1660 North Rose Circle

Our 18-month lease was drawing to a close and the Sheppards were on their way home, so we bought a house in Mesa. It was a pleasant house at 1660 N Rose Circle. The owner, Rose Divine, was creepy; with a name like that, and her whole demeanor, we suspect that she might have retired from an interesting past. She also had sheers on every window in the house. And she wanted us to pay extra for the bathroom shower curtains, which we didn't like anyway, so we didn't, and she was offended.

But the house we liked. (This is the house in the family video in which Gordon says, "I won't cry, I won't.") Living room, dining room, family room, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, garage, a fenced back yard for Gordon to play in. Of course the carpet is greeny green, but that can't be helped. It's on a quiet cul-de-sac, and back in east Mesa. So we moved in on April 20, 1979.

It was necessary to buy some furniture, since the Tempe house was furnished. We bought a dinette for the kitchen, and a bedroom set for us--a king-sized headboard, nightstands, dresser and mirror. (We still have the nightstands!) Gordon was still in the crib, and we still had the wooden dresser, ironing board, and sewing machine from the mini-storage. So we were functional for a while.