The rooftop bell may not be the first thing people notice when visiting this two-story Spanish Revival in the heart of Land Park, but it is definitely one of the home’s most unusual features. When husband and wife Kele Dobrinski and Christina Valencia purchased the mission-style home in 2016, the old bell was encased in a flattop structure that “didn’t do it justice,” Valencia says. To add architectural detail, the couple built a curved tower around the metal ringer “so you could see the bell in all its glory.”
Mai and Jeff Townsend have taken the notion of “open concept” to a whole new level in their recently renovated home on a cul-de-sac in Sierra Oaks. A bright orange entryway door leads to an immense light- and art-filled space that encompasses multiple zones for entertaining, cooking, dining and relaxing.
“My absolute favorite thing is the incredible openness of the room,” Jeff says. “I love how we created these self-contained areas.”
The Townsends purchased the 1965 ranch-style home in 2017 from the estate of the original owner. “This property had great bones,” says Mai, who has a passion for interior design. “It was well built. Just very compartmentalized. The main thing for us was to create an open flow and space.”
The renovation took eight months under the watchful eye of Mai, who created the design plans. The couple gutted most of the 2,222-square-foot house, which they called a “time capsule,” leaving the exterior structure. “It’s a brand-new house in an old shell,” Mai notes.
The Townsends moved to Sacramento from San Jose with their son Blaze and yellow lab Parker. In addition to wanting to be closer to Mai’s parents who live in West Sacramento, the couple saw potential in what the area offered.
“We fell in love with Sierra Oaks,” says Jeff, an attorney specializing in mediation work. “It was a whole new amazing life that was opening up to us.”
The small sign hanging from the front door says it all: “Spoiled cats and their household staff live here!” Spoiled cats indeed. Honey West, a tortie with a “tort-i-tude,” is most comfortable hiding under the bed when strangers call. Black Bart, a sleek panther-like feline, will make himself at home in anyone’s lap. Watson, a handsome short-hair tabby with golden brown highlights, is good about getting his daily diabetes shot but expects a treat for the effort. All three are seniors at 9, 10 and 11, respectively.
Not long after my husband, Mark, and I moved into our Wilhaggin home, we decided to build a deck and pergola off the master bedroom. Mark is a man of many talents—he is a consultant for the state Legislature during the week, but on weekends he turns into a tool-toting maniac capable of building or renovating just about anything. When the gorgeous redwood structure was complete, it called out for a decorative vine that would wrap around each of the four corner posts and provide a canopy of shade during Sacramento’s hot summers. Without a second thought, we ordered online four Tempranillo grape vines. In addition to being fast growing and hearty, the plants would provide Mark and his son the opportunity to become home winemakers.
Will Rogers wrote, “No man can be condemned for owning a dog. As long as he has a dog, he has a friend.” For Jim Hastings, that friend is a 45-pound canine named McKinley. True to his breed—a Vizsla with sleek rusty-gold fur and a slender athletic frame—McKinley has abundant energy and a drive to move. “This is not a lapdog. This is a field dog,” says Hastings, 90, who walks with his canine cohort 4 to 5 miles every day along the American River Parkway near River Park. “Otherwise he’d be a nervous wreck. Anybody who has one should know that.”
A “civil war” is how Leslie Finke describes the situation among residents last year at the Albert Einstein Center in Arden-Arcade. “It got downright vicious,” says Finke, the center’s executive director for 37 years. “I’ve been here a long time. I’ve never seen such disharmony in the building. It was a civil war here. People were so mean to each other.”
