Glimpses of Home

Located forty-five minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Novato, California, was still a small country town in the early 1960s. We once counted thirty-one kids living on the cul-de-sac where I grew up. Between my three older siblings and me, we knew them all. Summers were hot and dry and just perfect for riding our bikes everywhere. We spent the entire day outside, often swimming in our neighbor’s pool, the only one on the block. They had a ‘Santa Rosa’ plum tree, and the game was to throw a plum into the pool and dive in after it. Many a board game was scooted under a large bush in our yard in favor of that pool.

Most of the women on the block were stay-at-home moms.