Rod & Jennifer Neely

Rod Neely was born in Fresno, son of William Neely and Patsy Bell.

He has worked in Sequoia National Park and for the U.S. Forest Service as a firefighter and in timber management. In 1999 he joined the elite Sierra Hot Shot fire crew, who are the "marines" of firefighting. He also worked briefly with a crew harvesting sugar pine cones for a forest disease control project.

He operated his own business, Evergreen Tree Service, a tree trimming and brush clearing service, served a stint as a recreation ranger with the USFS, and worked for two lengthy periods for ACRT, a company that inspects PG&E power lines for trees that need to be trimmed away from the wires. In January 2021 he returned to work for the division of ACRT that inspects Southern California Edison power lines. A work-related disability now has him looking for less strenuous work.


A succession of cats have shared the Neely home. We honor the late lamented Whitie, Fridge, Kitten, and Wiggy. Scoop (camera shy), Noodles and Scruff carry on the tradition. That’s Wiggy keeping his cool, Wiggy and Scruff sharing the recliner, and Noodles giving the bright-eyed stare.

As of October 2006 Scoop and Scruff have gone to the big sandbox in the sky. Three gray tiger cats - Noodles, Buster and Stickers made a perfect collection. Then came the unexpected addition of Sausage, a black cat who was adopted to save him from a dangerous location. That's Buster, Stickers and Sausage, left to right.

Sausage went the way of all cats, possibly serving as a coyote's entree in the wilds of the Sierra foothills. New to the family is Giblets, whose favorite pastime is biting the hand that pets him, as well as rolled up socks and anything else within range

Nibbles - newest member of the family, considers this Indian grinding stone a perfect resting spot	Enjoying a "wild" apple in Nelder Grove	Gizmo stands guard

It's always good to have an old chunk of wood handy for claw sharpening	Gizmo, a true snow-loving cat	February snow at the Neely place


Getting ready to burn a brush pile	A tiny flame leaps up...	...and in seconds, this is the result


Nibbles helps keep an eye on the fire	The newest addition, Little Hombre, June 2011	Hombre, August 2011, relaxing after golf


Jennifer's birthday picture: Nephew Johnny & wife Brittany; sister Teri, nephew Mikie, Jennifer, dad Dick, brother-in-law Tim, September 2011	Little Hombre and a recently captured lizard (it escaped safely) December 2011	Rod & Jennifer's famous enchiladas - 2012 Father's Day dinner


When good pumpkins go bad	And when they go even badder!	And finally, the worst


Jennifer and the Giant Pomegranate	Bath time for Buster	Rod, his brother Ron, & Jennifer, Thanksgiving 2012


Work piles up when you have to keep the grass down on 5 acres	Dusty (renamed Sputnik), the newest Neely cat, summer 2013 (by J. Neely)	Sputnik, when he was still Dusty, with his favorite toy (J. Neely photo)


Hombre loves a good head scratch	Jennifer waves to Rod and Dick, out on the trail	A strange artifact along the Neely property hiking trail


Jennifer's graduation photo, 1984	A large number of Neelys - 2013 Thanksgiving Gathering	"What the heck did they do to my climbing tree?"


Jennifer, on her first day of school...	...and holding her 2013 birthday gift, the same model lunch box	Gizmo in the snow


"Let's see, cat food or cookies?"	Muffin, new kid on the block	Smoky, newer than Muffin


Muffin, on the alert	New Year's Eve at the Neely's	Bam Bam kicking back on the couch


Meanwhile, Pebbles thinks she's hiding	Bam Bam ventures out	Sisters: Jennifer and Teri on top of Mammoth Mountain, 2015


Boomer and Bam Bam on the Neely Trail	Jennifer attempts to tame the mutant mullein...	...but it gets Rod anyway


Jennifer discovers a frosted pine cone	What's better than ice cream on your birthday	Jennifer celebrated her birthday with Mamie, mom Jackie, Angie, and sister Teri


Jasper on the alert	Jennifer with aunts Anne and Linda	Stryper and her favorite string


A rare photo of Pebbles	Stryper and Polly, looking innocent (they aren't)	Mr. Bibbs on the wood pile 2020


Jennifer and her dad, Dick, at Nelder Grove, June 2020	Peanut and Newton, indoor cats, welcome a walk on the leash	Peanut steps out


Newton explores a deep and probably dangerous hole	Peanut, ready to go to work	Peanut hides out in the bathtub


Sunset from the patio (by Wes Thiessen)	A closer look down in the drainage

Photos by Rod Neely, Jennifer Neely & Dick Estel, copyright 2000 - 2023
Rod & Jennifer's firefighting days

The Neelys

Links to Other Family Pages

New photo here December 6 and here December 25, 2023 (captions in red)

Click on the pictures for a larger view - photos open in a new window

	Rodney Glenn Neely and Jennifer Ann Estel were married at Lake Tahoe, July 7, 1984. After working in the food service business, they attended Kings River College in Reedley, graduating in 1990 with Associate of Science degrees in forestry. Their career has taken them to Three Rivers and Dunlap in the southern Sierra foothills and in 1992 to Oakhurst, 20 miles south of Yosemite. In 2004 they moved into a house they built on five acres north of town, so this looks like a long-term stop.