Good Eats are in Store for the Club

A blue-eyed dog greeted me as I walked up the long, narrow path to the Sparr Heights home of Bill and Rita Even.

"Everyone in the neighborhood knows Jodi," said Rita, referring to her Australian shepherd. "Jodi and Bill are inseparable."

Bill was on his way out to walk Jodi, but he stopped for a minute to point out a few features of the house. He believes that the 1930s house was set behind a larger home. Later, when the lot was divided, a porch and foyer were added to the cozy cottage. It is one of the few homes in the neighborhood where the house sits on edge of the rear lot line with a large sweep of thick, emerald grass in the private, fenced front yard.

Bill and Jodi left. Rita and I went inside for a chat at the dining table. After 40 years with Caltrans, Rita recently retired, only to begin a community volunteer career that keeps her nearly as busy as her old full-time job as executive secretary to the director of Caltrans' Los Angeles office. Bill, too, retired from Caltrans a few years ago.

With their new freedom, the couple set off in their Safari Trek motor home to make a dream come true. "We took a two-month trip to Alaska, travelling 9,070 miles. We're happy in the smaller motor home, because we can get into remote areas off the beaten path." Rita explained.

Jodi travelled with the couple. "We avoided the ferry system, because Jodi would have to stay down below in the motor home," Rita said. The Evens took a scenic route from the Yukon into Alaska. "The Rim of the World Highway is beautiful, but a scary ride," Rita said.

Returning home, Rita joined the La Crescenta Woman's Club, where she's now the newly installed president. She was eager to share her plans for the club year which begins in September. I joined La Crescenta Juniors years ago and loved my experience with the group, but I never noticed that the name of the club is "woman's club" not "women."