But living the simple life can make everyday tasks difficult. Ordering a pizza? No restaurant will deliver in the area. Taking the kids to a playground? Better plan ahead, residents advise.

"It's more than 10 miles to the nearest park," said Karen Brodine, a resident who lives in the area. "You have to get in your car and then get on Highway 17 and drive."

That's just one reason why Brodine and her friends have been campaigning for a neighborhood park over the past five years.

There are a host of other reasons. Meeting up with neighbors and their children elsewhere often turns into a logistical nightmare, with different families trying to figure out which park to go to and when to go. And once the Redwood Estates residents reach their destination, they often have to pay nonresident fees to enter or park.

Safety is another concern. Redwood Estates is a rural area with a steep, winding road running through the community and is hardly the most suitable place for children to play.

"There are no safe streets and no sidewalks," said Katie Jeffery, a resident in the area with children. Jeffery also said that most homes don't have appropriate backyards for young children, because a lack of fences allows often allows wildlife in and kids out.

But as the park moves closer to reality, the group behind the project is working on a smaller but equally important task: bringing the community together.

Redwood Estates is part of an unincorporated area of Los Gatos. Just off of Highway 17, the area includes more than 300 homes. There is no common meeting ground for residents in the area, except for a neighborhood pool open during the summer.

"With the project of renovating the park, one of the important things that we realized was to let people know that they are part of the community and part of the park," said Brodine.

To achieve this goal, the Redwood Estates Community Club has initiated a tile-making project. The aim is to make and then display handmade tiles with hand or foot imprints of residents, their children and, in some cases, their pets around the completed park.

Two weeks ago, the group received a $4,750 grant from the Community Foundation Silicon Valley to pursue the project.

Inspiration for the tiles came from Jake's Play Lot in San Jose, which has a similar project on display.

"We saw a great example of what it was for everyone to come together and have a piece of that park," Brodine said.

The tiles themselves are produced in the community by a Los Gatos potter. Trent Thompson, who owns Trent's Pottery and Tile on N. Santa Cruz Avenue, supplies the group with wet clay tiles and the paint-like materials to make prints. Thompson, who makes the clay substance himself, fires the tiles after the prints are collected.

A longtime Los Gatos business owner and resident of a nearby mountain community, Thompson said he has worked on similar projects in the past.

"That's part of my way of giving back," Thompson said.

The community club hopes to break ground on the park sometime next year. The park is being funded by the Redwood Estates Mutual Water Company and First Five, an organization that sponsors community health care, quality child care and education programs for young children. First Five receives money for its programs through a tax on tobacco products in California, as specified by Proposition 10.

The community club has made more than 80 tiles to date, but expects to collect at least 200 by the time the park goes up.

Their next tile-making event will be held April 11, during an Easter egg hunt at Redwood Estates Pavilion, 21450 Madrone Drive. Residents of Redwood Estates and surrounding communities are invited to attend. For more information about the park project or to make a tile, call 408.353.2876.