Every autumn, our picturesque Hazel Dell neighborhood bursts with orange, gold and red colors. I feel blessed as I walk the dog through the beauty of autumn each morning. Often, I turn the corner onto Overlook Drive and am captivated by the lavish landscaping of many affluent, sprawling estates.

It was about this time a few years ago when I took a long walk down to the end of Overlook Drive and couldn’t help but stop in front of one home. It stood incongruent among the other posh estates, and it intrigued me. Like an aging movie star, this once elegant estate appeared run down with peeling paint and wildly overgrown grass across the yard. And around the side of the house sat several mossy, mildew-covered cars. Circling the property was a heavy, ornate wrought-iron fence.

My husband John

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