Anita De La O

This is a photo of my mother from the mid to late 1960's. i'm guessing she's about 38 in this photo. My mother is 86 now and living in a home. She has to have care and supervision at all times. Jeri and I visit her, take her to dinner or lunch and spend some time with her but it is difficult. She is not the same anymore.

She talks about my father a lot. She misses him now more than ever. She just wants to be with him. I say to her "Mom, it's not up to you. It's up to God!" her body and mind are frail now. She's tired.

When she was young she was always on top of the styles. She had her own dress shop at one time "Ann's Dress Shop. This is still how I see her in my minds eye.

Keep my mother in your prayers.

Lunch at Parker's Lighthouse in Long Beach

Jeri and I took my mother to Parker's Lighthouse at Shoreline Village in Long Beach for lunch today. It's difficult for her to get out but she is a real trooper. It was a good day for her.

I really like eating here. The food is good and the view is great. We were seated with a great view of the Queen Mary.

We started out with a shrimp cocktail. I had a small bowl of chicken, seafood and andouille sausage gumbo, and Jambalaya. Jeri had the fish & chips and my mother had a burger. After she was done with her burger she said, "I enjoyed the burger, it was good and I'm not complaining but If I had a choice between this and an In-N-Out burger, I would take In-N-Out!" Make of that what you will.

Happy Birthday to my Mother - Anita De La O

Happy Birthday to my mother Anita, who turns 85 today. Overall she is in good health but she is experiencing some difficulties. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Love you Mom!

The House on Soto Street

Thee House on Soto Street

This is the home on Soto Street in Boyle Heights where my mother Anita, along with my aunts and uncle, grew up in. They lived on this street until my mother was about 15 or 16 years old, when my grandparents, Auggie and Mary Osuna separated and eventually divorced. In those days the neighborhoods in Boyle Heights consisted of Jews, Russians, Japanese and Mexican Americans. and fragments of other ethnicities.

Until a few weeks ago my mother had not seen this house since she left it or at least that's how she remembers it. Either way it has been a very long time since she has seen this house. She has spoken of it often but this was the first time I had seen this house.

We had just come back from having lunch at Phillipe's in downtown L.A. when we decided to look for the house. It took just a few minutes to locate. The very instant she saw the house I could see the memories passing by in my mother's eyes. The landlords were a Jewish family that lived next door, an Irish family lived across the street and a Japanese family lived up the street. They opened a small grocery store nearby. The daughter of the Japanese family was my mom's best friend.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the family was taken to a interment camp, most likely Manzanar. Everything was taken from this family, their home, the store, all of their personal belongings. As my mother remembers it, as they were loading the family onto a truck, neighbors were looting the house for anything of value. She remembers several men carrying out a large piano. She never saw her friend again.

Still, she had lots of good memories from that home and that neighborhood. The house is weathered now by the years. A stone facade and a fence have been added but it remains, more or less, the same. The upstairs window over looking the street was her bedroom. The look on her face and the sound of her voice as she was looking at the house and remembering was priceless.

The other two photos are of the two schools she attended; Hollenbeck Junior High (now called middle school) and Roosevelt High School.

Hollenbeck Middle School

Roosevelt High School

Anita De La O

This photo of my mother was taken a couple of weeks ago by my
daughter  Savannah  before they went out shopping for the day.

At her age, despite slowing down, my mother can still hold her own and she still has her wits and sense of humor. Here's a quick example of “Thinking on your feet” from years ago.

In 1978, Jeri and I had been looking for a home to start our family. We were expecting our first child, Meranda at the time. We found the perfect home in Uptown Whittier's Historical District, which is to say, they were old, very old. This house was on Newlin Ave. It was an old bungalow style home in a neighborhood that had plenty of kids for my two step daughters, Deedee and Lori, to play with. The schools were all nearby and the Uptown business district was just a short walk from the house.

We got down and looked around. The back yard was good sized with a two car garage with an alley entrance and old wooden sliding garage doors, it also had an old Walnut tree for shade, the property was about 10,000 sq,ft. We couldn't get in but we looked through the windows and we liked what we saw. We called the number on the sign out front several times but we got no answer, so to kill some time we called my mother to come by and check out the house. She was just a few minutes away in nearby Pico Rivera.

She came and we were showing her the property. As far as we were concerned, this was already our house. We still couldn't get a hold of the landlords yet. While we were walking around the back yard, two girls about our age drove by, saw the sign, and began looking around. They seemed as excited as we were. Jeri and I both looked at each. It worried us because we had yet to talk to the owners. Jeri said out loud “Oh no, what if they get the house first”. A slight panic was setting in because we really wanted this house.

“Don't worry!” says my mother, “I'll take care of it, C'mon'. She walks straight to the girls and asks, “Can I help you girls?” “Yes” says one of them, “we're interested in the house. How much is the rent? “Oh, I'm sorry “ says my mother “I rented it out to this couple just a few minutes ago”. “Oh, okay, thank you” and they left.

I took the sign down in the front yard and threw it behind the bushes and we kept calling until we got through. We lived in that house for eight years and on that block for twenty years before buying our current home, also in Whittier.

That's how we came to live in Whittier and never left. Now we may or may not have got that house regardless but my mother's quick thinking ensured that we did. We still have a good laugh about that day.

