August 12, 2004

STREET SCENEShadowbrook Drive

Shadowbrook Drive is a direct shot from Almaden Expressway, but can be easily overlooked, as it isn’t marked with a traffic light. Luckily, Maria Lu and her husband didn’t overlook the street, but found exactly what they were looking for in December, 1988.

“We loved the trees,” says Lu. “The first time we looked at the house, we just parked our car and walked along the street. There are so many trees and the street is wide. Many people were outside walking and the neighborhood really appealed to us.”

Lu was pregnant with her second daughter, and they wanted to find a place they could call more than just home. They moved from the Creekside area and have been satisfied with their home on Shadowbrook.

“I love this neighborhood. It’s really like people don’t move out, they just move in. There is a really nice mix of young and old, and there’s a lot of diversity as well. This is a well balanced, traditional neighborhood with lots of holiday activities,” says Lu.

Many of the activities are centered around the neighborhood cabana club, Shadowbrook Swim Club, and include a Memorial Day picnic, Fourth of July party, a fun run and walk and during the summer, a BBQ at the cabana club every Wednesday night.

Chris Monahan and his family have lived there since 1971. “It’s a wonderful street,” said Monahan. “The cabana club is a great way for newcomers to meet their neighbors. I credit Geogio Secchi for making the club what it is today.”

The only problem Monahan can think of is that he had some items stolen out of his garage last year.

Lee Ellis has lived on Shadowbrook for 27 years and loves the social activities and the wholesome environment the community provides for children. She and her husband raised two children who were always involved with the swim club and the holiday parties. “I think that the opportunity for the children to have a real neighborhood to grow up in is really important. Their friends were mainly from the neighborhood. The schools are within walking distance and the kids used to come through our yard and jump over the fence to get to school. It’s a really cohesive group and it’s safe. Your kids can play outside in the summer and you feel OK about it,” says Ellis.

The neighborhood has its own homeowners association, which helps residents keep their homes up to speed with codes, covenants and restrictions. “It really helps to keep up the value of our homes,” says Ellis. Shadowbrook homes range from $750,000-$950,000.

Ellis has served on the neighborhood board of directors, and says that many of her neighbors have been very active in the community. “The residents aren’t very passive here.”

Gary and Jean Rummelhof have lived on Shadowbrook since 1987. They have a daughter who will be a sophomore at Leland and a son who starts Bret Harte in the fall. “I know that almost everyone in Almaden says the same thing, but the schools are great, and that is what draws a lot of families here. I don’t think that we’ll ever leave, we’re here for the duration,” says Jean.

“The people here aren’t so invasive that they’re snoopy. But often times, when someone is cleaning his or her car or garage, we’ll end up talking for a while. People can pretty much be involved, or not. We definitely have our privacy.”

Jean says that the cabana club and the homeowners association are what really make up the unity on the street.
“I realize that these people will probably be lifelong friends, no matter if and where we ever move. I know that I can call any number of them in a moment of need and they will be there,” says Jean.

An example of that is when the Rummelhofs were having their first child in 1989, Jean called her neighbor, Sue Monahan, to drive her to the hospital as her husband was away.

“Her son is a police officer, and my mother happened to be coming in from St. Louis the same day. Her son picked up my mother from the airport. For sure, if I ever needed them, they or someone in their family would be there to assist us. I would hope that they think the same of me.”

Lu has had many wonderful experiences with neighborly conduct as well. “We go on many short trips, leaving on a Thursday or Friday for the weekend. Most of the time we don’t bother telling our neighbors so they can keep an eye out on our house. Even so, every time we return, our garbage pails are pulled in off of the street and our newspapers are stacked by our door. It’s like a way of life, to look out for each other,” she says.

Like many streets in Almaden, Shadowbrook fits right into the equation: good kids, good schools and good families cemented into a happy and caring community.

—By Miranda Schultz