Monday, December 26, 2016:
Another BEAUTIFUL day in Southern California could only mean one thing, it was time to be a tourist in our own town!
Jesus and I loaded ourselves into the Honda and took off to see some of the greater Los Angeles area's more famous sites.
First stop: Pasadena's Rose Bowl
Jesus realized quickly that they
were getting ready to host the
"GrandDaddy of Them All"
Penn State will be playing . . .
. . . Jesus' own Simpson College Storm
it appears
After a quick walk around Pasadena's trendy Old Town, we headed into the heart of Los Angeles for lunch at . . .
. . . Philippe's
Double dip beef and pork sandwiches were the call.
Philippe's was crowded as usual
After lunch, we were off to Griffith Park.
Near the Griffith Park Observatory
Lots of hiking trails in the distance
Three Icons
Movie Star James Dean
The Hollywood Sign in the distance
Murcia Cobras WR Jesus Clemente
We then drove down Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive before arriving at . . .
Venice Beach
The Sun was setting but we still
enjoyed some people watching
on the boardwalk
Jesus was in spired at
Venice's Muscle Beach
Nice Hall of Fame Plaque
Beautiful sunset at Venice Beach
Jesus' seeing Muscle Beach
inspired to rip off a quick
25 pull-ups
Or was it 30?
We were not done yet
The Santa Monica Pier
By the Santa Monica Pier's
tribute to famed U.S. Route 66
Jesus' burger for dinner
at Bandits Bar and Grill
in Camarillo
It was a great, long day to be sure and there was more in store for us on Tuesday.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016:
Our son Mike joined Jesus and I for a 7:00 a.m. blastoff south to "America's Greatest City," San Diego.
Why San Diego today you ask?
Why the 39th Annual
Holiday Bowl of course
The Big Ten's Minnesota Golden Gophers entered their first ever Holiday Bowl game with an 8-4 record.
The PAC-12's Washington State Cougars were playing in their second ever Holiday Bowl having lost to BYU 38-36 in the 1981 game. The Cougars were also 8-4 on the campaign.
A visit to Old Town
was mandatory
I should have bought this
awesome poncho
Jesus at a Cougar tailgate
The Holiday Bowl's stadium is also
the home of the San Diego Chargers
But not for long unfortunately for San Diego's NFL fans according to the press. The Spanos family that owns the team wants to move them back to Los Angeles where the Chargers played their first AFL season back in 1960.
Jesus was heading into the Fan Zone
With Gene Alim
I got to finally meet Gene, a legendary coach in San Diego high school circles for years and now in EuroBall as well.
He will be reporting soon to help coach the Reus Imperials that play in Spain's top league, the Serie A.
Jesus and I with Gene's friend
Susie, her daughter Tiffany and
his daughter Vanessa
The view of the stadium and Jesus
from our $8.90 seats
The supply of these $30 tickets far outstripped demand on StubHub. We reaped the benefits.
4:00 p.m. Opening Kickoff at
an empty Qualcomm Stadium
While both school's fan bases traveled well to San Diego, I believe that the problem was that people from Southern California who did not have strong WSU or Minnesota ties simply did not come to the game.
Too bad for them
as it was a nice setting
Mike and I were having a good time
Jesus took this panoramic photo
We were all glad to be at the
game even though both offenses
were struggling
Minnesota "M" at halftime
or a "W" if you were on the
WSU sideline
Halftime fireworks
The game itself was not full of fireworks.
Por ejemplo, WSU scored a TD with less than a minute left to play to make the score 17-12 in favor of Minnesota. A two point PAT attempt was definitely in order for the Cougars.
Here is what unfolded:
Attempt #1 from the three yard line, incomplete pass but Minnesota called for pass interference.
Attempt #2 from the 1 1/2 yard line, WSU illegal procedure before the snap.
Attempt #3 from 6 1/2 yard line, incomplete pass, Minnesota off sides.
Attempt #4 from the 3 1/4 yard line, incomplete pass, no penalties.
Minnesota recovered the WSU onside kick, took a knee and went home with a 17-12 victory.
We got into our car at 8:01 p.m. and, thanks to zero traffic, were back in Camarillo by 10:45 p.m.
Mike and I had a great time sharing Jesus' first ever college bowl game experience. Good times indeed!
Reading Is FUNdamental
I have now read 17 of the 20
"Jack Reacher" books
As the cover says, "Pure, escapist gold."
The Tom Cruise Jack Reacher movie was loosely based on this particular book.
Thanks again to Mike D'Antuono for telling me about these fun reads years ago.
