26 years ago I moved to the Palisades from Pensacola, Fl to pursue the dream of entertainment.
On that path, I met a young man who was born and raised in the Palisades. He owned a tree care business and drove the coolest/sexiest big green truck. He was so intriguing. He also is SUPER SMOKING HOT. Humble and reserved. NOT loud. I had never met someone who looked the way he did with this demeanor. So OF COURSE I pursued him. We soon started dating and then started a family. I started working for him and the great big green truck that had
Johnson Tree Company painted on it. He cared for trees in the Palisades and the west side of Los Angeles.
I began working in the office and handling all the admin. Learning how to be a Mamma to our new daughter while learning a new business.
I collected checks/payment for the job, from our clients and learned very quickly how LOVED and trusted Eli is. As we grew older, our clients grew older. They would invite me into their homes when I would come by to collect a check. They would make me cappuccinos and coffees and share with me all about how they knew Eli and his Father and SOME even had met Everett, Eli’s grandfather who started Johnson Tree Company and brought it to the Palisades in the 1940s when they moved to Friends Street. I became close with our clients. We asked about each other’s lives. What was I planning to do when our daughters graduated? Or what school will they go to. What goals did I have? These clients, these friends, our community, would be such a guiding force in my life.
We miss them. I miss being asked those questions. I miss their friendship. We are all dispersed after the fires. We see our Westside clients. But our Palisades residents are all over. I miss their tables, their homemade cappuccinos, their smiles, and their lives.
We are moving forward and feel so grateful to be healthy and of an age that we can get into some serious action. These fires that burned our home, our Johnson Tree Co Van, our trees and being separated from our community has demanded that we get focused on how we will continue our family owned and operated local tree care business. We were all excited to celebrate our 100th year of being in business when the Jan 7th fires ate our whole town. We were catapulted into a new way of conducting our sharing of our business.
We would now need an online presence. We have always been word of mouth. Twice a year we would advertise in our local Palisades Post. We would now need to learn how to do all the Google, Yelp and social media content. Fear and Faith are great motivators and I had a lot of both. I am not religious but I consider myself leading a connected life and a strong belief in God. I leaned into my prayer and meditation again like life all depended upon it, and for me it did. I need to participate in our business to help financially support our two daughters and to help our community. Our trees, so with prayer and meditation in the mornings, I began this fire journey. FEMA, standing in lines for charities for a donation. Becoming humble enough to accept help. Help was reached out from everywhere. We needed it. We lost everything materialistic. We were not insured. We were worried about our crew. We needed to recover in a big way.
One day at a time, MIRACLES of generosity came in from friends, family and people we had never met before. So many messages of support, and people believing in us. Faith became stronger than fear. Eli is REALLY good at that part. He held our family securely and kept reminding us, we will be taken care of. Our crew remained our crew and jobs came in. Eli started assessing the burned trees in the Palisades. He saved so many trees from being removed by the Army Corps. We got reconnected with some of our clients. We began to feel more like we could offer hope and strength by this service of saving the trees. We are full steam ahead with that commitment. I am in a landscaping course with UCLA and the classes are ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL. These people are warm and wonderful. All the plans I had shared with our clients at their kitchen tables are so wildly different. I just can’t wait to get back to their tables and share with them what I have discovered through this fire journey and how much they mean to us.
We are working to plant trees and return our Nature back to our home, Pacific Palisades. We are involved in the clean-up and so grateful to be a part of such a resilient community.
Our family is rooted in the Palisades. Our hearts. Our memories are on every corner. SO many sunsets on the Bluffs at the end of Via De La Paz. Sweet Birthdays celebrated at Temescal park and on the beach at Will Rogers. All the beach volleyball games full of the biggest smiles and deepest laughter as we talked smack to one another. My heart is ready to settle but as these Holidays approach and the one year of the fires happening, I am reminded that tables will be different. The walls, the streets, the experience is all new. We have been surrounded with silver linings and through these holidays, we will be too. We are taken care of. We will continue to learn, grow and see the opportunities to be a stronger, more thoughtful, more compassionate Being in the world.
Let’s Share Your Story
Tell us a little about yourself. Where did your story begin, and what led you to the Palisades?
26 years ago I moved to the Palisades from Pensacola, Fl to pursue the dream of entertainment.
On that path , I met a young man who was born and raised in the Palisades. He owned a tree care business and drove the coolest/sexiest big green truck. He was so intriguing. He also is SUPER SMOKING HOT. Humble and reserved. NOT loud. I had never met someone who looked the way he did with this demeanor. So OF COURSE I pursued him. We soon started dating and then started a family. I started working for him and the great big green truck that had
Johnson Tree Company painted on it. He cared for trees in the Palisades and the west side of Los Angeles.
I began working in the office and handling all the admin. Learning how to be a Mamma to our new daughter while learning a new business.
