Wonderfully Fleeting Moments of Gladness!
Who needs AI ChatGPT when you are holding four months of preciousness? We two may be ninety years apart in age and the grinning one does appear to be more ecstatically happy, but the adorably handsome one in red plaid and trendy Ugg Boots endured a few sweet hours of sitting on her lap. What could be better?
Thank you, Master W.W.S.
P.S.: From Author Caroline Leavitt: “Age is just a number, instead, ask yourself, how old do I feel? And then be that person. Want to know the only real shouldn’t for older women? People shouldn’t tell other people what they should or shouldn’t do. Period.”
Tu dum
Tu dum
Tu dum
Tu dum tu dum tu dum
Tu dum tu duuuuuum
Tududududuummmmmm!
Hooray, the Pink Panther is here!
Nope, he’s busy,
It’s the Sweet-toothed Sleuth!!!
She’s about to solve a gripping tale of? OF WHAT?
It’s a perplexing puzzlement. They are not a secret, They aren’t supposed to be a mystery, but maybe, possibly, sort of——they might be! Why?
I was asked to present a group of three lectures for Elder Hostel, a non-profit organization for travelers 50+, founded in 1975. The organization changed its name to Road Scholar in 2010. In this case, the travelers were coming to San Diego for lectures and site visits.
I discovered there was a small, but phenomenal building boom of small houses mostly constructed between the late 1920’s through the 195o’s. I wanted to know more and asked some design and architectural friends. It was a bit of an enigma because my friends had not heard of them either.
THE ENIGMA
Change was in the air. It was a time of in-your-face-world-happenings. A possible World War was on the horizon, young men were being called to action, the arms industry needed to proliferate armaments and for the first time, new conditions necessitated that women could staff and fulfill factory work output. Of course, through the years, there were the individually single-minded women who forged ahead in male-oriented professions, but women, at that time were seen to be “dependent beings”. They lunched! Now, these “dependent beings” could and were ready to join the defense work force to become—drum roll, please—independent! They did!
THE SWEET-TOOTHED SLEUTH
As you know, S.T. Sleuth is a fine detective! She actually discovered that twenty-five rail lines “trolley suburbs” converged in central city, San Diego, CA. in the early 1920’s.
HARK——FLASH ZOOM!
MYSTERY SOLVED!!! THE PERFECT COUNTERPOINT: BUNGALOW COURTS
The courts offered miniature housing on one lot. They were important and safe for this new work force with inexpensive trolley transportation and reasonable rent. An even better; they were in a climate with little or no frost and a horticultural wonderland. Flowering plants were everywhere and the newly initiated Balboa Park was a spectacular location to spend free time.
Including the Sweet-tooth Sleuth, I needed a wise, skilled team to follow the Bungalow Court trail!
No one-woman show for me. I enlisted my husband who was a fine photographer, our friend Ernie who knew every nook and cranny of San Diego, a camera and me who knew nothing.
Our adventure began on a balmy Sunday morning. We were on the hunt, not exactly a Safari Hunt, but close. (I am referencing Photographic Safari Hunts with intriguing wild animals).
How can hunting Bungalow Courts in San Diego possibly be intriguing?
Our Sweet-Toothed Sleuth said we were in for a surprise:
For starters, the architects and builders did not just throw up a bungalow or two. We were looking for not only the charming Spanish style of the period, but also, in the San Diego area, they built distinctive styles——Craftsman, Egyptian, Pueblo, Tudor, Moorish Revival, and Deco/Moderne Bungalow Courts. Lucky Us!!!
They were predominantly built from 1920 to 1950 and eventually there were nearly 300 full bungalow courts and over 150 half courts built in San Diego prior to World War II. They also found that nearly 80 percent of them remain intact, a testament to the desire of people to have private space within a public setting.*
San Diego’s ample heritage of hidden gems were scattered throughout different areas and difficult to find when we started looking in the early ninety’s. We found them tucked between houses, apartments and buildings.
Ernie loved being in charge. (He probably would have worn a drum major uniform and carried a baton.) Disappointingly, the first courtyard we saw had deteriorated. The central area was thirsty, the stucco was rough and craggy and the miniature houses looked lonely.
Ernie was undeterred. That first Sunday turned into multiple Sunday explorations.
Luckily for my future lecture, the Sweet-toothed Sleuth discovered the story of a young landscape architect who lived in a Court in the early 1980’s. Ron Wiggington, who went on to become a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2002, had an illustrious career.
What could be better for those Independent Young Women?
The Sweet-toothed Super Sleuth wants to know if the Bungalow Courts are a puzzlement to you or if you know all about them???
Please let us know!
Sy’s Salient Points: Have we solved this PUZZLEMENT?
I loved the opportunity to research Bungalow Courts for my lecture. They were brimming with personality making it an incredulous delight for creating a story.
I hope you enjoyed their stories,
Sheila.
*sohosandiego.org—*sandiegoreader.com
HAPPY, HAPPY 2024, DARLING BLAIRE