Chapter Four:

Altha

Altha Etta Hunt was born on February 1, 1908, in Seattle. Her unusual first name was the result of an error on her birth certificate—not her parent’s originality. Altha’s given name was intended to be “Alta,” but when the “h” was inadvertently inserted, her parents decided the name “Altha” was the one they would use. It now seems quite appropriate for this creative women to have been named in an unconventional way.

During her early life, Altha’s family moved to wherever work was available for her father, who was a carpenter. After Seattle and Las Angeles, they eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. All those who knew her in these early days invariably described her as a very beautiful women. She was a spirited girl who thought the world of her father.

Dorothy Miller was asked what her sister’s dreams were when she was a young girl. Dorothy paused—“Women in those days couldn’t really expect to have the kinds of careers they have now. Altha dreamed about marrying and having a family.” Enter George Faulstich.

"Altha dreamed about marrying and having a family, and it came true."

What goes on in the hearts of two people in a marriage are unknowable to those on the outside. Certainly in a 53-year relationship a little bit of everything was visible to family and friends. All seemed to agree that George, in the words of one family friend, “never lost his passion for Altha.” They were a devoted couple, but George was the more emotional of the two.

While Altha and George “never talked sentimental,” she appreciated that he would spend hours looking for “beautiful, sentimental cars for me.” He would bring her cards and flowers all the time and “it didn’t even have to be a special day.” Even in the eulogy at his funeral the question became a statement: “What man was more faithful to his marriage vows than George Faulstich… For he honored his wife and cherished her and loved her from the first day he met her ‘til the day he died. He allowed his wife to be his inspiration, and together they built their world and together they lived in it.”

Altha offered a cool response to George’s passion for her. This balance characterized their years together. With few exceptions, it was Altha who expected George to pursue her and make her the center of his world. Granddaughters Claudia Winder Leonard and Stacey Doherty thought that Altha’s reserved demeanor had more to do with her Victorian upbringing that a lack of passion. “Altha just didn’t believe in public displays of affection, even between a man and his wife,” Claudia said.

She did show her husband affection in other ways. When George and Altha were first married, money was tight. After the bills were paid each week there was just $5 left for food. Even on this limited budget, Altha was resourceful. She managed to save enough from the food money to buy George a new suit, which in those days cost $12.50—including two pairs of pants. Gestures such as this communicated Altha’s love for George.

A Marriage of Endurance

“Back in those days couples fought,” said one old friend about George and Altha’s generation. Neither partner could be candidly described as shy and retiring. Sparky remembers his grandmother as “gruff with George and jealous of the attention he got.” Several grandchildren recall dinners at restaurants where Altha would be upset about her husband’s table-hopping. "If there were four tables in a restaurant, by the end of the night he’d know every single person at those tables,” Sparky explained. Of course this meant that George would be ignoring the people he had come with, including his wife. On more than one occasion at their home, Altha became so frustrated with George’s preoccupation with a guest that she broke eggs on his head. Family legend has it that the beautiful sentiments that George penned about marriage came about after Altha had locked him out for seemingly deserting her once again at a restaurant.

"Shirley, George, Altha, Carol and Darma."

Yet they were a devoted couple. Peers spoke about Altha as a great lady: frugal, talented in home arts and a huge support for George. One remarked, “She knew everything that was going on.” That was undoubtedly because her husband talked over a lot of business with her—and she listened. They were not only each other’s best friend, they also stood together at the apex of the families which they created and which gave their lives focus. “Altha was genuinely proud of George’s accomplishments,” said Claudia. “She admired him and was very supportive of him as he expanded Black Mountain Spring Water Company.” And it wasn’t an aloof Altha who spoke of her husband after his death, “When you’ve had the best, where can you go from there?”

Their dynamic was rooted in the beginning of their relationship—early on Altha let George know that she was not impressed with him. George, however, was clearly smitten. He would drive by Altha’s home in the Mayfield area of Palo Alto in his ford touring car, trying to capture her attention as she sat on the front porch. After Altha’s family moved to Redwood City, George continued his pursuit. He convinced his sister Marion to ask Altha to go to a basketball game with her. George drove to the game and took everyone home before Altha so that they could have some time alone.

