Sunday, August 26 - Wednesday, August 29, 2018
I was unusually busy the past few days and I enjoyed every minute of it!
All around the USA school is starting again which means that it was time for the traditional First Day of School Photographs.
Kevin starting the First Grade
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Jacob starting the First Grade
in Oxnard, California
Mary, at only three years of age,
is still in the School of Disney Princesses
Marta, Nicolas and Jacob at our house
on Sunday for a BBQ
Playing Army in the back yard
Casualties of War
Marta and Mary bonding
Time out from the War Games
to settle down before dinner
Grillin' Time
On Monday we bid farewell
Nicolas and Marta who were
returning to Milan after three
weeks in the New World
After dropping off our friends at LAX
I stopped off Baby Blues BBQ in Venice
for a tri-tip sandwich, mashed sweet
potatoes and a diet Coke
Seeing our friends off to Italy was a bit depressing. When I'm down, I eat.
I felt better afterward.
More depressing news on Santa Monica's
3rd Street Promenade
Being old school, I like the feel and smell of a book in my hands when reading. Another book store closing just kills me.
Continuing up the Pacific Ocean's coast, I had to make a EuroBall related stop on the way home.
Stopped off at Malibu H.S. to pick
some gear for the Skorpions Varese
After the Sharks team meeting was
over, I collected . . .
EIGHTEEN
helmets for the Skorpions
And some face masks too!
We should be able to ship these off these helmets and face masks efficiently to Italy in three large boxes I believe.
GRAZIE!
Just a random reminder of
our beloved life in Italy when I
got home to Casa Contreras
LOVE this book series
We were able to see so many interesting things using this series books about odd things to see in first Stockholm two years ago and then in Milan this year.
Amazingly, having lived all my life in the greater Los Angeles area, I have only been to six of the places listed in their L.A. book.
Not so amazingly, of the six sights that I have visited, three were food related.
No arguments from me about visiting Clifton's Cafeteria, Philippe's Home of the French Dipped Sandwich and the San Antonio Winery when you are in the southland.
HUGE season opener
for the Huskies this Saturday
I hope the Huskies aren't looking past
Auburn to the big North Dakota game
next week
We are going to the Utah and UCLA games for sure and will probably drive up to the Bay Area for the Cal game.
The November 3rd game against Stanford in Seattle looks like a possibility too.
I am resuming my "career" as the color commentator on the weekly Ventura County Star's Game-of-the-Week podcasts this Friday but this year only on a limited basis.
Our game this Friday should be a dandy as the county's #3 team, the Oxnard Yellowjackets (2-0), travel to play the county's #2 team, the Westlake Warriors (2-0).
I'm not sure what to make of the fact that these two clubs will be playing their third games of the ten game season and it will still be AUGUST.
On Tuesday I headed over to Westlake H.S. to interview their Head Coach Tim Kirksey and watch the Warriors practice in order to get a better feel for their club.
I had to watch where I stepped
The scene of Friday's epic contest
With WHS Special Teams Coach
Kevin Flye
One of the good guys in our profession, he played locally as a LB for Hueneme H.S. back in the day and was the Head Coach at Royal H.S. for many years.
WHS bag drills
When I got home after the Warriors' practice, Laurie and I had work to do.
Last Fall coaches in Ventura County donated about 80 used shoulder pads to the EuroBall cause, many of which landed in Varese, Italy for our beloved Skorpions.
A year later, we still had 30 shoulder
pads in our garage
Thanks to our friend Aiki Parts who is now the President of the Stockholm American Football Federation, we were contacted by the Sweden's Upplands Bro Broncos about our shoulder pads.
As a result . . .
30 Shoulder Pads in five boxes
to Sweden it is!
The shipping company will pick up these boxes on Thursday and then they head to the greater Stockholm megalopolis.
Our garage will be emptier and Laurie will be happier!
TACK SÅ MYCKET LAURIE!
As for my education . . .
. . . it will continue starting
at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10th
On Wednesday, I visited Oxnard H.S. to interview their Head Coach Jon Mack and watch a bit of their practice for background to use on Friday night's podcast.
At Westlake I had to worry about rattlesnakes . . .
. . . at Oxnard the danger was
possible swarms of Yellowjackets
Oxnard has one of the very few
natural grass game fields left
in Ventura County
Oxnard H.S. Offense vs. Air
Things went well at Oxnard as they had a Westlake the day before. I thankfully have plenty of background for my part of the podcast on Friday night.
On the drive home from Oxnard H.S., I had to drive past Pacifica H.S. where friends Head Coach Mike Moon and Triton assistants Dean Litten and Tomec Czerwinski were having a workout of their own.
So I stopped off to visit them
and watch the Tritons practice
The Tritons (1-0) are coming off of a season opening 49-0 win at Dos Pueblos H.S. last Saturday night. They will host the Newbury Park Panthers (1-0) who defeated the Thousand Oaks Lancers 37-0 last Friday in the game we attended.
Staying busy is a good thing.
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