Home Care In Evergreen, LA

Belmont Village Senior Living La Jolla unveiled its new permanent photography installation, the ‘Lasting Love Gallery,’ on Thursday, Nov. 30. The gallery showcased photos of nine couples who reside in the community.

As the unveiling began, residents gathered to enjoy the photos. The once-empty lounge turned into a lively banquet hall in an instant. San Diego Community Newspaper Group (SDCNG) talked with two couples featured on the wall.

Marilyn and Edward Rauser have been together for almost 50 years, and Selma Lee and Amnon Ben-Yehuda for over 70 years. SDCNG asked them to share their love story and how they have managed their relationship healthily for this long.

“It was love at first sight,” said Edward Rauser.

Marilyn and Edward Rauser vividly remember their first meeting. They first met at a ‘Parents Without Partners’ meeting. Edward Rauser was one of the co-hosts of the meeting, and when he answered the door for Marilyn Rauser, he thought, “Oh my god, she’s here. I’ve been going to all these different meetings, and I finally met the one that I wanted.”

Since she was a new member, she didn’t talk much other than to Edward Rauser, and that was the beginning of their connection.

However, they couldn’t see each other for another two months after the first meeting because there were other men after Marilyn Rauser. Edward Rauser didn’t give up and kept trying to call to arrange another date with her. “He was persistent about it, and I’m glad he was,” said Marilyn Rauser. Finally, they could make their relationship exclusive without interference from other men.

They dated for a couple of years and got married in California. Marilyn Rauser had a daughter, and Edward Rauser had a son. Their son was a pre-teen at that time, so they were worried about whether he would find it difficult to accept a new mother. “About the third day, he came home and said, ‘Mom, I’m going running,’ and I gave him a big hug, and from then on, I’ve been mom,” said Marilyn Rauser with a big smile on her face.

Selma Lee and Amnon Ben-Yehuda met at the Hillel club while they were in college.

“Selma used to lead an Israeli folk dancing group, and I was creating the music. She had an assignment to go from Berkeley to Sacramento on a certain weekend to lead the group over there, and she needed the music. She called me, and I said, ‘Oh, that’s nice.’ That was our first week together,” Ben-Yehuda recalled the memory of their first date.

They got married just after the end of junior year. “In those days, you didn’t just move in like you do today. We were in deep love, and we knew we wanted to live together and build our lives together. We said ‘Let’s get married,’” noted Ben-Yehuda.

He got into the car and drove straight to Los Angeles after his last exam, and that was the springboard of their 72-year marriage.

Maintaining a happy relationship, unlike the fairy tales with perpetually blissful princes and princesses, is no easy feat for two people who may be vastly different. SDCNG sought insights from two couples on the key to the longevity of their connections.

“Commitment. It is such an important aspect because as we travel through life, there are challenges, and we are two different individuals, and we don’t always necessarily are in total sync,” said Ben-Yehuda. “And never keep a secret because that is going to eat you up for the rest of your life. It will cause stress and it could shorten your life.”

“Try to work out your compromises with equally taking care of things. You don’t want to have arguments over stuff you won’t even remember what you were arguing about,” noted Edward Rauser.

In Belmont Village, loves that blossomed decades ago still bloom in full, refusing to wither away.

The Masked Singer Season 9 said goodbye to another two contestants with its latest episode, further adding to the list of this season's eliminated contestants. Audiences saw Gargoyle unmasked and revealed as NFL star Keenan Allen, while Mantis turned out to be iconic '80s heartthrob Lou Diamond Phillips. Along with those in attendance, TV viewers got a special treat after his unmasking, as Phillips performed Ritchie Valens' hit song "La Bamba," channeling the late, great musician he portrayed in the 1987 biopic of the same name.

I had a chance to speak to Lou Diamond Phillips after his bugged-out elimination on The Masked Singer, and we talked about the impact that La Bamba still has to this day. I asked Phillips about the film and why it still resonates with people today, and the actor had some wonderful insight to share:

La Bamba is definitely a classic, both of the era, and as a biopic in general, and that's thanks in large part to Lou Diamond Phillips' firey performance. The biopic, which documents the cut-too-soon life and fame of Ritchie Valens, has been added to the National Film Registry and is still beloved as an inspirational tale, albeit a tragic one, about the American Dream. The Masked Singer fans got to see Phillips onstage again and recreate that moment in a Mantis costume.

