Growing up in Ventura
"While thumbing through the latest issue of Sunset Magazine, I was pleasantly suprised to see a picture of the house my parents built in 1929," was the first sentence of a letter I received at my home yesterday.
Our Spanish bungalow was featured in the January issue for our "water-wise front year alive with texture and blooms." Bill Gray, who lives in Walnut Creek, recognized it as the home on Santa Barbara Street where he and his two brothers grew up.
"My father, Rollin W. Gray, was vice president and manager of the Title Insurance and Trust Co. branch . . . at one time he was president of the Board of Education in Ventura," Mr. Gray informs me. "In the 1930's the block across the street was agricultural. It consisted of a lima bean field and a lemon orchard."
"The only change to the building that I can see (from the magazine) is the gate to the front porch," he notes. A keen eye. The new wood gate was built by Jeremy Walker. I met him and his wife Michelle on our first Halloween in Ventura in 2004. They live on Hurst near our home and I complimented them on their "work in progress" front garden as they filled my kids bags with treats. I learned they had their own landscape design and contracting design firm, Blooming Gardens.
I mentioned was interested in replacing our front lawn and hedge with a native plant garden. Michelle was excited about tackling the challenge. She created a wonderful design and almost before we knew it, we were the honey bee and hummingbird hit of the neighborhood. Eventually a free lancer for Sunset heard about the project and one day a local professional photographer arrived to "shoot" our home and family. Months later, we found ourselves in Sunset as an example that "water-conserving gardens can be as colorful as any other."
And that put us in touch with the original family that lived in our home for fifty years. "The contractor was James Bullis who delivered the house and lot for around $5,000," Mr. Gray recalls. Mr. Bullis must have been an active developer, since I've seen at least two other homes that look identical to ours from the front. I've been tempted to knock on their doors and see what the differences (and similarities) are inside. Now that I know some more about the history of the home, I think I will.
Our Spanish bungalow was featured in the January issue for our "water-wise front year alive with texture and blooms." Bill Gray, who lives in Walnut Creek, recognized it as the home on Santa Barbara Street where he and his two brothers grew up.
"My father, Rollin W. Gray, was vice president and manager of the Title Insurance and Trust Co. branch . . . at one time he was president of the Board of Education in Ventura," Mr. Gray informs me. "In the 1930's the block across the street was agricultural. It consisted of a lima bean field and a lemon orchard."
"The only change to the building that I can see (from the magazine) is the gate to the front porch," he notes. A keen eye. The new wood gate was built by Jeremy Walker. I met him and his wife Michelle on our first Halloween in Ventura in 2004. They live on Hurst near our home and I complimented them on their "work in progress" front garden as they filled my kids bags with treats. I learned they had their own landscape design and contracting design firm, Blooming Gardens.
I mentioned was interested in replacing our front lawn and hedge with a native plant garden. Michelle was excited about tackling the challenge. She created a wonderful design and almost before we knew it, we were the honey bee and hummingbird hit of the neighborhood. Eventually a free lancer for Sunset heard about the project and one day a local professional photographer arrived to "shoot" our home and family. Months later, we found ourselves in Sunset as an example that "water-conserving gardens can be as colorful as any other."
And that put us in touch with the original family that lived in our home for fifty years. "The contractor was James Bullis who delivered the house and lot for around $5,000," Mr. Gray recalls. Mr. Bullis must have been an active developer, since I've seen at least two other homes that look identical to ours from the front. I've been tempted to knock on their doors and see what the differences (and similarities) are inside. Now that I know some more about the history of the home, I think I will.
posted by Rick Cole at
8:16 AM
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