In the summer of 2022, during a road trip along the Delta, my wife, our two boys, and I stopped in Walnut Grove for lunch at the local Pizza Factory. While we were there, Jaclyn decided to take a short walk through town. A few minutes later, she returned and told me there was a house for sale that I needed to see.
We had been looking for a new home for about a year, and I already suggested waiting until the following year, but she was persistent. When I saw the house, I was impressed, though I assumed it was probably out of reach.
As we slowly walked back toward the restaurant, we passed through the town plaza where a few of the local residents were setting up a table for wine and cheese. We paused to converse with the locals, and that encounter left a lasting impact on us both.
What followed over the next three months was nothing short of a miracle—from our first call to Jan, our real estate agent, that afternoon to receiving the keys to our new home at noon on Jaclyn’s birthday.
Today, the Flying Pigs Festival potluck in the plaza is largely inspired by that first encounter with neighbors, whom we later came to know as Eugene (“Jeep”), his wife Montserrat, and TJ.
- Eric, Jaclyn, Judah, & Zephyr Maldonado
Walnut Grove, CA, USA