Of course, this time around, The Masked Singer fans got to witness Lou Diamond Phillips performing "La Bamba" in his natural singing voice. In La Bamba, Phillips' voice was replaced by David Hidalgo of the band Los Lobos. The actor spoke about being able to perform the song in front of a live audience on The Masked Singer, especially for a younger audience who may not have seen his movie:

La Bamba has stood the test of time, and perhaps had Lou Diamond Phillips busted out his performance of the song, or even Weird Al Yankovic's wonderful parody of it, he would've advanced that night over Medusa. Phillips was the first competitor sent home that evening and was bested by Gargoyle, who spoke to CinemaBlend about the intensity of the competition.

Lou Diamond Phillips confirmed to CinemaBlend that he had a blast on The Masked Singer and was glad the timing lined up for him to finally commit to the series. Of course, he might've wanted to win the whole competition, but he has nothing to be ashamed of, considering acting is his usual specialty in Hollywood. There have been a lot of talented performers this season, and I know that I can't wait to see who these final talented contestants turn out to be after hearing them all season long.

The Masked Singer Season 9 airs new episodes on Fox on Wednesdays. Snag a Hulu subscription in order to catch up on the season if you're behind, and check out some of the many shows currently available on the platform.

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The jogging track circling Los Angeles' Evergreen Cemetery has transformed a hard concrete sidewalk into an invitation to walk or run on a soft-surfaced path in an area that had little open space or parkland before.

When it opened in 2003, it was a pioneering 1.4 miles of human-scale innovation that helped persuade the public health world that small improvements in the built environment can have an outsized benefit for public health.

Today, the Evergreen path hosts thousands of runners and walkers each month. It's the model for a new path to be added around another graveyard a mile away at Calvary Cemetery also in Boyle Heights.

The Calvary Cemetery path will also have a rubberized surface that's easy on the feet, benches, shade trees and the sidewalk will be widened. The concrete now is narrow in spots because it's blocked by utility poles that people step into the street to bypass.

The Evergreen Cemetery Jogging Path will also get a facelift to smooth over pavement cracks and add exercise stations, more shade and benches. Metro, the big local transit agency, is building both projects as part of its Eastside Access Project to make it easier to walk, run or ride to Metro train stations east of downtown L.A. Los Angeles County is putting up the funds for the Calvary path.

The jogging paths are two examples of building healthy places, changes in the built environment that promote healthy habits. These can be small projects, sometimes funded by nonprofits or agencies that are not city and county parks departments.

Here are several more fitness gems to check out:

Dog agility course at Sepulveda Park

This was an Eagle Scout project by Conrad Rutherford of Scout Troop 307. He raised $3,000 and many volunteer hours from the community to add three agility courses to the existing dog park. There are jumps and hoops sized for small, medium and large dogs. And of course, while your dog is exercising, so are you.

Where: Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park 17550 Victory Blvd. Encino, CA 91406

Valleyheart Greenway

The riverfront path along Valleyheart Drive used to run between scraggly oleander bushes on one side and the chain link fence along the concrete channelized L.A. River. The group Village Gardeners of the L.A. River persuaded the County Flood Control District to upgrade the landscaping with native plants, decorative fencing and soft decomposed granite underfoot. Today, the half-mile trail is a popular walking and running destination.

Where: North side of the L.A. River between Coldwater Canyon and Fulton avenues.

Bayshore Buoy Line

Bayshore Aquatic Park in Long Beach has always been a great place to swim protected from watercraft by floating markers. This year, the city added a line of buoys that mark off the distance every fifty yards. Nothing animates athletes like knowing how far they've gone, so this is like a step counter for your swim.

Where: Bayshore Aquatic Park 5415 E Ocean Blvd. Long Beach

Unidad Park

This tiny park in Historic Filipinotown is so local that the Los Angeles Neighborhood Trust built it without restrooms, assuming that folks can run home when nature calls. The parcel had been a popular neighborhood garden plot with a towering mural depicting Filipino-American heros.

The whole thing was at risk when the owners of the land defaulted on their taxes. The nonprofit trust stepped in, purchased the land, developed the small-scale park in collaboration with the community and deeded it to the city. The trust handles the maintenance of the park and for special events hauls in portable toilets.

Where: Unidad Park 1267 W. Temple St. Los Angeles

Frog Spot

You might not consider a pop-up beer garden run by an advocacy group to be about fitness, but the Frog Spot is also an open air yoga studio on weekend mornings. Volunteers and REI-sponsored fitness instructors lead the sessions, including a Sunday morning mindfulness session. They have occasional bike repair classes, and walkers and cyclists are welcome to just hang out at the picnic tables.

Friends of the L.A. River rents the land, provides the live music, and sponsors provide the beer for sales (to ages 21 and up). You and your neighbors add the ambience.

