Around the Ranch: The real housewife of Rancho Bernardo

She’s not a television star … but long before the reality show craze featuring the real housewives of Orange County, or New York or Washington, D.C., Rancho Bernardo has had its own RB Housewife. You may have seen her license plate in any of the many RB parking lots or you’d recognize the RBhswf abbreviation in her e-mail address.

Even though I’ve known her as the RB Housewife for the last 20 years, it wasn’t until last week that I asked Jody Bradley how it was that she got that designation.

“It was in 1980, I think,” she said. “Jeff (Jody’s husband) and I met Pat and Lynn Hanshaw, who lived on Hada Drive in Westwood because Pat’s best friend had been in Jeff’s squadron, and he knew that we were all living in Rancho Bernardo.

“Through the Hanshaws, we got to know their neighbors, Ken and Kathy Ramden. One night the Ramdens had a theme party where all of the guests were supposed to come dressed as someone they wanted to be,” Jody explained.

“I came dressed as a tennis player and Jeff wore a T-shirt decorated with a deck of cards across his chest and a plastic phone affixed to his shoulder. When asked who he was he said he was me,” Jody said, adding that Jeff said that in his next life he would like to come back to live like his bridge-playing and tennis-playing Rancho Bernardo Housewife.

For her birthday in 1984 (we won’t disclose which one it was), Jody’s friend, Carol Ann Potter, gave her the RBHswf license plate, which has been on the back of the car she drives ever since.

Now Jody plays more golf than tennis, but still is dedicated to her bridge games. The Bradley kids, Chris and Craig, are all grown up, but the household now includes their much-loved dog, Shasta.

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More Circa 1980 … It was thirty years ago that the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood of High Country West was welcoming its first residents. In June of 1980, approximately 50 new homes were sold. The first phase was 50 duplexes and 45 single homes. A second phase was scheduled to open in the fall of 36 duplexes and 28 additional single homes. While the High Country West community center was being constructed, the Westwood and Swim & Tennis clubs offered new residents associate memberships.

That same summer, the Swim & Tennis Club built its new adult lounge that was named “Club 21,” and Oaks North added carpeted locker rooms and changing areas.

Our town was growing rapidly! If you have memories of that era to share, please contact me at ehaag@cox.net.