Happy Heavenly Anniversary

Seventy-eight years ago today, October 25, 1947, my mother and father were married in a quiet courthouse wedding in Downtown Los Angeles. Today would be their 78th anniversary.

They met earlier that same year when my mother was babysitting for her aunt Peewee. My father knocked on the door. My mother opened it.  He took one look and was smitten.  It was literally a whirlwind romance.

Their first official date was at the Avodon Ballroom on Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles.  The accompanying photograph is from that night.

The Avodon Ballroom was a popular nightclub throughout the 1940's.  It was the Big Band era and this was one of the venues that hosted some of the big names.

My father was not a big name but he did sing there from time to time. Presumably, with the house band.

Back to their first date; they were enjoying themselves, along with a few friends when my father excused himself. My mother used that moment to go to the ladies room, or the powder room as they were sometimes called.

A few moments later, a young woman rushed into the ladies room, "Annie, Annie, he's singing!!

"What, who's singing?"
"Andy! Andy's singing, he's singing to you!"

She rushed out of the ladies room and there was my father, in her eyes larger than life, singing, "Embracable You" by Frank Sinatra. That moment is the moment  he won my mother's heart.

I heard this story so many times over the years, especially after my father's passing in 1981, that it is imprinted in my mind.

It was a good solid marriage but like every marriage they had their ups and downs but they stayed together. 

So,  Happy Heavenly Anniversary to the absolutely amazing man and woman; Andrew and Anita De La O, that gave their all to my sister, my brother and me.

October 19, 1974

Fifty-one years ago today October 19, 1974, I walked into the Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk, California. This woman caught my eye. I asked her to dance and she said yes.  

Fast forward through the decades; five children, nine grandchildren, gray hair and a lifetime of memories. We grew old together. 

It's not our anniversary but we remember the date every year.

Throwback Thursday Photos

Sometimes an old photo can trigger not only memories but emotions as well. My wife Jeri was in the, "Family Way" with our daughter Meranda. I'm not sure of the date but Meranda was born in May of 1978. So maybe March or April of that year.

This was the first house we lived in on Newlin Avenue. We moved in on February 15, 1978. We lived in three houses on Newlin. When we speak of that house now we refer to it as, either the white house or the first house, so we will know which house we are talking about.We loved that house, in fact we loved the neighborhood too.

We didn't know it yet but looking back we understand now, God Blessed us. That house, that pregnancy, as well as the neighborhood was the genesis of our family.

Then and now, I always thought my wife was a beautiful pregnant woman.

This photo is from sometime in 1979.

Back in those days me and my old pal, the late great, Steve Wallace made the drive to Lake Piru practically every other weekend to go trout fishing but sometimes we would snag an occasional Largemouth Bass. We almost always caught our limiit.

Sometimes we would be having such a good time we would stay a few days. Much to the chagrin of my wife. We didn't have cell phones back then. I never called and she never knew if I was dead or alive.

In our minds, we were the adult versions of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Steve was Huck. It was Huck that took this photo.

Steve passed away in 2000 and Lake Piru has never been the same since. God Bless you, stay safe and enjoy your memories.

Happy Birthday to my Wife

Happy Birthday to my wife Jeri. I celebrate and I thank you for all the good meals you have cooked for our family, all the love and all the shared adventures.As I have always said, you make me look good by just standing next to me.

I give thanks to God,who, in his infinite wisdom, put you directly in my path. Happy Birthday, I love you and your family loves you!

Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice) for tonight's supper. This is a dish that I have made for years but it has been a while.

For the most part I stick with tradition but I add linguicia sausage which is Portuguese.  Linguicia lends a distinctive taste to the rice. 

Tonight I also borrowed from Puerto Rican cooks, who know a thing or two about Arroz con Pollo. I used the Gandules peas which is the central ingradient in Arroz con Gandules. It also adds flavor and texture to the rice.

Ultimately though, this my own personal take on Arroz con Pollo. Not 100% traditional but I can live with it.

There is a debate as to the origin of Arroz con Pollo. It is thought to come from Spain, which is a plausible theory considering the great rice dishes Spain is famous for including Paella, Spain's national dish. The other side of the debate is that it all began in Puerto Rico.

I don't know. What I do know is that Arroz con Pollo can be found in almost every Latin America country, including Mexico and the American Southwest. 

I should also add that this was a dish my mother regularly made when I was growing up. Cooking and eating it brings the past alive, if only for a moment. 

Buen Provecho

The Way Things Used to Be

The Helms Bakery Truck

The Good Humor Ice Cream Truck

The Helms Bakery Truck and the Good Humor Ice Cream Truck, two icons from my childhood. Simple times, good times! I'm kind of sorry today's generation of children never got to experience life the way it used to be. Maybe it is that way with every generation. 

We did not have cell phones and computers, but we did have comic books, and we did play outside: hide and seek, tag, dodgeball and we had the Good Humor Ice Cream Trucks and the Helms Bakery Truck. 

Jeri and Meranda 1978

From 1978: Jeri and Meranda in front of our first home (a rental) on Newlin Avenue in Whittier.  We moved into that home on February 15, 1978. Meranda was born in May of that year.

We were young. The future and retirement seemed a long, long time away. We had a good time in that house. Lots of good parties, good neighbors and good friends. We lived in two other homes on that street until we bought our current home on February of 1998, twenty years later. We didn't know it then but we do now, we were Blessed.

#TBT #ThrowbackThursday 

The Red Headed Ancestor

Some time in the mid 1980's I was visiting my uncle Henry, my father's youngest brother, at his upholstery shop in Uptown Whittier. I don't remember how the conversation came about but we began talking about Las Cruces and Dona Ana, New Mexico, family and family history.

At one point he told me of a wild red headed ancestor who came riding into town, guns a blazing. He stayed and settled. Was he a De La O? Or perhaps someone who married into the family? Possibly a great great grandfather. Or just some unfounded family lore? I don't know.

All of my life, before my hair turned grey, I would occasionally find a hard wiry red hair. I never gave it any thought. I just plucked it. Same with my mustache.

My girls had light colored hair, as did my brother but my youngest daughter (Jack & Josiah's mom) Savannah's hair, while not red, had a tinge or a hint of red.

Then along come Jack and Josiah. My red headed grandsons. Now? I'm inclined to believe that story about the red headed ancestor, though the guns a blazing might be slight embellishment.

Happy Anniversary

Seventy-seven years ago today, October 25, 1947, my parents were married in a private civil ceremony in Los Angeles. They remained married until my father's passing on May 7, 1981. My mother passed away April 14, 2018.

They were old school, salt of the Earth, people. Together; through hard work, tenacity and determination, they sought and found the American Dream.

They were two imperfect people just like the rest of us but they stayed together and they built a life together. It was a simple life. A good life.

Happy Anniversary mom & dad. We still miss you and we still love you!

The first photo is from their first date in 1947 at the Avadon Ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles.  The second was in 1978 during a road trip to Lake Tahoe.