When we were first looking for a place to live in Bako, this was the third neighborhood we looked at.
And it was love at first sight.
The boyfriend and I both share a certain fondness for the 70's aesthetic, and entering this neighborhood was like stepping back in time to the malaise-y days of the Carter Era. Actually, even though the homes were all built in the late 70's, the vibe is more "Nixonian". That's to be expected in Bakersfield, where everything is at least ten years behind the times. I think the thing I liked best was that it all reminded me of "The Brady Bunch".
"The Brady Bunch" was my all-time favorite TV show as a kid, so much so that when it was ultimately cancelled in '74 I started a petition to bring it back and circulated it around my neighborhood. The neighbors already thought I was a little strange, and that certainly didn't help matters. I'm not sure exactly why I was so drawn to "The Brady Bunch". Maybe it was the fact that Mr. Brady was an architect, and that's what I wanted to be. Maybe it was the Brady home, so hip and mod with it's orange Formica kitchen and bitchin' open staircase. Or maybe it was just my crush on Peter. Who knows.
Most of he homes in our neighborhood are what I refer to as "Mid Brady Modern", vaguely Modernist post and beam homes in wood and 70's earth-tones. They look like kissin' cousins to the Brady's Sherman Oaks ranchstyle. The rest are are early "Cali-terranean", the faux Hacienda look of stucco and tile that became popular in the early 70's. It proved to be the downfall of residential architecture because it introduced the concept of house as movie set. Soon people weren't content with sleek modern designs. They needed fake Swiss chalets and half-timbered Tudors, phony country cottages and off-the-shelf, on-the-cheap Tuscan villas. Sadly, the home we just bought falls into the latter category. It's my only regret about it. I will be denied my Brady dream home and have to make do with a glorified Taco Bell.
Adding to the whole Brady appeal of the neighborhood is that fact that more days than not you actually see Mrs. Brady out cruising the neighborhood. A lot of people around here use a water service called "Rain Soft". Their national spokesperson is Florence Henderson and her giant face maniacally grins from their vans as they tool about...
So, as I wrap up prepping the new house and prepare to leave Dogpatch for a few days of Christmas cheer with the family, I find myself soaking in a little Brady nostalgia.
And it's in that spirit that I wish every one a "Very Brady Christmas".
