Glass Houses Do Make Happier Homes
for the Pets that We Love and Pamper

Photo: David Toerge

Is it surprising that dogs and cats enjoy living in glass houses? "All the windows make it a happier place for them because they feel like they're outside even when they're inside," says Carol Cooper, who shares an Eichler in Concord with her partner, two cats, and a Boston terrier pup named Betty.

Humans, too, enjoy the feeling of living out of doors. Joe Eichler, after all, didn't aim his marketing at mutts. But no human, no matter how modern, can enjoy nature as intensely as animals do.

When Lynn Drake and family vacation with their schnauzer, Nyles, he suffers. At home in their Palo Alto Eichler, she says, "He spends his entire time looking out through our full-length windows. When we travel, and the house has regular windows, he can't see anything. It's pretty boring. If I were a dog, I'd like to live in an Eichler."

We visited many California mid-century modern homes to get the scoop on why pets love living modern. Here's the story.

Also, we've found the latest gear to keep those furry and feathered sidekicks smiling. Have a peek.

Tight-knit Families Bring New Life
to Sunnyvale's 35-home Primewood

Photo: David Toerge

Next time you're feeling down, consider a trip to the Eichler development of Primewood in Sunnyvale. "People have said it's one of Eichler's most beautiful and best-maintained neighborhoods," Gary Bronstein says, with justifiable pride since, as an original owner and 40-year resident, he's helped make it so.

Primewood, built from 1969 to 1972, has always been a special place. But over the past few years friendships have tightened and neighbors grown more close, thanks to an influx of young families and to a young boy whose joyous spirit proved inspirational.

In Primewood, the softly curving streets, the trees that arch overhead, and the utility lines that do not, because they are buried, immediately evoke a sense of peace.

The handful of streets and shallow courts that make up the compact, 35-home Sunnyvale neighborhood are largely free of traffic because there are only two ways into the neighborhood, and few visitors except neighbors and friends -- or the rare tourist seeking respite.

The houses add to the neighborhood's special feeling. Unlike some Eichler neighborhoods, whose flat-roofed homes and off-putting facades can appear otherworldly, Primewood suggests instead a fairytale village. Its homes illustrate not the abstraction that's inherent in modern architecture, but its playfulness. Come visit Primewood with us -- our latest 'Neighborhood on the Rise.'

Media Rooms for Moderns: Is Today's
Home Theater an Inviting Proposition?

For some, the idea of a super-sized television is a bane to their aesthetically streamlined mid-century modern home. For others, it's simply a lifestyle necessity.

No matter what channel you choose, media rooms and home-theater systems are a hot ticket. With people looking for inexpensive ways to stay home and be entertained, the home movie night has become a common activity. Luckily, you don't have to take out a second mortgage (if your bank would give you one nowadays) to enjoy excellent sound and video from the comfort of your own sofa.

With the styling of the mid-century modern home interior in mind, writer Tanja Kern researched today's new technology with an emphasis on displays, sound, and control systems for 'Hot Trends in Home Theater. 'Check it out here.

How to Find a Pro in the Know: Doing
Your Homework for Home Improvement

In this economy, every dollar counts, and who you hire -- for that kitchen remodel, new roofing, addition, or whole-house renovation -- will affect the overall value of your home and the quality of life under your roof.

When you hire a home-improvement professional, you are buying a service. The level of service the professional provides will determine the quality of the finished product and your overall happiness with the result. Finding the right contractor for a home improvement might seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be.

Thorough research up front can mean the difference between a successful project and one that causes disappointments and financial woes that could linger long after a project is completed. For our new home-improvement feature, 'Hire a Pro...in the Know,' we've already done some of that research for you. Here's the story.

CA-Modern's Kitchen Contest: Two Palo
Alto Eichlers are in the Winner's Circle

The Tong family: winners in their kitchen
Photo: David Toerge

Congratulations to Palo Alto Eichler owners Larry and Celia Cheng and John and Renata Tong, the mid-century modern homeowners behind the two winning kitchens in 'CA-Modern Magazine's Best Kitchen Remodel Contest.'

The Chengs were voted first place by CA-Modern's panel of ten judges, and the Tongs by our poll of 700 readers who cast votes online.

CA-Modern judges and readers had the tough task of selecting just two kitchens from a bevy of dazzling finalists. While in our mind, all ten kitchens were winners, our two inspiring champions were chosen for their overall beauty and functionality and cohesion with the mid-century modern design aesthetic.

