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We love Darrington, and the people there. Those years were memorable and special for our family of four school age daughters. I'll describe to you what makes Darrington so special and I believe, unique. I think the Grandparents are the golden ingredient of Darrington.

The Darrington, WA School district wasn't perfect, but it was where our daughters attended school, and where they found many friends. Some of the finest teachers I have ever known were teaching in Darrington, WA, during our time there. We still talk about hose special teachers, and miss them very much.

We also lived in Arlington, WA, before we moved to Darrington, and once again, our experience in the schools was good, and our children enjoyed attending school there. We made many friends in Arlington, and we were glad we just moved up the valley into Darrington, where we could still keep in touch with our friends from down below.

Darrington is accessible by State Route 530, from the West, and again by State Route 530 from the north; the northern few miles connecting to the town of Concrete only opened after 1978. This partially explains why the community still has a unique and distinctive "Tar Heel" culture.

My husband and I both grew up in north Seattle, and attended Seattle schools from the 60's through the early 70's. Seattle deserved it's reputation as a great place to live and raise a family. We wanted our children to have a positive school experience, too, but we were pragmatic about it, and knew it would be difficult to duplicate the "good old days" for our daughters. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many good things from the past, still existed in Darrington.

Darrington is filled with Grandparents. Active grandparents who live in town, grandparents that come to school and pick up the kids, and grandparents with time to listen and spend time with their grandchildren. Grandparents teaching their grandchildren how to tie flies and piece quilts. Grandparents picking blueberries, and canning fruits with their kids and grandkids.

There are the famous luncheons, of course. There are the amazing recipes from the North Carolina families. But most of all, there are extended families whose emphasis is still on "family".

Darrington's not all about "lifestyle" and "advanced degrees". In fact, living in Darrington makes you realize how changed our values have become as a society.What is really more important than your family? Well, down below, people will scoff at you when you're excited about your fourth child. City folks want to know how big your new home is, and where did you find your newest diamond ring. Those are common topics of conversation.

In Darrington, the boys are still talking about Grandpa's amazing cornbread from last Sunday dinner, and when they're going fishing together next. The boys have rifles in the back of their pickups, parked at the high school. One of the girls has a record winning cougar skin on her parent's wall. The teachers and the students share hiking tips and fishing lures. Some of those teachers were students of Darrington just a few years ago.

Many of the original settlers to Darrington came from North Carolina, and several were loosely related to each other from the beginning. Later, more families arrived that were also from the same townships and counties of the original settlers, with more connections in common. Some were cousins, brothers, and in laws, but most of them were from the same culture, even if not related.

This warm "Tar Heel" culture of Darrington is experienced by newcomers and visitors, too. Darrington people are golden hearted, loving, kind people, with generous natures and old time values. They remember the Scriptures, and they know the Golden Rule. 

Instead of asking you, "what's your degree?", or if you're still going after your Master's, first they want to get to know you and your family, and have you over for dinner - and sure you can bring the dog, too.

Then, they'll share recipes, fishing holes, and favorite blueberry patches with you by next summer. After a while, their Grandparents feel like your Grandparents, and that's fine, they'll share.

After a while, the popular "get ahead" type of people from down below seem shallow, and more "money" oriented than you recall. You wonder why "lifestyle" ever became so important to everybody. You begin to wonder when you'll be able to listen to more stories from your neighbor again. The TV becomes less important. Your car seems to be just fine the way it is, and you don't really need a bigger house. Living "better than the neighbors" becomes a foreign concept. It sticks with you.

It's been several years since we lived in Darrington, and yet, it's still the place our heart calls home more than any other. It's the families there - the grandparents, the teachers, the Post Office employees, the Pharmacy employees, and everyone that always knew our first names and were glad to see us.

There was enough of heaven in Darrington to pass around. We were blessed to be able to have those memories. There's another way to live up in that beautiful valley. There's still families that know how to live the Golden Rule, as they pass the corn bread, real butter, home grown honey, and share old time stories around the dinner table.

We remember fondly how it felt to be a part of Darrington's extended family. Now, we live down below again, but we still add sour cream to the cornbread recipe.

When White Horse Mt. shines on the eastern horizon, we know Darrington's there, too.

Phil and Stacey Mayer
Shannon, Cassandra, Francesca, and Kathleen