Andrew and Anita De La O

This my absolute favorite photo of my parents, Andrew and Anita De La O. My father was 22 and my mother 17. The year was 1947. This was their very first date. For us, this was the beginning of our family. There's was not a perfect marriage, if such a thing exists, but they loved each other and they stayed together and they loved us and provided for us.

My mother is 84 now, and lately her memories and conversations have turned back to my father. She misses him. She is still a strong woman but I can see the changes. Keep her in your prayers!

Happy Birthday to my Mother Anita De La O

Today is my mother Anita's birthday. She is 84 years young. I say young because if there is anyone that has defied age, both physically and in physical appearance, it is my mother. It has been her youthful and positive outlook on life that has brought her this far. That and her faith in God. We are all proud of her and love her more than we can say. We cherish each and every day with her. She is the family matriarch.

Happy Birthday Mom and thank you for all you have done for all of us through the years and for all that you continue to do for your family! God bless you and we love you!

My parents, Andrew and Anita De La O, on their first date at the Avadon Ballroom in downtown Los Angeles - 1947. My mother was 17 at the time. Happy Birthday Ma!

Bahooka Family Restaurant Has Closed it's Doors

Bahooka Family Restaurant in the City of Rosemead

Earlier this month, on March 10th, Bahooka Family Restaurant in the city of Rosemead, closed it;s doors for the final time. Bahooka was the last of the Tiki/Polynesian style restaurant in the area, that I know of. It was somewhat of an institution in Southern California.

We first went there on September 12, 1977. I remember the date because it was my late sister Evelyn's 28th birthday. My parents, my brother Dennis, along with my sister, Jeri and I went there to celebrate with her . I can;t remember what I had but it was probably ribs. The inside of the  restaurant was filled with fish tanks and every exotic fish you could think of, of all sizes.It was a unique, one of a kind restaurant and I'm sorry to see it close.

About a week or so before Bahooka closed, Jeri and I stopped by for old time's sake. I'm glad we did. Most of the people there, including us, were walking around, taking pictures, trying to preserve as many memories as they could. Nothing last forever.

Jeri and I at Bahhoka 2013

My sister Evelyn, me (Randy), Jeri and my brother Dennis (1977)

My parents Andrew and Anita De La O (1977)

Classic Family Photo: Evelyn and Anita De La O - 1957

From September of 1957, a photo of my mother Anita and my sister Evelyn, taken in the backyard of our home in Santa Fe Springs, California. My sister Evelyn passed away on January 9th of this year.

My Mother: Christmas Morning

My mother doesn't like to have her picture taken so much anymore so we have to either sneak one in when she's not looking or grab her and force to get in the picture. I managed to talk my mother into taking a photo in front of Meranda's Christmas Tree but she wasn't smiling. I just started laughing out loud, someone else started to laugh, and as they say, “Laughter is contagious”. I snapped the camera just as my mother began to laugh. At 83 years young, my mother is still a beautiful woman!!

Vintage Family Photos

This photo is from the mid to late 1950's. It's at the old Bauman Brothers Furniture Manufacturing Co. in Los Angeles. These are some of my father Andrew's, coworkers and friends. All of them were hard core union men.

My father rose from the ranks, starting as a Union Steward and as a member of the Bargaining unit, and during the early 1970's he became the president of the Upholsterer's International Union-Local 15-A. During the 1960's he worked for Sherman and Bertram Furniture Manufacturing, until the company split up and Jerry Bertram started Landmark Fine Furniture. It was during his time with Landmark that my father became president of the U.I.U. Local 15-A. My father is standing second from the right.

In 1985 the Upholsterer's International Union of North America became part of The United Steelworkers.

My father at work. This photo was taken at Sherman and Bertram during the 1960's. I worked here during the summer of 1970 between 10th and 11th grade. I was a button maker. In 1973 I also worked at Landmark when they moved to their new location at 20th and Alameda.

My mother Ann (Anita) and my aunt Marcela at my mother's store, Ann's Dress Shop, located at the Hickory Hop Center on the corner of Whittier Blvd and Passons in Pico Rivera. This photo was taken circa 1963-1964

Happy (Belated) Birthday Mom!

I was in the hospital at the end of last month and at the beginning of this month. I had an acute attack of panreatitis, arguably the worst pain I can remember suffering. I was discharged from the hospital on May 2, which was my mother's birthday.  I did not get to spend the day with her, as was my original plan. I want to wish her a belated Happy Birthday. Earlier this year, prior to Savannah and Josh's wedding my mother suffered a mild heart attcak but she has recovered fully. She turned 83 on the 2nd, and is still going strong. Happy Birthday and God Bless you Mom! We all love you.

The photo below was taken at the Springfield Banquet Center in Fullerton, California on April 1, 2012 during Savannah and Josh's wedding.

Anita De La O and Savannah Guerrero

Anita De La O

Family and friends, keep my mother Anita De La O in your thoughts and prayers. She had a heart attack last night. She is resting comfortably tonight in the hospital and is in good spirits but is still in need of prayer and will need them in the days and weeks to come. Thank you.

 My mother, Anita with her  (from left to right) Granddaughter Meranda, Great Granddaughter Mariah, granddaughter Samantha, Granddaughter Savannah and great granddaughter Maddie (on her lap).