Robert and Tina Glembocki''s home pops with color. The bright yellow paint and white trim set back against a thriving green lawn creates a "made in an American hometown" feeling. A flag waves off the cozy covered front porch. But the home is actually located on the north side of Salinas, in a subdivision that doesn''t look like a subdivision. Creekbridge homes don''t look like their neighbors, and they don''t resemble tract developments. Effusive landscaping overcomes the heat of the area, creating a green sanctuary with thriving mature trees. Trails just off the residential streets lead into hidden pockets of cool next to Gabilan Creek.

Inside, the two-story, fourteen-year-old house has three bedrooms and two and a half baths. A large kitchen and living area is Tina''s favorite space in the 1860-square-foot home.

"There is a lot of counterspace for food preparation--and it''s essential to our family that we can all gather together," she says. "We converted the dining room into a great room where we can all hang out and watch TV. We took out the overhead light and put in a ceiling fan."

Nice features include an alarm system, sprinklers, double sinks in the master suite, and a fireplace in the living room. An attached two-car garage and a large driveway provide plenty of off-street parking for visitors.

For Tina, the neighborhood''s proximity to schools, low traffic flow, and the kindness of the neighbors, who participate in an informal neighborhood watch program, make it a comfortable area to live.

"The neighbors are really close-knit," she says. "The pressure will be on the new occupant because everyone decorates for Christmas. The younger people put the older people''s lights up for them."

But it''s the huge backyard, on about a 1/3 of an acre, fenced into two separate sections, that makes it a super kid-friendly house. The Glem-bockis, who have just moved to Oregon, have left behind two quality play structures in the grassy yard behind the kitchen. The additional fenced side yard, which is undeveloped, contains a large storage shed and the possibility for anything.

"I think the backyard is what sets it apart from the rest of the homes in this area," Tina says. "It would be ideal for someone who has an RV or if they wanted to put in a pool or a tennis court."

Price: $420,000. 17 Suffield Circle, Salinas. Contact: Susan McGee of American Properties, Inc., at 754-1403.