A Calm Renovation Day and Our Monthly Book Club Soirée

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

The rains came today but it had no real effect on our renovations. Our plumbers finished up their work in under an hour today and Laurie made contact with our dry-wall man, our painter and our floor tile installer.

Things are seemingly coming together much faster than we thought. We think that this may be because of the difficult economic times. All of our potential renovators seem to be raring to go and help us, in part we think because not many home owners are in a financial position to take on projects these days.

On the ceramic floor tile front . . .

Laurie brought home 19 boxes

of our new tiles

Made in the USA, these Castille matte Ravenna Almond II 12" x 24" porcelain tiles will soon be installed in our kitchen, TV room and small bathroom complex.

"Progress is our most important product."

Our Bow-Edison Book Club

met tonight to discuss this tome

This historical novel was one of the two books that I had recommended to the club and it was well received overall.

We all had some doubts about the many Forrest Gump like people and incidents that our real life hero purportedly encountered during and after WWII in Milan but still, it was an enjoyable read that I also recommend to you.

And then there were twelve

I have always wanted to attend

one of these season opening games

in Dublin, a good match-up in 2027

Another look at Spain's DI in 2027

Still a bit sad to no longer see the Gijón Mariners as part of Spain's top league.

The European Championships

continue in full force this weekend

I noted that Team Spain's recent Level 2 59-0 win was over Great Britain's Developmental squad not Great Britain's best team which is competing Group B of the Level 1 pool play.

That explains a lot.

The good day of rain today makes our Thursday high school football doubleheader a bit dicey.

Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., Jacob's Camarillo H.S. Frosh team travels to Oxnard to take on the Santa Clara H.S. Saints.

After the game, we will be hustling up to Santa Barbara for a dinner date with Joanne and Paul Sabolić at 6:00 p.m. at the beachside Shoreline Cafe.

Across the street from our dining

spot, we'll enter Santa Barbara's

La Playa Stadium to watch this contest

at 7:00 p.m.

The Sabolić's son , Jason, is the Wide Receiver Coach for Simi Valley.

On a good day, the views of the Santa Barbara Harbor and the Channel Islands from La Playa Stadium are simply breathtaking.

Hopefully the rains from today will have subsided by tomorrow afternoon and evening, otherwise we are going to get a tad moist I suspect.

Stay tuned for further developments . . .

Our Second and Thankfully Minor Renovation Bump

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

We had ourselves a work stoppage today, a perfect excuse to finally cast our ballots.

To no one's surprise,

we tended to vote BLUE!

The main renovation goal was for our crackerjack plumbers, Shon and Ricky, to install the beautiful new vanity in the bathroom that is under remodeling.

When they took a look at it, something looked off.

They were, as expected, 100% correct.

Much to our chagrin, the desired vanity was too deep and would not allow the bathroom's door to close.

After much discussion, we all agreed that this was probably not a good situation for any of our future guests.

We hauled it back to Floors & Decor in Oxnard for a full refund and found out that they had no vanities shallow enough to meet our needs.

On to Contractor's Warehouse in Ventura.

They had one that fit the bill and we brought it home.

We'll try installing it tomorrow.

Later in the day we first met with our new floor installer and then purchased the ceramic flooring to install in the new East Wing of Casa Contreras. We pick up the tiles tomorrow and hopefully start to install them by early next week.

We'll see.

The World Series is now set

Tampa Bay beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game Six of the ALCS to claim the loop's pennant.

The two teams with the best regular season records in their respective leagues will now vie for their franchise's first ever World Series title.

The National League Champion Milwaukee Brewers began as an American League franchise in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots. Due to financial hardships the Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and became the Brewers.

The Brewers only previous World Series was in 1982 as the American League Champions where they lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Before the 1998 season, in an unprecedented move, they swapped leagues with the Houston Astros.

The American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays were founded in 1998 as the Devil Rays. In 2008, their name was shortened to Rays as Floridians had become incensed with the term Devil in the team name.

OK.

