We've been told that one of the earliest residents of Our Home was Governor Olson, former Governor of California. This may have been his summer home. The story tells that his wife was fond of holding seances in the living room (a practice that was quite popular at the time). In an attempt to distance himself from the group, the Governor built the house that is now our next door neighbor.
According to the "La Honda Directory" of 1981, in the 1930's to 1940's, "Alice Viet lived in the big pink house on Laguna Dr. - she was known as the First Aid Lady, caring for people who were hurt or sick." We found a picture of Our Home as it was offered for sale (in the 1950's). The house was painted dark. The pink color (and the name, "Big Pink") must have happened somewhere between the photo date and the mid-1980's when the house was painted blue.
Renovating our gardens has been an adventure in archeology. We uncovered some magnificent terraced areas that were edged with rocks that the children who lived in Our Home at the time (and their friends) carried the two blocks up from the La Honda Creek. We have also uncovered two wonderful stone planters (adjacent to the house), building materials, toys, bicycle parts and some old cement statuary from the 1960's or 1970's. A friend of the family worked at a statuary manufacturer.
One of the residents of Our Home had a pet horse that was more like a dog than a horse. The story explains that this horse would follow the family's children everywhere - even into the kitchen one day. At that time, the kitchen was very small - too small for a horse to turn around - so the children had to lead the horse through the formal dining room into the front hall and out the front door. Then they had to return Our Home to its pristine condition. The children's mother knew nothing of this event for 25 years.
There are stories of social events that were held in Our Home. Both church services and chamber orchestra concerts have graced our living room. With its high ceiling, cathedral window and balcony, it is a natural venue for both events. We have several photos of a graduation party that was held in Our Home in the late 1960's or early 1970's.
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