My love for this neighbourhood is huge. And now that we’ve been here for nearly four years, the block party has become a real pleasure. I remember going to the first and not knowing anyone. Fast forward to this past weekend: we’ve made lots of friends and even took on introducing new neighbours to others (hi Ben and Rebekah, Sudarshan and Aditi!)
Over the years attending the block party, I’ve found Eichler people are actually remarkably easy to talk to. All you need to ask is how long they’ve been in their house and what exactly are they fixing right now. Because there is always, always something. Hacks for preserving original kitchens, candid exchanges about contractors, and discussions about paint choices are shared along with food and drink here.
We have a great mix of neighbours too: lots of newcomers and plenty of original owners. Original owners that remember the orchards of San Jose which used to surround the tract as it was just being built in the late 1950s to early 1960s. It’s great to have that connection with the history of this place.
The party itself is now in its 14th year, and is completely organized by some very energetic and dedicated volunteers. Similar to previous years, there were food trucks, a DJ, and tables of our local makers showing off and selling their wares. The blocked off street is our venue, with kids running wild everywhere. The atmosphere is wonderful.
I thought I’d share a bit of our fun with you, thanks to my talented neighbours who snapped some lovely images during the event. (That’s me and my husband, David, chatting with Tom about retrofitting kitchen sliders with china cabinet hardware.)
It’s a pretty great way to close out the summer. And a great place to get ideas for next year’s projects, of course.
You can find the hand-painted Eichler signs on Etsy. And there’s more about the party on the Eichler Network’s CA Modern.
Photographs by Brian Strong, Steve Allen, and me
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