“George chased Altha until he got her,” said a niece of hers. When Altha worked as an operator at the telephone company in Palo Alto following high school, George would leave “mushy” notes on the windshield of her car every day. Then she would accompany him on his afternoon milk route, George and Altha dated for several years before they were married in 1927.

Home Life and Homes

Once she was married, Altha’s life focused entirely on her home and family. She was not a “joiner.” She didn’t belong to any clubs or community organizations. Part of the reason for this was that, especially in the early days, she simply didn’t have the time. George was working at his usually breakneck pace seven days a week and Altha had, as she put it, “…three children in a hurry.” The other half of the equation: Altha was “simply not outgoing,” in one family member’s words.

With three daughters to raise, a driven husband, and her natural inclination to stay within the family circle, Altha satisfied her creative spirit by designing and decoration the homes the couple built for the family. Their first home in Redwood city was modest. But the home on Carmelita Drive in San Carlos had a swimming pool and tennis court, which the slender, athletic woman used frequently. Altha also pitched in to answer the business phone from the family home and do the bookkeeping as Black Mountain grew beyond what George could manage alone.

Family horses look down on the house on the hill

She was a devoted mother. Carol was perhaps most like her—lively and artistic with her mother’s flair for decorating. Darma was more the tomboy, assertive and closer to her Dad. And Shirley, quiet and pretty, was the only one of the daughters that didn’t elope, but stayed to have a big wedding. As the girls grew toward adulthood Altha seemed to withdraw. Some noticed that she stopped driving and sunk into a bit of a depression. Meals were often taken care of by George who would leave lunch money for the girls—and any of their friends who had stayed overnight—while Altha slept. George would come home in the late morning to wake her up and cook her breakfast. Often during this period Altha would stay up late watching TV. While Altha enjoyed reading, granddaughter Claudia also refers to her as “the first soap opera queen.” There were “soaps” she simply refused to miss.

Bridge and chess games with family and close friends at home were regular pastimes. Most of the grandchildren thought that bridge was their grandma’s passion and her husband joined in to appease her. Dorothy Miller says she was often George’s partner because George and Altha bickered when they played together. Altha certainly wanted to win and she made it clear to members of the family what was expected of them. The problem was that the children had learned to play at an early age and became quite good at it. Claudia recalls the time when she and her new husband first played with her grandparents. The younger couple was doing well—too well apparently. At some point her grandma got up from the table in a snit. Darma leaned over to Claudia’s husband Bill to inform him, “You’re beating her, you can’t do that.” George had an even more direct way of making sure he would win at bridge: he cheated.

The Family Is Her Life

Other parts of Altha’s social life were less controllable. Black Mountain’s expansion beyond a family-only operation meant more and bigger social obligations for Altha. She accompanied George to large company parties. Without a doubt Altha liked to have fun. Yet she was not a person who ever liked big groups unless it was a gathering of extended family members. Altha’s social life consisted primarily of family get-togethers for birthdays and other holidays.

Altha was in her glory during Christmas and Easter. She would spend months preparing hand-painted eggs and assembling spectacular baskets at Easter. Christmas would find Altha crafting elaborate snowmen made of foam pillows to put by the front door. Outside she would have lavishly decorated the trees. Her daughter Carol remembers the wonderful gingerbread houses that her mom made each Christmas.

Altha loved the family’s cuddly babies and toddlers. Great-granddaughter Christina remembers how nurturing Altha was when she and her mother, Stacey were living at the Alameda house. Altha and Christina would sit on the couch in the family room, watching Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. Claudia thought that Altha cared most for those who needed her most, perhaps because they were so dependent on her. “I think that’s why she favored the ‘little ones’ so much,” she said. Both Altha and George had “open hearts and open arms” where family and friends were concerned and both could be counted on for unconditional love. Darma recalls her mother as being “very caring.” None of her daughters thought of her as a demanding mother. She wished her daughters had gone to college, but never insisted. Although she had a Lutheran background she was not religious. She was described as “puting blinders on” when confronted with something negative about any family member she didn’t want to hear it or see it.