This is the third trip to the World Series for the Rays as the American League titleholders.

In 2008, they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.

The 2020 COVID-19 shortened campaign saw the Rays defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. 

Jesus healing the five previously

Top Seven ranked teams that

lost this past weekend

Classic.

Our great Gijón Mariners Lineman

representing Team Spain in the IFAF

European Championship Tournament

Matteo looking sharp before the first

tournament game vs. Great Britain

Well, maybe not so Great Britain

this year

Next up for Team España is a date

with Team Georgia this Saturday

I always harken back to the Georgia Travel Bureau adds that we saw constantly on the BBC while living in Thun, Switzerland in 2012 that always ended with this memorable line, "Georgia, one of the least corrupt countries in the world."

The Huskies have a bye week before

heading to Nebraska on Halloween

Given the unrest in France the

past few weeks, I can see the need

Too bad the Philadelphia Eagles didn't take QB Jalen Hurts' blood clots in his lungs this seriously in their recent game in London.

Home Renovations Continue Moving Along

Monday, October 19, 2026

A slow Monday as our home renovations continue to progress in an orderly fashion.

Our plumbers continue to work hard and efficiently on wrapping up the first part of our problems, the pipe replacement to our small bathroom next to our TV room and kitchen.

Mini-cement mixer churning away

Plumber Shon drilling and then

setting rebar in place

One of Jacob's Civil War soldiers and a

googly-eyed toy of Mary's will be preserved

for posterity in the new cement slab addition

It was Laurie's idea and I liked it.

About to encase the two treasures

for future archeologists to ponder

Ricky cleaning-up after the cement

work here is finally done

Next up, our drywall man will come in to patch up those large holes in the walls of both the TV room and bathroom.

Additionally, the bathroom should get its new toilet and vanity installed in the next few days.

After bringing home ten different samples of ceramic tiles for intense scrutiny over the last week made in Spain, Italy and the USA from our local Floor & Decor store in Oxnard, we finally made our final decision on the new flooring for the kitchen, TV room and bathroom today.

The winner is . . .

The USA made Ravenna Almond II!

The color and texture approved by both Laurie and our personal home decorator, Koreen FitzGerald, was a good one I think.

The price was a bargain as well.

Now we just need to secure an installation date with our recommended installer.

After that, we just need to strip the rest of the wall paper in the kitchen and TV rooms and then give all three of our renovated rooms fresh coats of paint.

Hopefully, we can wrap this all up before Christmas.

Would aiming for Thanksgiving be too crazy?

Richard Bellman invited Brian FitzGerald and yours truly over to his home tonight for pizza, adult beverages and a Monday Night Football watch party.

The San Francisco 49ers (6-0)

hung on to edge the plucky

Washington Commanders (1-4-1)

Thanks for the invitation, Richard, it was a fun and much needed night out with the boys.

Reading Is FUNdamental!

 

A quick, fun read

This book retells the amazing story of the 1899 University of the South football team from Sewanee, Tennessee.

The Tigers finished 12-0 that memorable season that included on a grueling 2,500 mile train trip throughout the South playing an astounding FIVE games in just SIX days in order to raise enough money to keep the fledgling program afloat after their inability to resolve financial issues surrounding their usual big bucks game vs. Vanderbilt that year.

The Tigers would play their twelve games in a span of just six weeks between October 21st and December 2nd.

1899 Sewanee Tigers Results

12 Wins - 0 Losses

Sat., Oct. 21, at Georgia, W 12-0

Mon., Oct 23, at Georgia Tech, W 32-0

Sat., Oct. 28, vs. Tennessee, W 46-0

Fri., Nov. 3, vs. Southwestern Presbyterian, W 54-0

The Famous Five Game Road Trip

Thurs., Nov. 9 at Texas, W 12-0

Fri., Nov. 10, at Texas A&M, W 10-0

Sat., Nov. 11, at Tulane, W 23-0

Mon., Nov. 13, at LSU, W 34-0

Tues., Nov. 14 at Ole Miss, W 12-0

Mon., Nov. 20, vs. Cumberland, W 71-0

Thurs., Nov. 30, at Auburn, W 11-10

Sat. Dec. 2, at North Carolina, W 5-0 

Takeaways from this book . . .