For a look inside the Chengs' and Tongs' kitchens, and to see all of our top-ten finalists, here's more.

Capturing the Soul of the Eichler Home:
Passing of Photographer Ernie Braun

Photo: courtesy Braun family

The image that the world-at-large has of the Eichler homes is the work largely of Ernie Braun, a slender, soft-spoken man with piercing blue eyes and an ever-present pipe, who from 1954 until 1968 served as Joe Eichler's chief photographer.

Braun, who died March 23 at age 88, helped define the Eichler lifestyle as sophisticated but imbued with family values, and suggested what sorts of people should consider an Eichler home -- those with a sense of flair.

"Ernie was a classy guy and he did classy work. He was an easy guy to work with, which a lot of photographers were not," said Ned Eichler, Joe's son and the company's chief of marketing. "Architectural photography was his field, and he was damn good at it."

Braun became one of the top architectural photographers in Northern California in the 1950s and 1960s. Like Julius Shulman, but unlike most of his colleagues, Braun believed in bringing people into his photographs -- a controversial decision at the time.

Braun photographed architecture and landscapes by most of the area's leading modernists, including Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, Lawrence Halprin, Joseph Allen Stein, Gardner Dailey, and Roger Lee. He was one of the first photographers at Sea Ranch, and contributed photos to Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, Architectural Forum, and other magazines. Here's more.

Arts & Architecture: Profiling a Magazine
with a Mission and Compelling Content

Photo: courtesy Eames Office and David Travers

'Arts & Architecture' magazine was a much more compelling magazine, and a more surprising one, than fans who know only its Case Study House program might imagine. Although the magazine, which was directed by editor/publisher John Entenza from 1940 to 1962, is known today for its advocacy of modernism, and for an emphasis on architecture, it began with a focus largely on traditional architecture -- and never lost its interest in music, crafts, furnishings, paintings, sculpture, and social issues.

"'Arts & Architecture,'" wrote David Travers, who ran the magazine after Entenza, "was at the leading edge in architecture, art, music -- even in the larger issues of segregation in housing and education and other manifestations of racial bias before they became codified as civil rights. The magazine was hopeful about life; it had a sense of mission. John Entenza's moral seriousness -- leavened by his wry humor -- infused the magazine."

The magazine also put California architects -- including Harwell Harris, Gregory Ain, Henry Hill, Raphael Soriano, John Funk, and dozens more -- on the map. "Publication in 'Arts & Architecture,'" wrote Travers, "became a door to national and international renown for West Coast architects."

CA-Modern magazine's Dave Weinstein dug deep for 'Magazine with a Mission,' his inside look at the legacy of 'Arts & Architecture' and its diverse content during the Entenza years. Here's more.

'Bike Town' Charm, Attention to Function
Help Preserve Davis' University Estates

Photo: David Toerge

The city of Davis a charming town, with a lively low-rise downtown surrounded by bungalows, and remains both walkable and bike-able -- thanks to a web of bike lanes that the city brags are among the nation's first.

But, despite an active art scene, Davis has never been known for high-style modernist design. Why then does the University Estates neighborhood of modern homes by the Streng Bros. remain so remarkably intact?

It's not because the owners are committed to modern architecture. And it's not because owners feel a responsibility to preserve their homes' historical value as rare examples of modern tract homes designed by architect Carter Sparks. The reason goes deeper.

The houses have been preserved because they work. As Carolyn de la Peña, an eight-year resident and a professor of American studies, puts it, "The people I know use their houses in a functional way. They're not design people."

And folks in Davis focus on something even more important than architecture. "The neighborhood to me isn't the houses," says Melody Matthews. "It's the people."

When you put it all together, University Estates has all the makings of a 'Neighborhood on the Rise." Here's more.

Eichler Neighborhood in Los Angeles
Finally Wins Historic Designation Status

Balboa Highlands, an Eichler neighborhood of 100-plus homes in the northern San Fernando Valley, was awarded historic status in February by the Los Angeles City Council.

The designation of the Granada Hills neighborhood as a historic preservation overlay zone provides protection for the homes' architectural features. The next step will be creating a board made up of residents to develop design guidelines.

"I'm thrilled," said Adriene Biondo, who led the campaign for designation, which started with an architectural tour that included homes in the neighborhood ten years ago. "It's difficult going through the big wheels of the city, and we finally did it."

