Resident Feature

Meet the Wladyka family

Bonded through a love of art and adventure

Creativity and thirst for adventure is deep rooted in the Wlaydka family. 

Anne Wladyka lives with her two children Lily (10) and Kieran (13) in the Brooktree area of Northgate. Anne was raised by her Japanese mother, a revered artist and master calligrapher, and her South African father who is also an artist and retired educator. 

This international family had many adventures and moved often during Anne’s younger years. “I was born in Spokane, Washington then we moved to Beauvais, France, then Kyoto, Japan for 7 years, Elgin, Illinois, Portland, Oregon and eventually my family settled in Carmel, California. 

When Anne was 14, her father gifted her his old 35mm camera and she soon developed a love of photography, snapping away at everything that caught her eye, whether it be an old building, meandering cobblestone pathways of downtown Carmel, a field of wildflowers or surfers on the beach. 

With creativity clearly in her DNA, it’s no surprise Anne followed a creative path too. After gaining a BA in Communication Design from CSU Chico, she moved to Long Beach where she had many different roles in hospitality and the role of Marketing and Events Coordinator at the Long Beach Museum of Art. “On the side, I pursued modeling and acting. I’ve always enjoyed being part of a creative production, no matter how big or small. One summer I lived on a vineyard in Sonoma County, assisting an Oscar-nominated actress while she prepared for a movie role.” 

Anne had longed to buy a fixer property, and she was keen to put down roots in which to raise her two children. As fate would have it Anne’s aunt had a house in Northgate that was left unattended. She had moved elsewhere and no longer had the energy to keep up two homes. So with the stars aligning, in 2017, Anne and her husband at the time, purchased that home, off-market, and tackled renovations, doing much of the work themselves. 

“There are countless reasons why I enjoy living in Northgate – lovely neighbors, walkability to open space and biking trails, and great schools. There is a real sense of community here. I’ve made wonderful friends here too. During the pandemic, myself and a group of local mom friends took up hiking on a regular basis. It seemed like a good way to clear our minds and burn off stress. As time progressed we attempted longer and more challenging hikes. Hiking to the top of Mount Diablo and back down was one such hike. We loved hiking so much, we decided to cross something off our bucket list. Four of us set off to Peru and did the four day Inca trail hike through the Peruvian Andes, to Machu Picchu. It was a trip we will remember for a lifetime.” 

Anne and her family are artistic, musical and sporty. Anne loves music and singing. In fact, back in 2006 she auditioned for American Idol. Kieran plays the guitar. Often, you will find him strumming his guitar in the living room, while Anne sings along. He’s also been playing ice hockey since the age of 5 and is currently playing for the Oakland Bears team. Lily has inherited the artist gene from her grandmother and enjoys drawing, painting and illustrating her own comic books. She also plays soccer for Walnut Creek Surf. 

They are big SF Giants fans. It’s been an exciting two seasons watching my new beau’s nephew (lefty pitcher Sam Long) from the family section at Oracle Park. It has further ignited our passion for the game and we love cheering him on.”

The Wladykas have a Chihuahua named Erpath, who they adopted from ARF four years ago. “We didn’t expect to come home with a small dog, but it was love at first sight” she says. Erpath is the best road trip dog. Despite his size, he keeps up with us on our adventures.” 

“Moving often as a child definitely ignited my love of travel,” adds Anne. “I find it fulfilling and 

fascinating, traveling to new places to mingle with the locals, learn about their traditions, admire their art, to taste their foods or to simply admire mother nature’s wonders. I’ve been to 34 countries to date and there’s so much more I want to experience, especially with my children.” 

This year they camped in Joshua Tree National Park where they enjoyed stunning sunsets and scrambling over the enormous rocks. “It was my first solo trip with my kids and who should we bump into while we were there? Another Northgate family. It really is a small world! 

Anne’s love of adventure has come with a price. In her case, a near death experience in Panama! An over-water hut collapsed on Anne and some friends, trapping them under water. “It happened at night so it was completely disorienting. I thought this was the end for me,” says Anne. Miraculously, everyone managed to escape unscathed, and Anne turned this nightmare into something positive by writing about her experience and submitting it to a Travel magazine. To her surprise, she was awarded the grand prize for best travel story: A trip to Tahiti! Despite the temptation to stay in an over-the-water bungalow, she was happy to stay firmly on the ground this time. 

Anne has been a professional photographer for 8 + years, and living in Northgate has provided her with inspiration and wonderful families to connect to. “Location scouting is one of my favorite parts about my job. I have spent countless hours on foot and in the car, in search of the perfect setting for dreamy portraits. “I fully appreciate the beauty and light that our open spaces have to offer and love capturing local families’ stories with Northgate and surrounding areas as a backdrop.” Her website is http://www.lilyannephotography.com/ 

“As much as my family loves adding stamps to our passports we also love coming home to Northgate and we intend to call it “home” for many years to come.”


Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at knavolio@bestversionmedia.com. 

By Jill Brandenburg, Resident since 2017