Grand Stand in Googletown - Page 2

Frank Zong, Olivia's husband and a manager at Apple, discovered that neighbors could be helpful as well as friendly when he had trouble installing a standard lock on a non-standard Eichler front door. "Marc came over and helped me do it," Frank says. Others followed.

"A whole neighborhood team helped me install that lock. That's very nice. And that was when we just moved in," Frank says.

Tales of neighbors helping neighbors abound. Many of them are old-timers, like Rick Ibara, who has helped his neighbors, Amba and Jyotsna Mohlajee, many times over the years, they say.

Amba, an electronics engineer who moved here 37 years ago with his wife, says of Rick Ibara, "He's from Hawaii, and he grew up on the farm, so he knows everything. Any technical repair or something? What should I do? I'll go to him?"

Jyotsna adds, "He's the friendliest, kindest person."

Janet Sloan has run the CERT emergency training for several years in the neighborhood. "You say hi to your neighbors, and chat, and check up on them," she says.

About the only noticeable 'pop-up addition' in the neighborhood is a square-ish attic on a high-gable model across from Barbara Burbach's home.

Barbara reveals one purpose for that pop-up. Crime was hitting the neighborhood in the '80s, and the wife of the house ran a phone tree, in part to spread alerts. But more was needed, apparently.

"She literally would go up on the second floor to kind of watch what was going on in the neighborhood," Barbara says.

Some newcomers are looking out for neighbors as well. During the height of the pandemic, Donna says, "One of the newer Google people went around, dropped off a flier to everybody's house: 'If you need help with shopping, anything during Covid, please let us know, we'd be glad to help you.'"

The kind volunteers? They were Yaar and his wife.

And Frank Zong has started what could become another tradition—a neighborhood garage sale. "We had around ten-plus houses participate," he says. It was a way to meet people, and he and Olivia hope it continues.