In 1917, Dave’s grandfather, Leslie Kranick, established Kranberry Acres in the town of Bandon. The farm was Dave’s home from birth. While a career in engineering later transplanted him to California, it didn’t take long for Dave and his young family to return. “I wanted a great place to raise my kids,” he says. “I knew this would be a good life for them.” Dave’s two sons, 18-year-old Chris and 14-year-old Chad, now live in Southern California, but they often visit to help with the harvest.

From October to November, Dave and Marci work steadily to clear 50 acres of bogs gleaming with ripe berries. Fifty years ago Dave’s grandparents harvested many of these bogs by hand. “We have photos that show more than 100 people handpicking a cranberry bog,” says Dave. Though it was demanding work, Marci adds, “In all the old pictures it looked like they were having a lot of fun.”

These days it’s all about machinery. After the Kranicks flood the bogs with water, mechanical harvesters loosen the floating berries from the vines. Dressed in hip-waders, Dave, Marci, and their helpers corral the fruit. Then they feed the cranberries onto an escalator and into a truck. Its destination: Ocean Spray, a grower-owned cooperative of more than 600 producers that also markets the leading brand of cranberry juice drinks.

Cranberries are typically harvested later on the Oregon coast than they are in the East (where freezes come earlier), resulting in bigger, redder fruit. The longer they stay on the vine, the sweeter they become.

Dave and Marci have discovered that the longer they stay in Bandon, the sweeter life becomes. They often take walks on the sandy beach, admiring tide pools filled with a variety of marine life. The couple marvels at Bandon’s massive Pacific outcroppings. “Sunsets are breathtaking, especially because of the rocks,” says Marci. “No other coastal beach has this kind of scenery, or this kind of life.”

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