This museum is the cat’s meow | Lifestyle

Welcome to the Good Reads edition of our Sunday Digest!

Here we celebrate the good things happening in our neighborhoods, inspiring stories that encourage us, and fun things about why we love living here in the East.

Know an “ordinary person” doing something remarkable, a milestone celebration, a story from the past that deserves to be told, an artist who enriches our world, or a fun story about our community?

Thanks for reading – and happy Sunday!

I was warned that a “no-show” was possible. That my interview subject was friendly, but potentially elusive, so maybe I should wait.

Here are the cons of celebrity profile writing. The ego, those in charge of yes and tiptoeing over sensitive issues. But interviewing a famous cat? i jumped

So I headed to the Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights. I have been curious about this place for a while. I’ve wondered about these elegant Victorians along the 110 freeway, next to the graffitied embankment and the thin trickle of the Arroyo. The museum consists of five historic houses and other buildings relocated from around Los Angeles, arranged like a village. An Eastside treasure for sure, so I figured even if it was standing, there would still be plenty to write about.

Most interviews with high-profile figures begin with an assistant or public relations person ushering the reporter into a quiet space before calling the subject. This interview started with museum director Kori Capaldi and I shaking a goodie bag and making kissing sounds. Although unconventional, it worked. Out of seemingly nowhere appeared a jam-packed vision of feline elegance.

Beautiful Boyin the fluff

He is the resident cat of the Heritage Square Museum, a.k.a. ear-scratching, picnic-loving, lap-ready, and mouse-master back in the day. He is a fan of museum events such as movie nights, immersive theater and puppet shows. He is famous for Instagram.

Belle Boy yawned, stretched and slowly came closer. While I didn’t get any diva vibes from him, he was in no rush, exuding the confidence of someone accustomed to the limelight with every silent step.

As I waited, Kori filled me in on the details. A neighbor moved out and left Belle behind a decade ago. Fortunately, he landed safely, on all fours, at the museum where adoring staff believe he is between 12 and 14 years old. He receives regular veterinary care, premium meals and the nights he retires to the Octagon House. In the mornings, he begins his daily rounds: bumping into visitors’ picnics, weaving between the legs of tour groups, sprawling on staff tables and, like any smart celebrity, making appearances in the gift shop to promote the their line of merchandise, including bags, aprons and stickers.

When Belle finally pulled up in front of us, we showered it with snacks and drinks. A cobweb clung to his whiskers and Kori explained that it was probably under the porch, a favorite spot during the summer. Minutes later, he returned to his hiding place. My moment with a famous cat ended like this.

While processing the encounter, I joined a tour conducted by Natalie Meyer, who regaled me with stories of early LA. Then I went for a walk, ate an apple from the garden, enjoyed the shade of a coral tree, and hours later found Belle under the porch. , still resting.

In the heart of bustling Los Angeles in 2022, this beloved cat and his beautiful museum are reminders of slower times, when anyone, Internet famous or not, could sit on (or under) a porch and spend the day.

Owen Burke of East Hollywood always looks forward to his Father’s Day tradition when he and his three daughters – Lucy, 15, Hazel, 12, and Rose, 9 – hit the links on a local course, often at Griffith Park.

Although the girls may argue with each other at home, they know, through lessons learned at Tregnan Golf Academy in Griffith Park, how to behave when playing on a public field. “They learned a lot at Tregnan,” says Burke. “Golf teaches you about life, how to treat yourself and others. How to be thoughtful, patient and considerate.”

For the past decade, Burke has enrolled her daughters in the long-running golf programs at Tregnan. The program’s low cost, starting at $10.50 per class, made it possible, Burke says. “Also, it’s such a special place to learn. The instructors are top notch and their three hole course is wonderful. It’s a little oasis up there.”

In fact, Morgan Haight, the Academy’s director of instruction, enjoys his daily commute to the grounds with a 200-yard driving range, driving range, putting green, chipping area and facility building. lations that were once part of the Calvin Coolidge audience. golf course

Created 22 years ago, the academy offers classes for youth ages 5 to 17 and sessions for women and seniors. Haight says the program’s philosophy is to demonstrate how children can bring responsibility, patience and focus to their lives. “Learning golf is the icing on the cake,” he explains. He has enrolled children from across the street to Santa Clarita.

In addition to teaching golfers of all ages, Haight and his ten coaches, some on staff for 14 years, they often fight with the local fauna. There is a pack of coyotes that visit every early morning. Deer can often be seen roaming the grounds.

Haight recalls the exciting moment when, on his rounds one morning, he discovered fresh mountain lion paw prints in a patch of mud. “Yes, we can say the P-22 paid us a visit,” he says. “There really is never a dull moment in this beautiful place.”

This week’s listings include a modern resort, a California bungalow, a contemporary townhouse and a Spanish duplex.

Lauretta Goldsmith is a regular at the Highland Park Ebell Club’s monthly meetings, where she signs up members and guests who come for lunch and conversation.

At 88 years old, Goldsmith has been active in the philanthropic club for 32 years. Over the years, she has been a lifetime president, scholarship donor, major donor in historic building remodeling and community beautification activist. She was praised at a recent meeting as the oldest member of the club.

At the meeting, Goldsmith shared some of her personal story and noted that her deafness has not stopped her from expressing herself. He was born in Southeast LA during the Great Depression and moved to Highland Park in 1940. He has lived in the same house for 82 years. Goldsmith and his mother often went to the cinema on Carrer Figueroa.

“My mother and I would walk down 57th Avenue and look at the Ebell Club not knowing that one day I would be a member.”

The beautification project began when California State Parks Interpretive Specialist Luis Rincon suggested a mural. Suzanne Siegel, longtime park volunteer, then came up with the idea of using recycled wood to create stencils of local flora and fauna.

Earlier this year, community members and school children volunteered to paint stenciled images onto a series of 17 panels permanently installed in the storage container. The mural will have a formal “opening” on Sunday, October 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. and will be on permanent display.

This might be more fun than a cardboard box.

Organizers are wanted for the first Los Angeles Catio Tour catio owners to display exterior enclosures have created for their feline friends.

Teranga Ranch, a wildlife education organization aims to raise awareness of how owners can give their cats a safe taste of the great outdoors by building these cat yards.

Organizers of the tour, scheduled for October 2023, are also looking for volunteers. A Zoom meeting is planned for November 2nd. For more information, go to info@terangaranch.org.

Researchers estimate that there are 2.5 million ants for every human on the planet. As someone who has battled unbroken lines of Argentine ants crawling across my kitchen floor and counters, I find this appalling. (Better solution: diatomaceous earth.)

Still, I’m reassured that LA also has a kinder and nobler ant, the native forager that only collects seeds and couldn’t care less about the crumbs in my sink.

We hope you have an ant-free kitchen this week!

So far this year, The Eastsider has received one-off and monthly contributions from 357 readers. Our goal is to have 500 collaborators by the end of the year.

Help us reach our goal and support our mission to bring you Eastside news, stories and information you can’t find anywhere else.