August 4, 2005

STREET SCENEVilmar Avenue

Vilmar Avenue offers sprawling homes with curbside appeal.

Residents of the graceful homes that line Vilmar Avenue are connected by both bonds of friendship and well-manicured lawns.

Bordered by Redmond and Burchell avenues, Vilmar is also part of a close-knit community that looks after its neighbors as well as its neighborhood.

John and Dolores Carr bought their home on Vilmar Avenue in 1991 after they were married. “It was a house that we really loved,” says Dolores. “And we’ve been here ever since.”
Family-oriented Almaden Valley, with its good schools, appealed to the Carrs, whose children attended Guadalupe Elementary and Dartmouth Middle School in the Union School District. Dolores also appreciated its country feel with its hills and parks. “We had the creek and T.J. Martin Park nearby, and lots of places to take our kids to,” she says. “We had them in soccer, T-ball, football—everything. It’s really a great place to raise a family.”

Danny and Susie Aulman have resided on Vilmar for seven years. Their property, resplendent with blossoms and flowering crepe myrtle trees, reflects Danny’s devotion to beautifying the neighborhood. In fact, it was the curbside appeal of the homes that initially attracted him to the area. “We take pride in our neighborhood, our homes and our yards,” he says. Raised near the Old Almaden Winery, Danny watched these developments being built, and enjoys walking his Labrador retrievers through the residential area daily.

Paul and Suzanne Williams, who have lived on Vilmar for about one year, felt welcome from the start. Initially, for the Williams, searching for a home was all about location—and they struck gold with their proximity to local parks and the magnificent view of the hills. As an added bonus, they also found friends. “I’ve gotten to know the neighbors here more in a year than we did in 12 years in our previous home,” says Suzanne. “We couldn’t have found nicer neighbors.” John Carr isn’t surprised to hear it. “It’s a nice group of people,” he says, “It really is.”

About one month ago, Brian and Veronica Sullivan moved onto adjacent Burchell Ave-nue with their 19-month-old daughter, Alexandra. “We like the neighborhood,” says Ver-onica, “and the sense of community.” “It’s turned out to be everything we hoped it would be,” adds Brian. On Monday morning, with the birth of their baby boy, Sean Patrick, Brian and Veronica added a welcome addition to their family and to the neighborhood, and the neighbors couldn’t be more delighted. “We look forward to watching the next generation grow up on the block,” says John.

Community residents look out for each other, taking the concept of Neighborhood Watch to the next level. Aided by Danny Aulman, a retired Santa Clara County Sheriff, and Lt. John Carr, a unit commander with the San Jose Police Department, they partner together to make the neighborhood a safe place to live.

One time, around 2 a.m., Danny called the Carrs when someone hit a car belonging to their daughter. John and Danny quickly jumped into a car, hot on the culprit’s trail, and being the trained investigators they are, tracked the hit-and-run driver down within 10 minutes. “We watch out for each other,” says Danny.

Shortly after the Sullivans moved in, upon hearing that Brian traveled on business, Dolores lost no time in providing Veronica with a list of neighbors’ addresses and phone numbers. In turn, when Brian saw a man go into the Carr’s yard, he kept an eye on him until he was assured that he was a PG&E employee. Danny also investigated when he saw a stranger enter the Carr’s yard one day, and although he turned out to be a contractor, the Carr’s appreciated his concern.

For these conscientious neighbors, taking care of each other comes naturally. When Paul saw a football-shaped swarm of bees by his house, he immediately called a beekeeper, keeping everyone safe, and when John was working high up on a ladder, Danny, worried he might fall, suggested he come down and have a beer.

Here, even Armando the mailman is treated like family. Besides attending their block parties, when Armando’s baby was born, he brought his wife and child to see them. “We all gave them presents,” says Dolores. “He’s very nice,” agrees Suzanne. “I have never met a more social mailman.” If Armando notices a broken car window, or something that doesn’t seem quite right in the area, he is always sure to let John or Danny know. “He has a real sense of community,” observes John.

“It’s a great neighborhood with great neighbors. We all get along and have a good time together,” says Danny, “and that’s hard to find.”

Area residents enjoy socializing throughout the year. During the holidays, neighbors celebrate the season by decorating their trees with bows and sharing in an annual progressive dinner party. They also host a block party in September and attend a theme party each summer on Redmond Avenue, as well as an annual bonfire and Fourth of July block party on nearby Menorca Court.

“The community’s very friendly,” agrees Paul. “It’s like a small town. Just the other day Danny invited me by to share some strawberries.” Sometimes on a nice night, they’ll gravitate towards somebody’s yard, says John, and the next thing you know everybody’s out there. Other times, they just stop and chat, taking a quick break during yard work.

These neighbors envision staying here for years to come. When Dolores won her election for Superior Court Judge, people thought she might move to an even larger home. “But why would we move?” she says. “We like it here.”

“We have a very comfortable relationship with everybody,” says John. “I like to think we’re a little village here, and fortunately, it’s a good one.”