I collected checks/payment ,for the job, from our clients and learned very quickly how LOVED and trusted Eli is. As we grew older, our clients grew older. They would invite me into their homes when I would come by to collect a check. They would make me cappuccinos and coffees and share with me all about how they knew Eli and his Father and SOME even had met Everett, Eli’s grandfather who started Johnson Tree Company and brought it to the Palisades in the 1940s when they moved to Friends Street. I became close with our clients. We asked about each others lives. What was I planning to do when our daughters graduated? Or what school will they go to. What goals did I have? These clients, these friends, our community, would be such a guiding force in my life.
We miss them. I miss being asked those questions. I miss their friendship. We are all dispersed after the fires. We see our Westside clients. But our Palisades residents are all over. I miss their tables, their homemade cappuccinos, their smiles and their lives.
We are moving forward and feel so grateful to be healthy and of an age that we can get into some serious action. These fires that burned our home, our Johnson Tree Co Van, our trees and being separated from our community has demanded that we get focused on how we will continue our family owned and operated local tree care business. We were all excited to celebrate our 100th year of being in business when the Jan 7th fires ate our whole town. We were catapulted into a new way of conducting our sharing of our business.
We would now need an online presence. We have always been word of mouth. Twice a year we would advertise in our local Palisades Post. We would now need to learn how to do all the Google, Yelp and social media content. Fear and Faith are great motivators and I had a lot of both. I am not religious but I consider myself leading a connected life and a strong belief in God. I leaned into my prayer and meditation again like life all depended upon it, and for me it did. I need to participate in our business to help financially support our two daughters and to help our community. Our trees, so with prayer and meditation in the mornings, I began this fire journey. FEMA, standing in lines for charities for a donation. Becoming humble enough to accept help. Help was reached out from everywhere. We needed it. We lost everything materialistic. We were not insured. We were worried about our crew. We needed to recover in a big way.
One day at a time, MIRACLES of generosity came in from friends, family and people we had never met before. So many messages of support, and people believing in us. Faith became stronger than fear. Eli is REALLY good at that part. He held our family securely and kept reminding us, we will be taken care of. Our crew remained our crew and jobs came in. Eli started assessing the burned trees in the Palisades. He saved so many trees from being removed by the Army Corps. We got reconnected with some of our clients. We began to feel more like we could offer hope and strength by this service of saving the trees. We are full steam ahead with that commitment. I am in a landscaping course with UCLA and the classes are ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL. These people are warm and wonderful. All the plans I had shared with our clients at their kitchen tables are so wildly different. I just can’t wait to get back to their tables and share with them what I have discovered through this fire journey and how much they mean to us.
We are working to plant trees and return our Nature back to our home, Pacific Palisades. We are involved in the clean-up and so grateful to be a part of such a resilient community.
Our family is rooted in the Palisades. Our hearts. Our memories are on every corner. SO many sunsets on the Bluffs at the end of Via De La Paz. Sweet Birthdays celebrated at Temescal park and on the beach at Will Rogers. All the beach volleyball games full of the biggest smiles and deepest laughter as we talked smack to one another. My heart is ready to settle but as these Holidays approach and the one year of the fires happening, I am reminded that tables will be different. The walls, the streets, the experience is all new. We have been surrounded with silver linings and through these holidays, we will be too. We are taken care of. We will continue to learn, grow and see the opportunities to be a stronger, more thoughtful, more compassionate Being in the world.
How long have you lived or worked here — and what do you love most about it?
26 years The Palisades is special. It’s not just beautiful. It’s special. The connections of DREAMS and belief in each other!
Tell us about your work or your passion — past, present, or future. What lights you up?
TREES! Planting trees, caring for Nature. Community!
Tell us a little about your family, community or what “home” means to you.
EVERYTHING! It’s connection! It’s safety. Traditions. Friendships.
What’s something unique or special about the Palisades that you’ve experienced firsthand?
The Palisades was family oriented. You knew where your friends would be on a Friday night for dinner. You knew the names of the people standing on the corner AND their dogs’ names. You knew people that worked at Cafe Vida, they watched your kids grow up. I watched kids grow up working at Tivoli Cafe, and then they wound up being my girls’ babysitter.
Community Favorites
Is/Was there a local business that makes you feel nostalgic or rooted here?
Cafe Vida for sure. Gelsons and the bakery inside Viktor Benes. The 76 gas sation. The guys there. Martin. Manuel, Robert.
Who’s the most interesting or inspiring person you’ve met here in the Palisades?
There’s not just one. 26 years there. The Originals. The people that bought there in the 50’s and 60’s and created families and geneartions to share the magic of the Palisades with.
Fire Reflection
What stands out most from your experience?
No one thought it would burn and it was challenging to convince people to evacuate or get a hose and start watering!
Was there someone — a neighbor, local hero, or group — that really made a difference for you during or after the fires?
Jenny Levine our neighbor. Chuck Hart our neighbor and friend. Incredible Heros
What did the experience teach you about the Palisades or about yourself?
Value my intuition. Honor what comes intuitvely.
A Few Fun Ones
What advice would you give to others — in life, work, or being a good neighbor?
Have a plan. Talk about a plan with your neighbors. Connect. Be personable. So when something like this happens, you can get everyone AND their valuables
Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
PLANTING TREES, FLOWERS. Being over joyed by being in purpose to advoacte for healthy and safe choices as we move forward to recover and rebuild!
