"I fell in love with the house and its open ceilings. We almost ended up on San Cristobal (adjacent street), but one salesman beat out another. There were still empty lots all around."

"Also, every home had to have an olive tree in their front yard, and they wouldn't let you cut the tree or take it out."

Floud told us that they got quite a surprise their first night sleeping in their new home, "We didn't know there was a train track so close to our home."

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks run parallel to Stage Road which is just about a quarter of a mile away. Trains sound their horn at the Valley View Avenue crossing.

"Boy, that first night was something else. What a shocker. We were a little disappointed at first, but, like everyone else, you just get accustomed to the train horn."

Across the street from the Floud's, was an empty space, soon to be Rancho Elementary School.

Floud said, "It was nice when they built it, then our daughter could just walk across the street to school."

She also talked about the things that never came back, "They said they were going to bring back that little train station on Stage Road and they still haven't. They also said they were going to bring back Tommy Trojan and he didn't come back either."

Tommy Trojan was the beloved mascot of the former Neff High School which closed in 1981; a statue of him adorned the Neff campus.

"The last I saw of Tommy was his feet, up in the air, in a pile of rubble," she said.

Daughter Michele Johnson, a 1975 Neff graduate also recalled some early memories of the neighborhood and growing up having Neff Park across the street, "It was just a small little park then. The main house and most of the area was fenced off. As kids, we would stare up at the windows (at the main house) and tell stori

es."

Johnson also said since her mom was a nurse, everyone came to her with broken bones and anything other ailment.

Elaine Jellerson, also a member of the clan, was unable to make it due to a fall, but was resting comfortably at The Palms retirement home.

Johnson spoke about how wonderful the Los Fuentes neighborhood is, "It's like one big family. Over the years we had our disagreements like any other family. Almost everyone here at this party today, are original owners from this neighborhood."

"It's unheard of," she said, referring to the fact that the original neighborhood has, for the most part, stayed intact, "And, it's pretty amazing actually."

At the conclusion of this interview, I felt a feeling of sadness in the air, and it encircled me, actually.

I believe it was the realization setting in, that the "family" just got a little bit smaller.

Photos: Above, friends say to goodbye to Audrey; Right, Audrey with daughter Michele, in their next door neighbors home for one of the last times.