Gardners Meet the

always planning where to go next with our daughter and two dogs. We take road trips and once we drove to Bend, Oregon then Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to Whitefish, Montana to Idaho Falls, Idaho and ended the trip in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This was with a baby and two dogs during a three-week period. We like road trips because you get a different view than in an airplane. It was a magical experience and the views were unforgettable.”

Don is from the California Bay Area, born in Walnut Creek and raised in San Leandro. Yanira was born and raised in Santa Clara, Cuba. She came to the United States twenty years ago and is very proud and happy to be American and call this home.

Sales and entrepreneurship have always been in Don’s blood. “I have been a salesman all of my life and I have been a business owner for 29 years. I design, manufacture and distribute packaging, printing, displays and signage. My company is called SPK Associates, and I love what I do,” says Don. “I create the packaging, displays and retail signage for consumer products and get to see my creations in stores. Yanira was in the retail clothing industry before becoming the best domestic engineer. She loves being a mommy and wife.”

By Megan Scott, Resident since 2010 | Images courtesy of Gardner Family

Yanira and Don Gardner lived around the corner from each other for many years and frequented the same shops and restaurants, but never officially met. Then fate, by way of a mutual friend, intervened. “A friend was trying to set me up with one of Yanira’s friends, but as soon as I saw Yanira, I knew I was not interested in the friend. When Yanira and I met, we knew there was something special there. Yanira is Cuban, and I had just returned from a trip to Cuba and was wearing a shirt that said “Cuba” on it the day we met. We knew it must be destiny,” says Don.

On their first date, Don says he invited Yanira over to learn how to make bread; “She came in and smiled at me, and I immediately felt like I was home.”

The couple share a love of travel and have created some treasured memories. “Some of our favorite travel memories are cruising around in Maui listening to Pink Floyd and singing together,” says Don. “In Paris, we rented a flat overlooking Notre Dame; we would walk to the bakery every morning for a fresh baguette, then go back to the flat, open a bottle of wine and watch Breaking Bad before going out to see Paris. While in France, we went to Normandy and were both very moved by the history and magnitude of what took place during WWII. It was an amazing experience for both of us. We have been all over the United States and are

The family is completed by two grown children, Zachary and Jennifer, and one toddler, two-year-old Sawae, named after Don’s mother. They also have a grandson, Cash, and a granddaughter, Kaia, plus two French Bulldogs named Papi and Precious. “Jennifer is the mother of Cash and Kaia. She is a successful project manager and mother. She is involved in Cash’s sports and does volunteer rescue for kittens. Zachary went to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa and worked as a chef, but now works for me as a salesman/project manager and is an avid golfer. Sawae just started to go to preschool at Tassajara Learning Center,” says Don.

The family loves taking outdoor adventures and road trips together. “We all love to snowboard and enjoy winter sports. We enjoy walking the neighborhood and markets, riding our bikes downtown and up Mount Diablo,” says Don.

Time together as a family takes top priority for Yanira and Don. “We enjoy snowboarding, traveling, biking, baking bread and cooking. We love going to farmers’ markets and strolling around downtown. Going to a restaurant and relaxing with a glass of wine and some cheese or food. We love to try new places and support local businesses. We go to the Blackhawk Country Club frequently; it’s close, staff is excellent and friendly, and it’s very comfortable and nice. We love taking road trips too,” adds Yanira.

Giving back to the community is important for the Gardners. “I donate time, money and volunteer for the Alameda Buddhist Temple. It holds a special place in my heart. It’s where my grandparents were founding members over a hundred years ago,” adds Don. “After they passed, I didn’t want my family participation to just end, so I started getting involved in order to keep the tradition of my family participation at the temple alive and hope my children will continue being involved . I print the signage and booklets for the festivals and for the temple. I also cook and work at the Bazaar and Obon Festival every year. A friend and I make the Curry Rice and do all the grilling for the teriyaki steak, burgers and hot dogs, along with setting up before and cleaning up after the event. I donate signage for the Bay Area Down Syndrome Connection for their annual fundraising walk, as well as money for Wounded Warriors and disabled veterans.”

After living near the Blackhawk main gate for 17 years, they say they still love being in Blackhawk. “It is clean and safe. We love the fact that it is a gated community. We feel very thankful to be living in Blackhawk and enjoy the quietness and the beauty.”

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