February 17, 2005

STREET SCENEWooded Lake Drive

Homes on Wooded Lake Drive are situated on half-acre lots and range in size from 2,500 to 3,250 square feet and sell for $1.2 million to $1.3 million.

Abounding in natural beauty and encircled by rolling hills dotted with stately homes and well-manicured lawns, Wooded Lake Drive provides a welcome respite from city life.

Here, birdsong fills the air and residents enjoy spectacular views as they walk beneath majestic oak trees.

Wooded Lake Drive winds its way between Echo Valley Drive and Leyland Park Drive, with Echo Lake and Almaden Country Club’s golf course situated on one end and Quicksilver Park rambling alongside.

Cheryl Ryan, who has lived with her family on Wooded Lake Drive for 17 years, appreciates its amenities. “It’s such a beautiful street,” says Ryan. “There’s so much of the outdoors, and yet you’re close to the city, so you get the best of both worlds.”

Ryan also adores her neighbors.

As the street features staggered flag lots, rather than side-by-side properties, residents become well acquainted. And if they’re lucky—like Ryan, and neighbor Jil Britt—close friends.

“Their driveway literally passes by my kitchen window,” comments Ryan. “And we’d chat when Jil got her mail.”

Before they put up fences, the two families also shared one giant lot where their children played, as well as access to the creek, which runs behind their homes. “As soon as the water got up, the kids would shout, ‘We’re going in!’ and they’d go out with their rain boots and get covered in mud from head to toe,” she recalls. “They would build forts and go exploring and have the best time.”

Before it was fenced off, Ryan enjoyed taking her children to feed the ducks at Echo Lake, which in the spring is resplendent with wildflowers and a melodic waterfall. Eagles, golden hawks, wild turkeys, deer and boar have been known to drink from its glistening waters. “It would be a shame to ever lose that lake,” says Ryan, who notes that long-term resident and Williams Elementary School teacher Linda Neilsen loved taking her own children to the lake so much that she returned year after year with her first grade students. “They made little fishing poles, and everything,” says Ryan.

The area’s wildlife literally comes with the territory for residents of Wooded Lake Drive. In fact, Ryan refers to her street as a wild kingdom.

“There are herds of wild turkeys that walk down the street, stopping cars,” she says. “And in the spring, I wake up to gobbling.”

Ryan also sees deer on a regular basis, but unfortunately, has also heard them attacked by mountain lions in the night, and has lost a cat to coyotes. For a time, to aid her neighbor in keeping property-destroying wild boars at bay, she left lights on and played music in the evenings. “At the end of summer, the animals run out of food and come closer to us,” says Ryan. “That’s when the deer really start to eat everything. There’s nothing left for them. It’s the same with the boar.”

However, this doesn’t daunt her. “I like the wildlife,” she says.

For Jil and Doug Britt, who lived on Wooded Lake Drive for about 10 years, moving to this peaceful street was a dream come true. Doug, who grew up just a few blocks away, had always wanted to live on Wooded Lake Drive, so when a property became available, they grabbed it. Jil was also enchanted by the setting. “It was just beautiful,” she says. “I loved it, and I loved our neighbors.” They made friends quickly, sharing in neighborhood barbeques.

They were also treated to a series of homemade dinners when their baby was born. Although they have since relocated, the Britts still vacation with the Ryans, and Jil and Cheryl continue to go for weekly walks along Wooded Lake Drive.

Resident Dianne Benson appreciates the peacefulness of her surroundings. “You feel like you’re in the country,” says Benson. “It is so nice to be so close to nature. We can sit in our den and the deer come right up to the window.” The Bensons have also seen a coyote on their front lawn as well as turkeys, quail and rabbits hopping across the street. One day they watched in admiration as a large buck bounded by—but were amazed to see it was being chased by their cat. “It was like something you’d see on ‘America’s Funniest Videos,’” says Benson with a laugh. “A huge deer running up the street, being chased by my little cat.”

For Jenny Walicek and her family, who have here since 1988, Wooded Lake Drive is the perfect compromise between suburbia and country living. As their property overlooks a hilly meadow within Quicksilver Park, living this close to nature is not without its surprises. One day, Walicek and her son came down the drive to find a giant black boar with huge, long tusks blocking their path. “We just froze,” says Walicek. “We thought it was a bear, it was so big.” One summer, they found eight rattlesnakes against their house and watched as a hawk carried one off and picked it clean, only to smack against their window with its skeleton.

They also have quite a lot of deer by the house, and two years in a row, their neighbors have had a doe take refuge under their deck to give birth to her young.

“The deer are outside our windows all the time,” says Walicek. “It’s one of the things that attracted us to the area, as well as the privacy and the views.” Walicek also appreciates the friendliness of the neighbors—and especially of their close neighbors, the Kennedys. “They’re the kind of neighbors you can borrow a cup of sugar from,” says Walicek. “And the best neighbors you could ever have.”

“The neighbors are really nice,” agrees Benson. “We love it here. It’s a wonderful, wonderful neighborhood.”

— By Lorraine Gabbert