A Dock on the Bay

Today, we introduce In Home, a new feature that will give readers a personal view of Orange County homes. Your tour guide: Times columnist Ann Conway.

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In the spotlight: Retired Disneyland President Jack Lindquist and his wife, Belle, of Linda Isle in Newport Beach.

The couple have lived for six years on the 107-lot enclave that Orange County billionaire Donald L. Bren calls home. The area also has been the refuge of crime novelist Joseph Wambaugh and singer Karen Carpenter.

In 1949, Linda Isle--then known as Shark Island Shoal--gained a measure of fame when scenes from the John Wayne classic, “The Sands of Iwo Jima,” were filmed there.

Lifestyle: Jack heads the Lindquist Group Inc., an Irvine-based company that markets travel and tourism; Belle is a homebody who manages the couples’ finances and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.

Their day begins with breakfast in bed on the second-floor master suite overlooking Newport Bay. “Jack prepares breakfast--everything from waffles to bagels and cream cheese,” says Belle, who was born and reared in England.

The daily ritual includes cups of steaming P.G. Tips tea. “Every time I go to England, I get a sack of 1,000 tea bags--sometimes more,” Belle says. She keeps a small microwave on the charcoal granite counter of the master bath to reheat the tea.

When Jack returns from work, the couple relaxes on their brick-paved waterfront patio, enjoying the view while they sip Pimm’s Cups--a traditional British cocktail.

She longs to hear about his day; he wants to leave it all behind. “I don’t like to bring the office home with me,” Jack says on a recent afternoon in their 4,000-square-foot, New England-style dwelling. “I tell Belle I just like to come home and be with her.”

“Then why do you fall asleep?” she quips.

The home they wanted: The couple lived in a hilltop home in Villa Park--complete with tennis court and swimming pool--before coming to cozy Linda Isle.

Moving to one of Orange County’s most exclusive waterfront communities has been a little intimidating, Belle confesses. “We’re just simple people.”

But Jack was eager to experience a waterfront lifestyle. (The isle’s horseshoe layout enables residents to have boat slips at their back door.)

“The best part is being near the water,” says Jack, who named his 34-foot trawler, Belle Buoy, after his wife. “And I like the fact that Linda Isle is so secure--it’s the only full-time gated island in Newport.”

Belle has yet to join Jack for a cruise on their boat. “I have a wife who absolutely has no faith in my ability to be a captain,” he deadpans. “She tells me I don’t know how to operate the VCR on land--so, why should she trust me on water?”

Favorites: He likes his upstairs den, where awards from his 38-year career at the Happiest Place on Earth dot the walls.

Also on display: a letter from actress Elizabeth Taylor, thanking Jack for her 60th birthday bash at Disneyland seven years ago. “That party just fell into our lap,” he says. “Out of the blue, Michael Jackson called and said he wanted to throw a party for his friend. It hit [the media] worldwide.”

He also enjoys lounging in the home’s bay-front family room, with its cocktail bar, big-screen TV and cushy sofas.

Belle relishes the home’s light-filled living room with its white lacquer baby-grand piano, floral print sofa and custom-built showcase for her collection of commemorative English china.

“I started the collection when I was 10 years old,” Belle says, admiring cups and plates that bear the royal images of Queen Victoria, George VI, Princess Di and Prince Charles. “I have everything from pure bone china to a plate bought at Woolworth’s when I was a little girl.”

By design: The Lindquists eschewed the services of a professional, preferring to furnish their unpretentiously decorated home themselves. The residence was recently featured in a home tour sponsored by the William Hall Master Chorale of Orange County.

Ann Conway can be reached at (714) 966-5952 or by e-mail at ann.conway@latimes.com.