She hopes to celebrate by holding another neighborhood tour soon.

Balboa Highlands is only the second modern neighborhood to win such protection in Los Angeles, and the first in the Valley. The other neighborhood is the tract of Modernique homes in Mar Vista, designed by architect Gregory Ain.

Eichler Homes' Only Shopping Center
Will be Preserved -- at Least in Part

Photo: David Toerge

The main section of Edgewood Plaza, the 4.5-acre Palo Alto shopping center that once housed the offices of Eichler Homes, has escaped the wrecking ball. Threats to demolish the central section of the center by a developer, who hoped to replace it with a larger retail center and with 24 houses, were blocked in the fall by a court settlement between a developer and neighbors.

The Architectural Control Committee of the adjacent Edgewood Eichler residential neighborhood argued in court that the neighborhood's covenants, conditions, and restrictions applied to the shopping center as well.

The developer, Sand Hill Property Co., agreed to abide by the CC&Rs, and has proposed to preserve and restore the three central buildings -- an Alberston's grocery and two buildings that house small shops, says Diane Sekimura, a member of the architectural committee. The developer also agreed to build only ten single-family homes. A park named for Eichler will be created at one corner of the site.

The agreement does not involve the center's two other properties, a gas station and the most historically important building, the former headquarters of Eichler Homes. Those properties are in different ownership.

All the buildings were designed by Jones & Emmons and built by Eichler from 1955 to 1958.

Not everyone in the two Eichler neighborhoods that border the shopping center -- the other is Green Gables -- is happy with the agreement. Sand Hill's plan calls for moving one of the small-shop buildings to create a central parking lot, which, preservationists point out, would destroy the historic configuration and remove a covered breezeway.

Still to be determined are design details, how the historic Edgewood Plaza sign will be used, and other matters. They will be taken up by various Palo Alto planning bodies.

Eichler's Original 10,000-Square-Foot
Palo Alto Office for Sale at $2.8 Million

The longtime home of Eichler Homes is on the market in Palo Alto. The 10,300-square-foot office, designed by Jones & Emmons, will cost the dedicated Eichler collector $2.8 million.

The 1959 building, at 1101 Embarcadero Road, will also retain its exterior look, says Annie Connor, the listing agent along with Mike Connor and Tom McMullan of Cassidy Turley BT Commercial. That's because the same CC&Rs that hold sway over Eichler's Edgewood Plaza apply to this property as well. It was part of the same center, but is under separate ownership.

Much of the exterior remains original, but the interior has been greatly changed, Connor says. For years the building has been occupied by the Maharishi Enlightenment Center as a place of meditation. Before that, Hewlett-Packard had offices there. HP enclosed what used to be an interior atrium.

Still, Eichler's original safe remains, as does his private office and kitchenette, she says. "It's been kind of cool walking through it," she says, "because every nook and cranny has some sort of significance."

The property is desirable, she says, because of its location, though developers have shied away because its historic significance means they can't tear it down. Clients "who know its style and significance find it more intriguing," she says.

Values of Modern Homes Have Fallen
-- but Their Appeal Still Stands Strong

Photo: Ernie Braun

The real estate meltdown may spell the end of the great 21st century housing bubble. But does it spell the end as well for high times for high modern? Don't bet on it.

Modern has become firmly established in the marketplace as a style that people appreciate, says James Ebert, a Los Angeles appraiser who has worked with many buyers and sellers of well-known modern homes. "The original mid-century properties will maintain their strength, just like the classic Mediterranean and Spanish of the 1930s, and like the well-maintained Craftsman style before, have," he says.

Throughout California, in many markets, including San Francisco, the East Bay, and Orange County, both tract and custom-designed mid-century modern homes are selling more quickly, and often for more than their comparable, non-architecturally distinctive rivals, precisely because they are out of the ordinary.

In some markets, prices have already returned to pre-boom levels, including San Mateo Highlands, where values had fallen 20 percent. "We weren't at our absolute high for very long," says Glenn Sennett, a broker in San Mateo. "We're back down now to 2004 prices. From 2004 to 2007, houses went up about 20 percent." But bad news can be found also. Here's the full story.

Fire-ravaged Architectural Photographer Leland Lee Longs to Keep Legacy Alive

Photo: John Eng

Throughout his 40 years as an architectural photographer, Leland Lee had one goal in mind -- to capture the soul of every building he shot. Lee photographed work by some of Southern California's foremost modern architects and designers, including residences by John Lautner, Pierre Koenig, A. Quincy Jones, Edward Fickett, and John Rex.