Left to Right: Joe "Sparky" Bullock, Brett "Beaver" Brown, Russ "Scooter" Scarioni, Altha, Stacey, George "Yorkie" Bullock, Carol "Puds" Yelton, 1978

Although she relished family gatherings and preparing meals for them, Altha did not enjoy cooking daily meals. And in later years, when they no longer had household staff, she still enthusiastically welcomed her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to drop in for meals, but preferred sending someone out ot pick up take-out food. As the decades passed and Altha gave up tennis, her figure evolved from svelte and athletic to matronly. “Both my grandparents were overweight in later life, but it’s no wonder, because of the way they ate,” said Claudia. “Altha didn’t cook much and they didn’t have a cook so George would just bring something home and it was rarely low calorie or low cholesterol.”

Art and Aging

Atha may well have felt that she was owed for tolerating her husband’s obsessive work habits. She also may have aspired to be what one of the cousins calls “an uptown lady.” On weekends there were frequent excursions into San Francisco to have dinner and go to the theater. More extensive time together was spent at their vacation homes and traveling. They collaborated on a vacation home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho—designed by Altha and built by George—and owned a condo and a home in Palm Springs. While Altha enjoyed these homes, George would get restless after just a few days. In their later years Altha insisted they spend more time taking vacations. As a result, they toured the Southwest in a trailer, took trips to Mexico, Hawaii and Europe, and even went on an African safari. There would also be visits to Puerto Rico for fishing and boating with Shirley and her kids. Some summers they stayed closer to home by vacationing with friends at the Russian River. Altha’s photographs from all these trips became the subjects of her oil painting.

Altha’s most loved hobby was painting. For at least 15 years Altha painted scenes from her travels. She painted beautiful pictures, usually from photographs rather than live models. According to Evelyn, “She could have sold them if she had wanted to.” Instead, Altha gave her paintings to family members and close friends. At one point, after their three daughters were grown, George rented an apartment in San Francisco for Altha. While she studied and painted, her husband commuted from the city to the Peninsula every morning.

Altha's most loved hobby was painting

They Complemented Each Other

Ultimately, the two worked well together, whether building businesses, families or homes. In some ways the homes they created were their most unique accomplishment as a couple. Three Sisters Ranch, the property in San Carlos at 800 Alameda de las Pulgas, was where George and Altha achieved their greatest architectural collaboration. Inspired by trips to Mexico, Altha designed a spacious adobe home with a red tile roof that blended beautifully with the surrounding oak-covered hills. This home became the gathering and dwelling place for returning children and grandchildren. It eventually would function not only as a private residence but also as Black Mountain’s corporate headquarters. Additional rooms were added as divorced family members and offspring came back to the family homestead to live. Decades later the home still retains Altha’s vision of a warm, welcoming casa.

When Altha and George were designing and building homes together, both of them could visualize the end result. Altha would draw what she wanted and George would get to work building it. In the houses and landscaping at the Alameda property and in their vacation homes, Altha designed beautiful buildings that blended into the surrounding environment. While George was fearless in taking on tasks that he had never done, Altha also drew blueprints for elaborate homes for which her high school education could not possibly have prepared her. Their homes stand as visible reminders of how well they complemented each other.

Altha (pictured right) sharing a holiday toast.

After George’s death, Altha did not settle sedately into old age. She started driving again and moved to downtown San Carlos. She learned what she needed to in order to get along on her own, such as how to endorse a check. She also lost weight and spent more time in Palm Springs and Idaho, “She showed remarkable spirit,” Claudia recalled. “When my grandfather passed away, it was almost as though she experienced in some form a release after being overshadowed by his strong personality and presence for so many years, until her death on January 18, 1988.”