Neighbors Celebrate 5 Year COVID "Saturday Driveway" Anniversary!

One neighborhood in Vista, colloquially known as "The Valley View Estates" (Clear Crest Circle and Cortez Avenue), found that being "neighborly" means meeting with a drink in hand every Saturday - socially distanced, of course! The idea originated with Sally Ann Simental mentioning to her next door neighbor, Brian Davis, that they could "get together" safely on the Davis's driveway during lockdown to cheer each other up. So Saturday, "Driveway" was born between the hours of 3 and 6 pm each week as Brian marked his driveway with caution tape. designating where the neighbors could sit, nine feet away from each other in the fresh air. Eventually, other neighbors chipped in with their driveways, and potluck hors d'oeuvres became a regular thing. Next, there were celebrations added, such as Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day with other ad hoc holidays and dress-up accoutrements, and any reason to celebrate thrown in.

As the neighbor's sense of intimacy grew, so did the occasions, like neighbors Kelly and Jason Cook's pregnancy! A baby shower, of course, was added at Jeryl and Ron Quirk's yard, celebrating birthdays at the Chambers driveway and a Thanksgiving backyard shindig at George and Kathleen Simental's residence. The neighbors found out that their neighbors could COOK, and BBQs became popular over the summers. As "Little Ms. Elliott Cook" was born, we began having annual birthday driveway parties in honor of our "driveway baby."

A few years in, when Cheryl and Dan Lindeman bought a home on Cortez Avenue, their real estate agent used Saturday Driveway as a selling feature to homes for sale around the circle , and the Lindemans added their driveway to the mix. The neighbors have welcomed all the stray neighbors walking their pets between 3 pm - 6 pm to stop and pull up a piece of driveway, and it's BYOB for a casual way to learn more about your neighbors and reinforce a good ole' fashioned concept of "being neighborly!" There's always a silver lining to everything bad if you keep your eyes peeled. You can find it every Saturday afternoon at Vista Valley Estates, just look for who's got their chairs out on their driveway at Cortez Avenue and Clear Crest Circle. Be prepared for a jovial afternoon of laughs. The neighbors decided long ago that there are three rules: no politics, no religion, and no medical complaints - that guarantees a great time in the hood!

Saturday's April 26th anniversary celebration was four weeks in the planning. It was decided to be a progressive event (something native to California) with a stop at four driveways over the day. The first was a brunch stop with champagne at the Chambers driveway, next was a lunch stop at the Davis's with Chili and Screwball (the official Driveway Drink!); then off to the Lindeman's for afternoon charcuterie board & happy hour with neighbor Cathy Cheng making an awesome homemade Taiwanese noodle dish; finally landing at the Cook's for Driveway Trivia Games accompanied by ceviche, avacados, margaritas and desserts. The light rain didn't dampen spirits and only added to the ambience as neighbors braved the cool April showers. It was a very successful 5th anniversary celebration, culminating in hugs extended to each other before heading home (with COVID in the rear view mirror, hugs were a treat!) It was decided to get plans underway immediately for the ten-year celebration.