Lee, 91, a straight-talking man with piercing blue eyes, a calm manner, and easy laugh, succeeded with his camera because he worked hard, approached his photography as an art, and always sought to bring out what was best in the architecture.

Lee used to store his photography archive in the garage of his Hollywood Hills home. In the 1980s, a ferocious rainstorm sent sheets of water cascading through his garage, destroying much of his archive of negatives, prints, and transparencies, along with copies of the magazines that had published them and his journals. In 2002, completing the job, a fire that began in his car destroyed the rest.

Other men would have cried. The loss was devastating to Lee. "It represents a legacy of what I did during my existence," he says. But rather than despair, he set off on a quest to recreate his lost archive. "Otherwise, all I have left are fragments," he says.

The Eichler Network would love to see Leland Lee's wish come true. Can you help? Start by reading Lee's story -- and view some of his marvelous photos that survived the fire. 'Soul searching' awaits.

Cutting-edge and Crazy: Time Machine
to the Mid-Century's Laughing Stock

Some funny things happened on the way to the second half of the 20th century: America found new ways to laugh and new places to do it. And the Eichler Network would like to take a step back in time, lighten things up a bit, and revisit some of the cutting edge comedians from that era who gave us some classic great laughs.

From the bounty of funny folk who once kept us in stitches, we've singled out a baker's dozen of some of the best, most meaningful, and most memorable. Join us on a time machine ride back to the 1950s to relive and acknowledge Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, Shelley Berman, Phyllis Diller, and a cast of others. Don't miss 'Laughing stock of the mid-century.'

Remembering S.F. Architect Bob Anshen:
Inventor of Eichler Homes -- and Himself

Photo: courtesy John and Frances Anshen

By all accounts Eichler architect Robert Anshen should have been in pictures -- though he did not have matinee idol looks. "Anshen was aggressive, loud, sarcastic," says Ned Eichler, son of the builder Joe Eichler, who was Anshen's second most important client back in the 1950s. "Also, he was absolutely ugly. He was like a character out of Dickens. He had a small body, and the size of his head bore no relation to the size of his body."

Still, when Anshen was onstage -- and he was always onstage -- he absolutely commanded attention -- so much so people barely noticed his lifelong architectural partner and best friend, Steve Allen, even though Allen was a large man and Anshen short and thin, weighing in at roughly 125 pounds.

"I think to some degree Anshen invented himself," Ned Eichler says, adding, "Anshen was one of the greatest characters I've ever met."

Anshen and Allen, best known today as the original designers of Eichler homes, were responsible for several defining innovations, including the homes' orientations to the backyard, and the atrium. The firm worked on Eichler homes from 1950 to 1960, when Claude Oakland, an employee who had been doing much of the design, formed his own firm and took over the account.

Our ace staffer Dave Weinstein dug deep into the life of Bob Anshen for 'Bob Anshen: self-made man,' and for the first time the world will learn about the persona behind the man who designed the first Eichler homes. "Bob Anshen's life itself had the arc of a drama, a picaresque tale that veered from hero quest to mystery story, leavened throughout with comedy," Weinstein reports. Read on.

Original Claude Oakland Eichler Plans
Now Available thru Houseplans.com

Ever think about building your own Eichler home? Now you can do it, through an innovative Marin County business, Houseplans.com.

The venture, whose editor is Daniel Gregory, a former longtime editor at Sunset magazine and author of the recent book on builder Cliff May, offers four plans designed by Claude Oakland and his associate Kinji Imada in the 1960s for Eichler subdivisions in Oakland and Mill Valley. The plans include gabled and A-frame models -- and one rare two-story.

Gregory acquired the Eichler plans from U.C. Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives, which receives a portion of the proceeds. More Eichler plans will soon be added.

Houseplans.com, designed to help people build new homes or remodel existing ones, offers plans ranging in style from Colonial to modern and has nearly 29,000 plans in their portfolio. The firm can also customize the plans.

Cliff May Neighborhood Wins Protection
in Long Beach with 13-foot Height Limit

The city of Long Beach in July banned second-story additions and demolitions in one of its most unique neighborhoods--Rancho Estates, a collection of 700 single-story homes built in 1953-'54 to designs by Cliff May and Chris Choate.

