ENTERPRISE — Nicholas Lewis came all the way from his teepee home in Imnaha on Tuesday, Dec. 28, to pedal around Enterprise and get his new puppy his first shots.

To be fair, we should say he got a ride from Imnaha before riding a bicycle around doing errands.

This time of year, one might wonder at living in a teepee, if one doesn’t think about the original Nez Perce inhabitants of the area. Lewis finds the lower elevation there quite comfortable.

An arborist, he cut a tree one day in the Imnaha area for a friend who offered to let him set up his teepee on his property.

“It’s a good job,” he said. “Money does grow on trees for me.”

Lewis brought his new pup, Waylon, to Enterprise for his first shots. As he did, Lewis was made well aware of the effect of the cold an increase of nearly 2,000 feet in elevation can mean.

“It’s a painfully cold year up here,” he said. But, “The snow melted away (at home) before I came up.”

Lewis recently shared his thoughts about living in Wallowa County.

What’s your favorite thing about Wallowa County?

The lake. I love the lake; it’s magic. I swim and hang out at the beach.

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?

Sure, I got a new puppy.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?

Happiness. I kind of live in the now.

Do you have a New Year’s resolution?

I haven’t really thought about that yet.

What would it be?

Stay positive.

Have you broken it yet?

No, I try to stay pretty positive. If you don’t all you get back is the negative.

What’s your advice for people who are thinking about moving here?

I hope you like the cold. My message for the world is stay positive.