Congratulations to Margret and Dino Godinez, winners of the Junius Heights Historic District Yard of the Month for April.

Margret and Dino met in the Sixties when their worlds intersected in San Miguel, an artistic community in Mexico. Margret, a Canadian, eager to leave Toronto, was attending art school there when she met Dino, a musician in a band. They soon married, and as Margret recalls with a laugh “I wanted to leave Canada and he wanted to leave Mexico,” so when a friend suggested they settle in Dallas, they decided the American city was a good compromise.

Now both United States citizens, they have fully embraced their Texan identity, as evidenced by the Lone Star proudly affixed to the front of the house. The couple have lived in their home at 5802 Victor Street for over 44 years where, first leased, then purchased, they raised their two children.

Built in 1922, the home has a colorful history. Margret heard that at one time it had been a housing unit for Baylor nurses; at another time, it appears that it had been divided and became a duplex. It was subsequently restored to its original form, and other than fresh paint now and then, its Colonial Revival architecture remains unchanged.

Dino is the gardener. He keeps the lawn watered and the trees trimmed and finds pleasure in creating outdoor floral arrangements with whatever plants take his fancy. On one side of the neatly maintained front yard is a structure that features a fountain overflowing with pansies; on the other is an unexpected mixture of daffodils, geraniums, and hydrangeas encircling a growing magnolia. On the front steps, in pots, Dino placed flowering pink azaleas.

In spite of fronting a very busy Abrams Road, the white fencing around the property lends this home and garden a small-town country feel, offering a haven for these two long-time Junius Heights residents.