The effort to "preserve and enhance the unique character of the Rancho area" got a boost in 2007, when the city declared a moratorium on second stories and demolitions while it studied the matter. Public hearings showed strong support for the plan. Only a handful of residents fought the proposal. About a dozen houses in the neighborhood have second-story additions.

The City Council's action imposes a 13-foot height limit on homes in the neighborhood and bans demolitions of the homes. But no restrictions are placed on changes in materials or other characteristics of the homes, with their courtyards, clerestory windows, and ample glass. At one point, some neighbors had contemplated seeking a historic district overlay, which could have imposed stricter rules.

"This is pretty much what people want at this time," says Doug Kramer, a real estate broker who focuses on the 'Ranchos,' as the neighborhood is called. "It has been a two-year process, involving three town hall meetings, three City Council meetings, a planning department meeting, and a lot of neighborhood input. We are very excited and thankful."

Architect William Krisel Shines on the
Silver Screen in New 86-Minute Film

Photo: courtesy William Krisel

As a boy, Bill Krisel grew up in a neighborhood of movie stars, including Charlie Chaplin. Now he's a star himself, with the premier of 'William Krisel, Architect' this February during Palm Springs Modernism Week. It later showed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

The 86-minute film, by director Jake Gorst, delves into Krisel's entire career, not just the suburban tracts he designed with partner Dan Palmer. Gorst shows us high-rise apartments, offices, and more designed by the man historian John Crosse calls "the modernist for everyday life."

Further showings are being arranged. Visit designonscreen.org/recent-releases, and see a clip of the film on YouTube.

Krisel has also received two recent honors. The Los Angeles chapter of American Institute of Architects gave him its lifetime achievement award, and the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation named him its first board member emeritus.

New 'Mid-Century by the Bay' Book
Takes Us Back to a NorCal Heyday

Anyone interested in the Bay Area's modern legacy, particularly its more populist aspects, should enjoy 'Mid-Century by the Bay,' a new book by San Jose preservationist and cultural historian Heather David.

David, who produces the lively website SV Modern, for 'Silicon Valley Modern,' calls the book "a celebration of some of the places that made the San Francisco Bay Area a special region in which to live, work, and play in the years following World War II."

The book, which has more than 200 images, takes the reader back in time to experience the Bay Area during its mid-century heyday. Where did people eat, play, work? David promises to take you there.

The book, published by CalMod Books, costs $40. For information or to purchase, e-mail heatherdavid@earthlink.net. Also visit e-mail.

Gregory Ain's Mar Vista Neighborhood Has its Own Award-winning Website

Anyone who visits the Modernique homes in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Mar Vista is charmed by the quiet, quirky beauty of the homes and their tree-shaded cityscape.

Anyone who visits the tract's website is impressed by its historical depth, excellent photography, and useful material for residents who want to preserve their homes' integrity. There are blueprints for each home (all designed by Gregory Ain and built in 1947), detailed color charts, and Garrett Eckbo's landscaping plans and plant lists.

People notice. The neighborhood's website has won a Governor's Historic Preservation Award. The award cited the website's "innovative use of design and technology" to promote preservation and serve as an online research center.

Hans Adamson, who runs the website, says it has resulted in a more colorful and more authentic neighborhood.

"When we moved into our home, all the homes were either white, light gray, or beige," he says. But after he and his wife Amanda Seward found an original listing of color codes -- and spent several years determining what colors those codes represented -- the change has been profound. "Today, people have started using color," he says.

Enjoy the site: marvistatract.org.

Eichler's Nephew-Author: Can His 'Big Bad Wolf' Blow Down Modern Homes?

Who knew that the Three Bears -- you remember, the ones who encountered Goldilocks -- lived in a mid-century modern home? Steven Guarnaccia knew -- but he had an inside tip. Guarnaccia, after all, is Joe Eichler's nephew. He told all in his 2001 children's book 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A Tale Moderne.'

Now he's back with another revelation -- that the Big Bad Wolf who loves to huff and puff and blow houses down once had a confrontation with houses by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Frank Gehry.

Whose houses will blow over and whose will stand? Read Guarnaccia's latest, 'The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale,' to find out. Guarnaccia is a well-known East Coast designer and illustrator and a former art director at the New York Times.

Passionate Artists and the Mid-Century Modern Architecture that Inspires Them

Artist Danny Heller
Photo: John Eng

Our homes are often seen as the backdrop upon which we enrich our lives and embellish our style. Even for devotees of Eichler, Streng, Cliff May, Palmer & Krisel, and other California mid-century modern homes, the house structure is, essentially, their canvas.

