Cielito Lindo

It was my money financing the whole project. I bought the land, drew the blueprint of each neighborhood. My architects designed each custom-built home as well as all the community spaces. My landscapers designed beautiful gardens. My workers built it all, their sweat helping to make Cielito Lindo the heaven of which I had dreamed since I was a child building cities in the sand.

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the names I had chosen for the streets of my village required approval.

And not just one person or entity. Not just a rubber stamp of approval that the one funding the project might be excused for expecting.

No.

County officials had to ensure the names were unique.

Seriously?

Do you know how many Main Streets there are? There is one in every single town in this county...along with First, Second, Third, Oak, Maple and Pine. Not one (maybe one) of my streets was so common as to cause Uber or Google Maps issues.

Then, the public safety commission had to make sure that the names were easy to use and understand in an emergency. I guess that's how Manlove Avenue, Hooker Street and Shades of Death Road made the cut. Very easy to use and understand.

No, those are not the names of my streets.

I thought we were done and then public works had to get involved.

I don't know why.

But at that point, I had had it because I discovered there was a state naming commission that had the final say.

I was happy to find a friend or two on said commission and managed to get on the same well before my case was on the docket.

I'm pleased to say that, although I could not vote on my own project, I was able to encourage my peers to see things my way, and thus, the streets of Cielito Lindo include: Aster Avenue, Begonia Boulevard, Sunflower Street, Daisy Drive, Cornflower Crescent, Lily Lane, Rose Road, Solidago Strip (I had to fight for that one), Tulip Terrace and Willow Way. Amaryllis Avenue was rejected, but I wasn't married to it, so I didn't mind. I replaced it with Poppy's Place.

My daughter thinks I named it for my dad.

So, of course I had to build him a house there.

Mine is on Willow Way.

I named it after my daughter.

And then we planted the trees.