Old vs New

Welcome to Newport Hills

"We don't take ourselves too seriously"
Couldn't we have just one sign that says that?

How about
Welcome to Lake Heights

"Home of the Puffball Festival"?



AAAh, the mystery of history...these photos are courtesy of Newport Hills Community Club's blog. Check it out here


We have new entrance signs, which were subject to inexplicably lengthy installation delays over the summer. I wanted to do an exclusive expose on it for Red Apple Elegy, but I don't really do exclusive exposes very well.

The Lake Heights signs are an updating of the old ones--same font, metal instead of stone...Can I just say here I don't like them as well. Too corporate. IMHO. And if you look at the new Lake Heights sign--it's very hard to read--maybe they're not finished with it yet.

At this point I'll insert my usual disclaimer:
I have no right to complain because I was not at the meetings and didn't serve on the committee.


The story behind the old Newport Hills sign(s) is (are) one of the most charming surviving from the early days of Newport Hills back in the late 50s. A lovely lady who lived here then, and lives here to this day, has described the way locals took it upon themselves to carve the signs themselves, coming up with the distinctive logo. Probably around the wetbar after a few martinis...my mind conjures up the early pioneer spirit, that yaya sisterhood, the carefree days when a community was just getting started and everyone flew in and out of each other's houses and laughed at "I Love Lucy" on the tv.

This lovely lady asked for and got the sign when it was pulled down and it has retired to a place of honor in her backyard. At the meeting planning staffers seemed a little incredulous that anyone would want such a dated piece of junk. Lovely lady, gracious lady, tenacious lady, that she is kept us updated on the story throughout the summer via Newport Hills Community Club meetings.


We're so grateful that the new signs are finally up and they look so shiny but, scrapper that I am, I have to say it: they're not as distinctive as the older signs. Not as familiar. They're like every other neighborhood's signs. They're not home-made, I know and they'll probably raise our property values but when I see them (a million times a day) it makes me want to join the coyotes in the ravine! Yip-yip-yip!!