For some emerging artists, that particular mid-century modern canvas has itself become the focus. Because of its unique combination of neutrality and singularity of design, the mid-century modern look plays a dual role in the aesthetic of Americana: It symbolizes nostalgia and family security, as well as a sense of rebellion -- a departure from the traditional way we choose to relate to our surroundings.

For some artists, that duality provides rich fodder for paintings that, in different ways, explore what it means to grow up in suburban America, and how our surroundings shape our attitudes.

While young artists in their 20s such as Danny Heller of Chatsworth and New Yorker Megan Berk embrace the homes as symbols of suburban life, to be celebrated but also criticized, 58-year-old Los Angeles painter Nat Reed (whose grandfather, Eli Hedley, incidentally helped introduce America to Tiki design) sees a revolutionary notion within the homes' design.

All of these artists, however, share a passion for modern architecture -- both as symbols of Americana and as aesthetic masterpieces themselves -- that drives them to render the homes in their work. These artists, their work, and their personal experiences are at the core of our fascinating new feature on 'art about the house': 'Art Imitates Life.'

Sacto Streng Website Finds Success
-- a Viable Model for Others to Follow?

River City Commons, one of the more active Sacramento neighborhoods built by the Streng Bros. and designed by architect Carter Sparks, has found success with a comprehensive and useful website that could serve as a model for modern neighborhoods nationwide.

Since going live in mid-2008, the site, www.rivercitycommons.com, has "encouraged more people to attend neighborhood events and get to know their neighbors," says Tasha McLaughlin, the full-time mom and part-time web designer who created it. She's lived in the community of 197 homes, built from 1978 to 1981, for five years.

The site, run by the River City Commons Association, acknowledges folks who improve their homes through its 'property kudos' section, announces events such as movie nights in the community park, posts the association newsletter and all relevant association documents, provides crime warnings, and hosts a lost-and-found section. ("Luckily, nothing at this time," a recent post read.)

Particularly valuable, even to outsiders, are historical materials about the neighborhood, landscaping tips, and a lengthy illustrated guide to the homes' remarkable architecture.

The site allows residents to publicize their businesses and helps folks find local contractors. "We're just finding more and more uses for it," association president Pat Sandlin says of the website.

Renowned Photographer Maynard Parker
Goes Live with His Big Archive of Photos

Fans of modern architectural photography have a new favorite site to bookmark -- the Maynard Parker Archive, which has recently been placed online by the Huntington Library. More than 6,000 images, primarily of mid-century modern architecture, from a collection totaling 58,093 images, can be perused online -- and more are being added regularly.

Los Angeles photographer Maynard 'Mike' Parker, who died in 1976, shot work by A. Quincy Jones, Cliff May, Thomas Church, William Cody, and hundreds of others.

The collection was donated to the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, in San Marino, in 1996, and catalogued and put online thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is part of the Online Archive of California, which draws from many different libraries and museums.

To enjoy Parker's work, visit www.huntington.org and search for 'Maynard Parker.'

'Southern California Eats': New Book Profiles Mid-Century Modern Eateries

Photo: John Eng

Fans of Googie coffee shops, 'Polynesian paradises,' and other roadside restaurants that helped define mid-century America should appreciate 'Southern California Eats,' a new book from two CA-Modern magazine stalwarts, Adriene Biondo, our coordinator of SoCal public relations, and John Eng, staff photographer.

The soft-cover book, now available from Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., has 269 vintage and recent photos and lists for $24.99.

The authors describe 'Southern California Eats' as "a pictorial essay of the independent, unusual, zany, or under-appreciated eateries of Southern California."

1950s Film Footage of Joe Eichler at
Poolside Resurrected in Walnut Creek

You'll see young moms in swimsuits, children kick-boarding in unison the length of the pool, superb examples of the back stroke, and swan diving like you wouldn't believe.

It's May 1, 1959, opening day of the pool at Eichler's Rancho San Miguel subdivision in Walnut Creek, preserved forever on eight-millimeter film and recently discovered and posted on You Tube by neighbor David Smethurst in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Rancho San Miguel Swim Club.

Joe Eichler himself makes an appearance, at 3:55 into the film, smoking a cigar and clearly enjoying himself. Judging by his outfit, though, he's not taking to the water. Joe is wearing a bow tie and tux.