High School

My dad decided he could do better than working as a civil servant at Norton Air Force Base for the reset of his life. I'm sure the job made a living, but I don't think it was very fulfilling to my father. It appeared to be very stressful.

So as his paintings began to make more and more money at art shows (especially those in the Lake Arrowhead area) my parents began to consider leaving Norton. Before long, they were looking at houses in the area.

We must have looked at dozens of houses. My parents were looking for a big house for their family - apparently they considered it a temporary residence. Their intent was to get a family house, then move elsewhere when Belinda and I left in a few years.

They wanted to make sure it was perfect for us. They had several requirements, including a large basement or garage for my model railroad. The house also needed several bedrooms (one for my parents, one for my sister and one for me), at least two bathrooms, and a family room. They didn’t seem to consider a large yard very important.

After several months of searching, they found a large three story home on Larchmont Lane in Lake Arrowhead Villas, about three miles from Lake Arrowhead Village. This house also had a basement, a large kitchen and a small yard. It was perched on a very steep slope, making it difficult for my dad to plant a garden.

This house was built strangely. On the bottom was a basement, containing a forced-air heater, a washer and dryer and room for my model railroad. The first floor had my bedroom, a bathroom and the family room. The second floor consisted of the kitchen, dining room and living room. Finally, the top floor had a bathroom, my sisters bedroom and my parents bedroom. The family room and living room each had a small fire place, and each of the three floors had a private deck.

I’m not sure if the store in Blue Jay came before or after we moved to Lake Arrowhead. This time is a jumble of searching, packing, moving, unpacking and getting settled. When it was all over, we living in a new house in Lake Arrowhead, and my parents leased a small store in Blue Jay village. They sold my dad’s paintings in this store, as well as continuing the art shows.

My life changed quite dramatically after our move to Lake Arrowhead. Before the move, I was a child in San Bernardino, with many friends and a well-known and safe neighborhood. Afterwards, I began entering adulthood. I didn’t have many friends for a long time, and the neighbors tended to keep to themselves.