MEET DON AND MICHAEL VON BIELA
“Never give up on your dreams. We thought life was perfect…but then we followed our childhood dreams, bought horses, and moved to Orange Park Acres.” - Don and Michael Von Biela
Don and Michael Von Biela live a life of JOY and HORSES here in Orange Park Acres. Both were born and raised in Bellflower, California where they went to middle and high school together. They graduated high school in 1967 and each went their separate ways. Then in 1985, life brought them back together. This was not a coincidence. They began dating and were married in 1988. Don had two daughters and Michael had one. Together they blended their families and settled down in the Rossmoor neighborhood near Seal Beach, California. Eventually, they purchased a vacation home at the river near Parker, Arizona and spent twenty years enjoying all the water activities and having fun as a family. Anyone who knows Parker, knows how fleeting and precious those moments on the water can be, watching sunsets and rainbows as a family. After two decades of river fun, the couple decided to sell the home at the river.
As time passed Don and Michael found themselves longing for a new shared hobby, and with some recollection of childhood dreams, the two landed on the idea of taking horseback riding lessons. Little did they realize an amazing new chapter was about to unfold. This was a new beginning that would include purchasing horses of their own and fulfilling lifelong dreams together. Don and Michael boarded their new horses at a stable in Long Beach where they spent hours falling in love with their horses, their lifestyle and new shared hobby. As time went on, their hobby grew to passion and that passion flourished. Don and Michael wanted to have the horses in a location that had access to horseback riding trails. One day while enjoying a day at the barn, they spoke with another horse owner who told them about an equestrian community in Orange Park Acres. The couple made plans to go visit Orange Park Acres and immediately fell in love with the community and its offerings. They were so excited that they quickly began their home search. They had no idea at the time, that they would be such an impactful couple in the community, let alone involved in the Community’s parades and BBQ’s, all the while developing strong bonds with friends. They focused on their dream and soon were the proud new homeowners of a beautiful single-story home in the highly sought after High Horse Trails.
High Horse Trails is a neighborhood of luxury homes in Orange California offering an assortment of beautiful styles, varying sizes and affordable prices to choose from. You do not need to be a horse person to live here which makes this area so colorful, well-rounded and mostly peaceful. The community does offer private horse facilities for homeowners to board their horses, ride the trails and experience something so special. Don and Michael settled into High Horse Trails with a new life of horses, friends and community.
Today Don and Michael greatly cherish their barn family and neighbors whom they enjoy riding together, gathering at parties, and sharing in the equestrian lifestyle together. Most days you can find Don and Michael with their horses or having lunch together every Thursday at John’s Place, which is a local restaurant. They enjoy the quality time together with their two Miniature pinschers, Cupcake and Snickers. The couple never imagined leaving their first Rossmoor neighborhood until they discovered Orange Park Acres. Now they say they have found the best of both worlds, a small town in a metropolitan area. If you’re out and about on the trails, don’t forget to say HELLO! It is not easy to miss Michael and her fashionable attire while riding her handsome horse Alazan around town!
At HORSE & HOME REAL ESTATE we are honored to spotlight the wonderful members of our community that make our communities so special. Don and Michael’s story of dreams coming true here in OPA and in the
surrounding areas is what it’s all about!