Home, Sweet Homes - Woodland Garden Apartments, Woodland, CA

 

In July of 1977, we moved into the Woodland Gardens apartment complex in Woodland, California. Once again, our two-bedroom apartment was on the second floor. One of the bedrooms quickly became Greg’s sailplane workshop—plans, tools, and parts laid out in focused, careful chaos.

The complex had a swimming pool. We could see it from our kitchen window, though I didn’t spend much time there—not like I had at the pool back at the Flamingo Apartments. The apartment had just four windows: that kitchen window, a sliding glass door leading to a small patio off the living room, and one window in each bedroom.

During the week, we worked. On weekends, we were either in Sacramento visiting Greg’s dad (his parents had divorced, and his mom was living down in Southern California), or we were off at another model sailplane contest somewhere in the region. Greg was deeply involved in the sport—not just building and competing, but also crewing for his dad’s full-size glider flights.

We didn’t decorate much. I can’t remember ever hanging anything on the walls, except for Greg’s drawings—whatever sailplane he was designing at the time, taped over the couch like blueprints. I also don’t remember putting up a Christmas tree, real or artificial, in all the years we lived there.

We had friends over just once or twice during our time at Woodland Gardens, maybe in part because we were always going somewhere else—other people’s homes, weekend contests, or family visits. Life moved fast, and the apartment felt more like a place to land than a place to settle. It was never fondly. I used to walk in the evenings after work, often with a woman I worked with who happened to live in the complex, too. On days she couldn't walk, I’d still head out alone, circling the complex until I’d logged at least two miles. It always felt safe there. Next door was a different story—another complex that wasn’t well-managed, with police cars passing through often enough that it became background.

We stayed at Woodland Gardens until we found a house to rent somewhere else in Woodland. I don’t remember the exact year we made the move—maybe 1982 or 1983—.but I do remember the new place was on Cross Street. 

And just like that, another chapter began