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1. The Mosaic Garden
A short history of one of the beautiful gardens that make Valle Verde the special place it is today.
By Dorothy Burkhart
In 2006, a group of Valle Verde ladies — all avid gardeners — decided to plan and execute a flower garden that would benefit all the residents. Helen Chuan, Dorothy Burkhart, Eddie Mindheim, Connie Dempsey, and Jane Smith formed a small committee. Permission was granted by the administration to design a garden in zone seven, funding was made available for plants and materials, and the grounds team helped with soil preparation and other heavy work.
The garden was beautiful and thrived under the ladies' dedicated care. Then Helen heard a presentation by mosaic artist Kim Emerson, who had just designed and installed the new Foundation Donor wall. Her artwork and mosaics would take the garden to a new level of beauty — and the committee was inspired.
Helen enlisted the help of the ABHOW Foundation, headed by Joe Anderson, to explore how they might raise money to transform the garden into not only a place of beauty but a place of art.
Residents were invited to a garden party in the cutting garden to hear Kim talk about her work and see small models of her vision. The response was enthusiastic, and a campaign was launched to raise the $70,000 needed to build and install three large benches, a table, four small chairs, and eventually a small entry post. In less than two months, the money was raised — donations ranging from $10 to $12,000. All donations of more than $1,000 are noted on the mosaic furniture.
The garden before the mosaic installation — a beautiful cutting garden tended by Valle Verde residents.
It was an exciting day when the mosaics were finally installed. A large crane lifted the heavy mosaic furniture into place, drawing a crowd of onlookers. The Valle Verde grounds team, under Manuel Perez' leadership, worked alongside Kim Emerson and her partner Dennis Reiter to complete the installation.
On May 22, 2012, the Valle Verde Mosaic Garden was dedicated with a luncheon for the donors. Leading up to that day, many volunteers — including Marcia Anderson, Dorothy Burkhart, Helen Chuah, Connie Hazard, Jan Lance, Eva Lederman, Stanley Mayer, Eddie Mindheim, Jane Smith, and Judy Zisman — put in hours of work planting every square inch of garden space with beautiful flowers.
The completed Mosaic Garden, dedicated May 22, 2012. The mosaic benches, table, and chairs were funded entirely by resident donations.
The original garden team who started this adventure with a simple cutting garden are either no longer with us or are no longer able to do this kind of work. Thankfully, under the Valle Verde Garden Committee, new volunteers have taken over the job of maintaining the garden, and they would welcome any interested gardeners who'd like to join them.
2. Birds-eye Views
There is nothing like an aerial view to give you the big picture. Here are photos to show how Valle Verde was built up over 30 years.
In these two very high up views, the yellow outline shows the Valle Verde property line. The wavy dark portion at the bottom is Arroyo Burro Creek. The dots are walnut trees. You can see that by 1972, the walnut trees to the right of the photo (now Zone 1) have been removed, but the land remains open. The walnut trees at the top (now Zone 5) are still there.
1960
1972
This 1979 photo is taken from the top of Campanil Hill. Again, notice the open space on the north side, ready for Zone 1. The last piece of the walnut orchard is still there in the west, where Zone 5 would go later. Notice how Calle de los Amigos comes to an abrupt end at the edge of the development — the street wouldn't be extended over the creek until 1982. If you look very closely, you can see a city bus on Calle de los Amigos. In the 1970s, Valle Verde was served by a city bus line, even though it would have to turn around and go back after stopping.
1979 — taken from Campanil Hill. Calle de los Amigos ends abruptly at the north edge of the development.
This 1982 photo was also taken from the hill. If you look closely, you can see Zone 1 under construction.
1982 — Zone 1 is visible under construction in the north portion of the property.
Here are three 1988 photos taken from a helicopter. The first looks north and shows everything — including, at the top, Laguna Blanca, the lake at La Cumbre Country Club.
1988 — looking north. Laguna Blanca at La Cumbre Country Club is visible at the top.
The second looks east towards Hope Ranch. Quail Lodge is at the very center of this photo.
1988 — looking east towards Hope Ranch.
The third looks south towards the ocean, with Zone 1 at the bottom of the photo.
1988 — looking south towards the ocean. Zone 1 is visible in the foreground.
3. The Store and the Beauty Shop
A history of Valle Verde's campus store and beauty shop, from the earliest days to the present.
In the beginning
Before Valle Verde opened in 1966, marketing materials said residents would have access to a beauty shop, a barber shop, and a gift shop. That vision was realized, thanks in large part to the generosity of volunteers from local churches.
In the early years, a group called the Valle Verde Volunteers — women from local congregations — raised money through luncheons, white elephant sales, and bake sales to purchase equipment for a gift shop and a beauty shop. It was a remarkable act of community spirit, and it set the tone for decades of volunteer involvement at Valle Verde.
Casa Feliz
The campus store has gone by several names over the years. The earliest was Casa Feliz — Spanish for "Happy House" — which perfectly captured the warm, neighborly spirit of the place.
By 1976, Casa Feliz was operating in what is now the mailroom. Volunteers stocked the shelves with canned and boxed goods, bread, and sweets, and they regarded their customers not as shoppers but as friends.
By 1978, Casa Feliz had evolved into a combination store and lunchroom, open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., offering groceries, toiletries, cards, gifts, and special orders. The room could also be used for private luncheons and card parties. The store was still run by volunteers, but now with a paid manager, and profits were used to purchase furnishings and equipment for Valle Verde's public spaces.
In the adjoining Social Room, there was a counter, a two-burner electric stove, and access to a refrigerator and sink, which meant butter, milk, cheese, and cold drinks were always on hand, and the volunteers were able to make sandwiches to order. One longtime resident fondly recalled a delicious tuna sandwich, buttered on the outside and toasted in a skillet.
Casa Feliz, date unknown. The store was located where the mailroom is today.
The Country Store and Campus Store
At some point Casa Feliz became The Country Store, and the operation gradually transitioned from volunteer-run to professionally staffed. By 2008, the store had expanded its hours to four days a week — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. — and was offering fresh pastries, seasonal fruit, and a rotating selection of breads and dairy products.
Within the last five years, the store took its current name: The Campus Store. It was extensively remodeled in 2025 and is now open daily. The spirit of Casa Feliz lives on — a convenient, friendly place where residents can pick up everyday essentials without leaving the community.
The beauty shop
Like the store, the beauty shop has been a Valle Verde institution from the very beginning. In the early years it was staffed by an experienced resident volunteer. Eventually Lillis Perry was hired as manager, bringing professional oversight to the operation. When Lillis retired, Lorraine Tucker took over, later joined by Judy Silveria.
For many years the beauty shop was overseen by the Valle Verde Volunteers. In 1998, it was formally brought into Valle Verde's own operations, with staffing, compensation, and management integrated into the community's administrative structure.
Two outstanding cosmetologists joined the team during that era and are still with us today. Gloria Duarte has been part of the beauty shop since 1994, and Tammie Fader since 2004. Between them they bring decades of skill, warmth, and personal attention to every appointment.
The barber shop
Early materials and handbooks confirm that Valle Verde had a barber shop from at least 1968. It operated as a "men only" service, with a professional barber coming to campus one day a week. Beyond that, the details — its exact location, its hours, how long it operated — have largely been lost to time. By the 1980s it had quietly disappeared, and today men and women alike are welcome in the beauty shop.