This week was a farewell to our family’s home for the past
eleven and a half years.
When we moved back to California from Arizona in the fall of
2001, we drove along the coast looking for the perfect place to live. We
didn’t want to raise kids in LA and Orange County was getting too crowded so
Jyoti suggested we head down to San Diego. We started at Camp Pendleton
and headed south along the 101. A guidebook described the journey as
“scruffy” Oceanside, “time warp” Leucadia, “new age” Encinitas and so on.
One of our stops was at the Potato Shack in downtown Encinitas. Our short
time in the area convinced us that this was the place. After I landed a
new gig, I commuted from a good friend’s house in Carlsbad while we looked for
a home. I think it was paramount to choose a place to live, then find a
job and a house.
We decided on Village Park due to the greenbelt, pool and
playground. Not to mention it was one of the least expensive places in
the city at the time to buy. We ended up paying around $250,000 for the
1400 sq. ft., 3 bedroom, 1 ½ bath condo.
At first, the cul-de-sac had a few families, one of which
had a daughter that became Jaya’s best friend. After a few years, most of
the families moved out and some seedier elements moved in. There was some
tough times with bad residents but we stuck it out. Around the time of
the 2008 crash, families started moving back in, the bad seeds were evicted or
moved and the street become a vibrant, kid-friendly space again. Bengt
especially loved all the kids and was outside often playing with them.
Over the years, we have remodeled essentially everything in
the house.
- Carpet was replaced by laminate flooring, except for the
stairs and hall where we put new carpet in.
- The bathrooms were remodeled,
the upstairs bath twice.
- The kitchen was totally gutted and replaced with
a fantastic custom IKEA kitchen; I will miss that kitchen.
- All
windows and sliding doors replaced.
- Radiant floor heating added.
- Front and back yards where constantly in motion.
- The garage was organized
with shelves and a workbench.
- Hot water heater was moved outside creating
a new storage closet.
I am not sure of the real reason we moved. We had
discussed moving over the last few years. One morning, while enjoying
breakfast at St. Tropez in the Lumberyard (not far from the Potato Shack where
it all began), Jyoti saw an ad for a place not too far away. After
calling the owner, she felt a connection and we went to look. By the end
of the next week we had signed a lease. The new home has the attributes
we had been looking for: larger, newer, nicer, closer to the beach, close to SDA.
In a whirlwind of activity, we moved within just a few weeks. We have
been back and forth lately getting the condo ready for renting but it is only a
matter of days before I rarely will go back.
The years we spent at Shady Acre Circle were the best of my
life and the memories will last forever. But time moves on and so do we.
by Napoleon Hill – the original self help
book
by Bruce Feiler - some very good tips on creating harmonious families but also a bunch of pedestrian ones. Can speed read most of the book. 
