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Wednesday, July 29, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Dandelion Ranch opens in Sisters
Forest
Service
increases
fire patrols
By Kathryn Godsiff
Correspondent
Fire officials have seen
an increase in human-caused
fires since implementing
public-use restrictions on
July 10. While the majority of
the offenses have been aban-
doned or escaped campfires, a
few of the fires are still under
investigation.
To date, Central Oregon
has seen 208 wildfires in the
2015 wildfire season and of
that number, 119 have been
human-caused starts, which
is an increase from the past
few years. Due to this surge,
Forest Service law-enforce-
ment officers will be increas-
ing patrols on the Deschutes
and Ochoco National Forests
and Crooked River National
Grassland.
Public-use restrictions
are in place across Central
Oregon. Campfires, warm-
ing fires and cooking fires,
including charcoal fires, por-
table propane campfires, bio-
mass or particle wood-burning
stoves, and wood-pellet grills
or smokers, are prohibited on
Forest Service and BLM lands
except in established fire rings
at designated campgrounds.
The Central Oregon public
is reminded that we are still
in extreme fire danger. Based
on monitoring conducted
by OSU-Cascades, Central
Oregon fuel moistures in
ceanothus and manzanita are
currently one to two months
ahead of their normal mois-
ture levels and sagebrush, in
some areas, is currently at its
lowest level of moisture in
seven years of study.
In addition to public-use
restrictions, the Prineville
BLM, Deschutes and Ochoco
National Forests and Crooked
River National Grassland are
currently in Industrial Fire
Precaution Level III (IFPL).
The IFPL applies to permit-
ted and industrial operations,
including woodcutting, on
federal lands.
Sisters is known as a
delightful place to shop for
a special gift or souvenir of
fun times in Central Oregon.
Dandelion Ranch, a newly
opened boutique across from
US Bank on Elm Street adds
to the stable of quality stores
in which to browse and buy.
The store is owned by
Lisa and Dave VandenBrink,
recently arrived in Central
Oregon from the small town
of Salida, Colorado, where
they owned a similar store.
Their son, daughter-in-law,
and young grandchild live in
Bend, hence the draw to the
area. Lisa said they imme-
diately began searching for
a store in Sisters, knowing
that they wanted to estab-
lish themselves in a small
community.
There are handmade
touches throughout the store.
The display cases come from
Dave’s workshop, and in
every corner there are items
from artisans around the
country. Lisa has relation-
ships with all her suppliers,
and supporting cottage indus-
try companies is important to
the VandenBrinks.
“There’s joy in using
unique, little companies,”
Lisa said.
A line of handbags comes
from Alabama, using repur-
posed upholstery fabric and
embellished with quirky
sayings. A supplier in South
Carolina makes candles
called “ReWined Candles.”
They are soy candles in recy-
cled wine bottles, scented
like the fruity notes of wine.
Truly. One whiff and you can
imagine sipping in a sunny
summer vineyard.
A jewelry line from St.
Francisville, Louisiana, uses
vintage and antique buttons
in earrings, necklaces and
bracelets. The creator also
has a button museum and
includes a small history of
the buttons she uses in her
work.
The store also has Lisa’s
personal touch in a range of
handmade aprons embel-
lished with pieces of vintage
linens she has collected over
the years. Lisa’s two aunts
taught her to sew when she
was a child visiting their big
Missouri farm. The aprons
are her own design and are
sized from toddlers to adult.
She also makes Christmas
stockings in a simple design
trimmed with the vintage
linens.
There are note cards,
home décor items, and yard
art.
One of the fun features of
Dandelion Ranch is the back
courtyard area shared with
two other stores, Grizzly
Ridge Upcycle and Gone
Wishin’. All their back doors
open onto the courtyard,
• Airbrush Tanning
enabling customers to browse
in all three stores and enjoy
the quiet backyard. Out
front Lisa has two bright-red
chairs, dubbed “The Man
Chairs,” for spouses who
might prefer to watch the
streetside activity.
“The shop is a collection
Cleaning Specialists For…
• Manicures
• Pedicures
• Nikibiki Apparel
lisa VandenBrink at her new shop in Sisters.
of the things I love,” said
Lisa. “We like it to be a nice
place to come into, and we’re
enjoying getting to know
people.”
The store is located in the
big white building on the cor-
ner of Hood Avenue and Elm
Street, on the Elm Street side.
Gordon’s Last Touch
• Eyelash Extensions
• Gel Nails
photo by kathryn Godsiff
Sarah Rybka, Owner/Technician
473 W. Hood Ave., Ste. 101
C omfort Food at
Comfortable P rices!
Hot, Fresh Soups Daily
Homemade Chili
& Cornbread
Fresh Baked
Biscuits
Homemade
Applesauce
Breakfa st & lunch 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Full-service dining in the bar
nightly until 10 p.m. (21 & over)
171 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-2631
541-549-3008
Carpets • Upholstery
Windows
Accepting VISA
& MasterCard!
Snow Removal!
Member of the vetter
vusiness vureau
Serving Central Oregon Since 1980
vonded & Insured