DATELINE | Former Meeker residents Rick and Sandi Heming are this week’s “home of” honorees. “We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary Nov. 2 and 26 years of being together. Sandi’s parents are past residents Goldie and Jim Veitch. The Veitch family lived in Bakersfield, Calif., which is where I met Sandi. The Veitches moved to Meeker in the early 1990s and the family would visit them here. We moved to Meeker in 2001 to operate the golf course restaurant. Sandi’s sister Brandy Giao and her husband Matt and Sandi’s brother Jeff Veitch also moved here,” Rick said.
The Hemings lived in Meeker from 2001 until 2007. Rick started working with NC Telecom in 2002. The company was purchased by UBET Communications a couple of years ago and is now Strata Networks. Strata provides local residential and business cell phone and internet services, and also supplies super high capacity circuits for carriers like CenturyLink and Bresnan throughout the region. Rick currently commutes to Meeker from Delta to work three days a week for his job as Colorado Operations Administrator with Strata Networks. When he is in Meeker, he stays with Brandy and Matt.
The Hemings were able to sell their house in Meeker and moved to Delta for the climate change.
“We do not have kids. We have seven horses, three dogs, 20 chickens and a buffalo used for cow/horse training as a buffalo is supposed to have more stamina and be quicker than a cow. Sandi works with her Quarter horses. She participates in AQHA halter confirmation shows and does trail riding,” Rick explained.
“For hobbies Sandi has her horses. We also like to eat out and enjoy the variety of restaurants that Grand Junction has. I have a professional-type weather station, deltaweathercam.com, which shows views of the Grand Mesa and West Elk range from my back porch. I also do property maintenance in my spare time,” Rick stated.
“I enjoy the small town atmosphere of Meeker. When I lived here, I really enjoyed the relationship I had with Meeker Fire and Rescue. I was actually recruited by Kris Borchard. I was chairman of the board for a while and drove the ambulance,” Rick added.