RICKS 5362

House #5362 is the first house closest to the airport on the. South side of the street. It is a two
story building and was owned by a bank, and I believe it was the bank who managed to split
that lot, and bring in two houses, #5362 and 5372.. The first tenant in #5362 was a French Canadian, De Pierre and his family. They may have been renters not owners. We did not get to know them too well There were several children but the eldest was a big heavyset older teen. She would try to come into our house. One day Bob was working out front, and she came by and chased him brandishing a broom. He made a bee line for the door. She was very unhappy he would not let her inside. She was very angry and sat in our car for a long time. Strange, and very
powerful woman. I do remember a boy, about 12 who used to go to school, but we did not see any of the others from that house. I am not sure why they left.

Ralph and Ronna Ricks bought #5362
and moved in 1973 with their two boys Rex and Ross, and fixed it up beautifully. Rona was/is an interior decorator but also a great gardener who enticed the flowers to grow at that end of the street, making a beautiful display with plants and now a place to sit and enjoy.
Ralph, now retired after many years traveling enjoys his
1911 car and we all recognize that different sound whenever
he drives it down the street. I love to hear it.

Art Hausen displays a sign that Ralph had bought at an old car swap meet.
This is a private street and we must do "ALL" improvements / maintenance. $$

As Ralph Ricks tells John in 2013...

"Coast Bank in Belmont Shore needed more parking space, so they bought the two houses on the side street behind the bank: 182 and 184 Santa Ana. The bank sold the houses and the 120x160 lot on the sw end of Old Pirate to a gentleman who moved them to OPL in 1966. Some time after that the bank foreclosed on the houses, and rented 5362 to de Pierre. Chuck Shaffner and his wife, Margie, a realtor, bought 5362 from the bank in 1973, and evicted de Pierre without objection. De Pierres were well known to the police. Chuck cleaned and painted the house throughout, and put it on the market. In spite of the exaggerated ads, many, many people looked at the house without buying, and the realtor evaluation was, "Who would want to live next to airport?" It was airport on two sides, no less. "

The Ricks thought a little airport was nifty, and made friends with the plane owners across the fence. One said, "You buy an airplane, and I'll teach you to fly." That's all it took. "Within 10 months we were learning to fly our own Cessna 150. For the next 15 years, it, and the Bellanca that replaced it, were closer to our front door than our car was."