Where: The Frog Spot is adjacent to the bike path on the west bank of the L.A. river south of Newell Street.

Correction: The group that helped create the Valleyheart Greenway path was mis-identified in an earlier version of this story.

A Jamaica Plain restaurant space that previously housed a pizzeria will get a new resident soon: Evergreen Eatery is slated to take over the former La Rana Rossa space at 154 Green St., according to Boston Restaurant Talk, and the owners are well acquainted with the neighborhood’s restaurant world.

Evergreen Eatery will be run by Phil Paik, who operates JP Seafood Cafe at 730 Centre St. along with his wife, Kristen Hunter, and sister, Karen Paik. Evergreen Eatery will take over for La Rana Rossa, which closed down mid-June, as previously reported.

“We are very excited to open another restaurant in JP where we live and have business for more than 20 years,” Phil Paik told Eater, adding he hoped to create the “same energy and friendly environment at our new location as JP Seafood Cafe has done.”

Evergreen Eatery will be a farm-to-table restaurant serving classic American diner dishes, for breakfast and lunch on weekdays and brunch on the weekends. The menu will also draw influence from Latin, Caribbean, and Asian cuisine, Paik said. For commuters and diners on-the-go, there will be an express coffee and juice bar, which will serve organic coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and more. Karen Paik will serve as the restaurant’s pastry chef.

Evergreen will seat 50 inside and will have an outdoor patio for 46, with hours from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., according to the Jamaica Plain Business & Professional Association, which has recommended approval for the restaurant’s common victualler beer and wine license. The Evergreen team will continue to meet with neighborhood and business groups as it works towards opening.

• Evergreen Eatery May Open in Former La Rana Rossa Space in Jamaica Plain [BRT]• Jamaica Plain Will Soon Be Down One Pizza Place [EBOS]

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730 Centre Street, , MA 02130 (617) 983-5177 Visit Website

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154 Green St, Boston, MA 02130 (617) 524-5373

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There are certain things every city needs; a hospital, a fire station, a local government, and a place to bury their dead. On a hot, dry August day in 1877, Mayor Frederick A. MacDougal of Los Angeles officially established Evergreen Memorial Park, in what is now known as Boyle Heights, as the first official and sanctioned cemetery in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles was still a rural, dry, brutal place in 1877. Only 27 years prior, as part of the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted into the United States as a free state, therefore stopping the expansion of slavery into the west. The Great California Gold Rush in the mid 1850s brought over 300,000 new settlers into the state. The influx of people coming to grab their share of gold and land led to a sort of lawlessness not just between settlers, but between settlers and the Native Americans who had called this land home for generations. Between 1850 and 1860, the California government paid nearly 1.5 million dollars to militias to “protect” their citizens from these Native Americans.

In 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed, connecting the state to the rest of the country. In 1876, the Southern Pacific line was completed, connecting Los Angeles to the rest of the state. People from all parts of the country began pouring in. Los Angeles was growing and ready to become a true metropolitan center.

Evergreen Memorial Park still stands today as a testament to LA’s beginnings. Over 300,000 people are buried in the 67 acre cemetery. Many of Southern California’s most notable citizens call Evergreen their final resting place, including John Bixby (developer/real estate baron of Long Beach), Sam Haskins (the first African-American LA firefighter to die in the line of duty), Charles Canfield (LA’s oil baron), George Ralph (Founder of Ralph’s Supermarkets), Biddy Mason (freed slave and female African-American icon), Joe Winchester Robinson (Founder of Robinson May department stores), and the Lankershim/Van Nuys families (LA real estate tycoons).

Evergreen Memorial Park is also notable for never having banned African-Americans from being buried at the cemetery, though it is segregated, with sections for Armenians, Japanese, Chinese, European, and Mexican settlers.

In addition, there are 400 departed carnival workers, or “carnies,” buried in the cemetery. In 1922, the Pacific Coast Showman’s Association was established to assist carnival workers finding burial spots for their deceased. Among the carnies buried in Evergreen are Emily Bailey, known as the 300 pound fat lady, and Hugo Zacchini, the first human cannonball.

Despite the cemetery only dating back to 1877, you can still find graves scattered throughout the cemetery from the 1830s. Because there was no official cemetery in Los Angeles prior to 1877, families would bury the bodies of their loved ones in their own backyard. So, when Evergreen Memorial Park was established, families moved the bodies from their backyards and had them reburied in Evergreen.

Matt Blitz is the field agent for Obscura Society LA. The Obscura Society goes on adventures in cities across the world. Their purpose is to encourage people to get out in their community and explore the unknown. If you are interested in joining the Society, sign up for the mailing list!