The Free-Sprited Eichlers of Fairhaven - Orange - Page 3

That's why, when one neighbor added a slightly pitched roof to conceal the air-conditioner, purists muttered to themselves but did not complain. "It's too friendly a neighborhood," McDonald says.

Fairhaven by Night

Fairhaven sees its share of mysterious doings—and not surprisingly, they happen at night. "Strange things happen in this neighborhood," Carla Jacobs warns. "There's an 'Eichler Bunny,"" her husband Brian adds, "and nobody knows who it is."

Newcomer Bret Bielefeld learned about the night crawler his first Easter morning at Fairhaven. There on the front lawn was a basket of chocolate eggs. "It's a welcoming neighborhood."

But nights can get scary as well—especially at Halloween when unexpected décor shows up on front lawn after front lawn. And as Christmas rolls around, reindeer appear everywhere. Or almost everywhere.

One morning, John Webb's neighbors looked out front and saw reindeer on every lawn—except their own. They grumbled. "The next day," Webb says, "every reindeer in town was on their lawn."

Who's responsible for the nighttime shenanigans? Don't ask Webb. "I've been up very, very early looking. I haven't caught them."

But when the night crawlers are at rest, Fairhaven is serene, and the moon casts a strikingly beautiful glow over the neighborhood—in yards, atriums, and even indoors—as this series of photographs by John Eng illustrates so well.