'Vaccine' for Spring Boredom - Page 2

Biondo and Kern consulted atrium owners, landscape designers, and personal experience in developing 'Atrium Gardens' and its sidebar, a descriptive list of ten atrium-friendly plants.

Of course, the desire to live in a friendly neighborhood predates our fervent pursuit of COVID vaccine and seems a good bet to outlast it. Eichler Network features editor Dave Weinstein profiles a particularly cheery one in Palo Alto that has a friendly vibe but an uncertain name. 'Family Tradition' is the title of Weinstein's in-depth feature about an Eichler neighborhood alternatively known as Palo Verde, Royal Manor, and Faircourt.

"Whatever you call it, residents brag about the tract for its longstanding social traditions," he writes of the late-1950s community of 202 Eichler homes. "Besides the Janice [Way annual] block party, a July 4 parade on Kenneth Drive 'brings everybody together,' says neighbor Sudha Nagarajan."

"When the new neighbors come in, well, naturally, as one of the elders of the community, I want to meet them and introduce them to the other neighbors," says one of several longtime residents in the story, 93-year-old Rosalie Taimuty. "The kids think of me as their grandmother. I go to all their recitals, but I draw the line at soccer games."

Weinstein also pens an affectionate look back at some mid-century couples whose work and domestic partnerships produced some wonderful creations. Like getting a shot, marriage sometimes involves managing pain for long-term benefit, and 'It Takes Two' deftly explores that most human of dualities.

"Throughout the mid-20th century, California produced a strong crop of partners in life who were also partners in the arts—or at least frequent collaborators," Weinstein writes. The story includes profiles of Jerry and Evelyn Ackerman (perhaps the model California two-some of the arts), Sonny and Cher, and a half dozen other couples of renown, both hetero and same sex.

Eichler owner and Network staff writer Adriene Biondo also contributes a second story to the spring edition with her consumer report on birdhouses with a modern slant. 'Avian Abodes' offers a dozen choices for modernist ornithologists, clearly highlighted by the 'Sunset Modern' model designed in Eichler style for Sunset magazine.

So, it's time to reach for the new Spring '21 CA-Modern. It'll even make for dynamic reading while you're waiting in the vaccine line. For a flip-book version of the entire issue, click here.