Quija Moonflower Keogh

Hi. I lived at Breitenbush from the spring of 2005 until the spring of 2013. I was a member/owner of the cooperative and now am an alumni. I served on the Board of  Directors from 2008-2010. Chief Jordan Pollack trained me as a fire fighter on the BFD and I served as the PIO (public information officer). I also served on the BOD of the BFD. I was also a dispatcher for the Search and Rescue Team, our motto: We’re not lost, you are… and was trained and served on the medical team as a wilderness first responder.

I was present when an exception was made and Jamshed was “allowed” to be the first person buried on the land, and will never forget his smile and his words before he passed, “I am done with this suit.” After that I was honored to be present when my dear friend Debra Larson was lowered into the ground, Carol’s ashes were ceremoniously put in the river and Margaret’s son Chris left his body during a medical team training.

I attended the hearings in front of the Marion County Board of Commissioners when we were laying out our five/fifty year plan for the north land which was purchased and added back to the property as it was originally a part of it. And as difficult as it was to witness the destruction required to construct the new reservoir, it was completed during my tenure as well.

I served on the Office Team, as an Events Coordinator during Alea’s leave, and then was hired into Zoe’s position as Personnel Coordinator for the last 4 years. Jeffrey Page trained me to become an EDGU teacher and I enjoyed offering daily classes out on the lodge lawn and in the Sanctuary.

I left Breitenbush after a stroke on June 11, 2012 and came back to Port Townsend Washington where I presently reside. I have many amazing memories of Breitenbush. My last visit before the fire was to view the Solar Eclipse during the alumni reunion in August of 2017. Those images along with the smell of the encroaching wild fires that summer (they never made it to Breitenbush that year thankfully) are still quite vibrant in my mind’s eye.

Although I did not discover Breitenbush until 2002, I knew at once that it would become my home, and had it not been for my health issues, I would not have left.  My love for that place and the community that embraced me are still living in my heart. Peter Moore and his family became my family and as he said, I was always part of the diaspora of those who were called to that sacred place. It will always be the home of my heart.