. She has two horses that wait to be petted before turning in for the night. Fruit trees are planted near the house and she relishes the day when she can harvest cherries, apples, and apricots. Deer hover in the grass near the back yard.

The moon rose next to the house adding to the surreal beauty of the finish of the evening. Giving away firewood, becoming part of the schools and library system and offering gifts to their fellow man, the Smiths have found a home in Botetourt County. Welcome!