Cloudless, clear-blue skies serve as a serene backdrop for seagulls as they glide and spiral through air currents from ocean breezes. Their ritual habitual flapping then settling on nearby berths is one of many daily natural sights witnessed at this HOA marina neighborhood of Port Meridian, part of the award-winning one-year-old Seabridge community, in Oxnard.

An active pattern of currents moves within the waters of the man-made channel here, in a seeming eternal advance. Adding to the relaxing atmosphere is the gentle bumping to-and-fro of residents' boats docked at what in many cases is, in essence, their front yards, i.e. home-front slips.

This scenario certainly could be descriptive of a vacation site; however, for many, the description is not of a planned destination; for many, it is simply home.

Making up the residential population of this unique development are many whose desire to live in a gated, planned community once seemed out of reach. Today, they enjoy the array of amenities that greet them at their doorstep.

For example, a short jaunt down a curved, paved walkway leading to an esplanade serves as a convenient neighborhood exercise or jogging route. Variations on a theme of stretching exercises are situated along this waterfront route, affording options to runners and walkers alike. Opting for a slower amble under the canopy of sky, residents and guests of the Port Meridian neighborhood, for example, find quiet respite along its sidewalks.

Two homes in particular here, a five-bedroom two-story Craftsman-style bungalow located in the neighborhood's Plan 2 area at 1406 Estuary, selling at $920,000, and a smaller, three-bedroom two-story dwelling with Cape-Cod-like details at 1365 Donegal Way, in Plan 1, selling at $925,000, respectively, sit in waiting for new owners.

The homes are situated just a stone's throw away from each other (actually, just across a rear, common drive), and sport tall, narrow windows which allow for views of the surrounding environs and plenty of light.

Slight, poured concrete front porches, onto which French doors open, provide just enough pavement to offset the demure cottage-like front landscaping of the homes, including lamb's ear, lavender and flax. Inside, expansive floor plans are given an upward thrust by the incorporation of tall structural lines from windows and 8-foot Thermatru front doors of inlaid glass and wood.

In keeping with a simple but elegant aesthetic, each home features three types of flooring in neutral, earthy tones. Beech-tone wood used for floors, banisters and cabinetry, well integrate rooms. Meanwhile, upstairs rooms and hallways are incorporated with cushy, low-pile carpeting. Use of high-gloss white porcelain tile for counters and sinks in all bathrooms is given subtle warmth by yellow and brown ochres of oversized stone tile flooring.

Likewise, the kitchens are warmed by multi-hued granite surfaces in warm yellows, gold and black of prep and counter areas, adding a touch of panache to these open rooms that extend into Internet and surround-sound ready common living areas, replete with gas fireplaces. In addition, the convenience of a separate laundry room and closet pantries offer a boon to multi-tasking homemakers.

However, of the standard amenities included in both houses, e.g. security system, multiple gas fireplaces and manual upstairs and downstairs thermostats (a truly inspired luxury for any household!), Whirpool appliances and dual-garages, the most alluring is each home's private dock.

Excluding the array of HOA provisions afforded in the $136 HOA fees, which provide for upkeep and maintenance of all common areas, as well as providing for a clubhouse, fitness center, replete with exercise machines, pool and spa, a separate $113 fee provides for each dock. What Realtor Dave Wolloch maintains is "a fraction of what it would cost to rent a boat dock anywhere else."

Life at Seabridge is truly a new concept in residential living. It includes all the benefits and facilities of a five-star deluxe tropical hotel but situated within close proximity to Highway 101, markets, cafes, recreation, Channel Islands Harbor Farmers' Market, Sunday's at 10 a.m. at 3350 S. Harbor Blvd., and, of course, the water.