"Sewanee's a fabulous combination of ecclesiastical tradition, Southern tradition, literary tradition, liquid tradition. You put all those together and it's amazing that there's anything factually based."

Jon Meacham, author and historian

The Tigers outscored their twelve opponents 342-11 while recording 11 shutouts.

During the famed road trip, they pitched five shutouts while scoring 91 points in that span.

Southwestern Presbyterian is now known as Rhodes College and is located in Memphis, Tennessee. The two schools have played each other 92 times including that first meeting in 1899. Sewanee leads the series barely, 45-44-3. The 93rd edition of this old, now NCAA DIII rivalry is set for Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Sewanee's McGee Field at Harris Stadium. It's the same site where the 1899 game was played but with vast improvements.

The Ole Miss players were known as the "long-haired knights of the oval from Oxford" because they wore long hair for the protection of their heads. The Mississippi players complained to the refs that some of the Tigers players sported meager, little leather helmets because, to their mind, honor dictated that you play with long hair and not a helmet.

The refs denied the objection.

Auburn's coach in 1899 was none other than John Heisman of trophy fame. He comes off as a bit of a pompous, self-serving rogue of a drama queen. Some, not all, of the men who have won the Heisman Trophy over the decades fit that description as well. That game ended with the assembled crowd embroiled in a brawl.

After the controversial Auburn game and some argument over the division of gate receipts, Sewanee team Manager Luke Lea had to pull out his pistol to announce the immediate division of the receipts. Gun in hand, Lea counted out dollar for dollar.

There were a total of 43 punts in the season finale against North Carolina!

You just can't make these things up. 

A Blessed Sunday, Except for the Rams

Sunday, October 18, 2026

We were out of bed at a reasonable hour for us on a picture perfect Sunday in order to attend Mass at Padre Serra Parish to support grandson Jacob as he embarks on a two year journey of learning and reflection leading up to his receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The ever controversial Padre Serra

He is a flashpoint with our local Native American cultural groups.

The now serene church courtyard that

would soon fill up with post-Mass

coffee drinkers and donut enthusiasts

The cupola at Padre Serra drew my

architectural attention during the service

Apparently, this will become a staple of our weekends for much of the foreseeable future.

We'll be none the worse for these uplifting, faith based gatherings.

After yesterday's crazy college football Saturday, the new Associated Press Top 25 was released today and had lots of changes.

Miami is the new #1

Barely.

BYU at #2 is the novelty of the week.

Besides BYU, the BIG-XII Conference also has Texas Tech at #8 and Utah at #10. All three sport perfect 6-0 records for the moment.

The BIG-XII also revels in this week's rankings with #14 Houston (6-1) and #25 Arizona (5-1).

The win over Purdue was not enough to get Washington back on board though.

The renovations continued today in Casa Contreras.

Stripping the wall paper in our

small bathroom

Lots of work in a confined spot . . .

. . . a job just made for "Little Laurie"

The Camarillo Frosh team just picked

up a new opponent for Week #9

Originally scheduled to play Pacifica for a second time, that contest fell through at the last minute.

Instead, the Scorpion coaches quickly found an opponent in the Santa Clara H.S. Saints. The game will be played in Oxnard at 3:00 p.m. this coming Thursday.

And then there is my love/hate relationship with the Los Angeles Rams . . .

The Arizona Cardinals (2-4) scored

ALL of their points on SIX Field Goals

The Rams (2-4) continue to find a way to lose close games, smh.

NFC WEST STANDINGS

1. San Francisco 49ers 5-0

2. Seattle Seahawks 3-3

3T. Arizona Cardinals 2-4

3T. Los Angeles Rams 2-4

As it turns out, our Rams may not be the greatest team in the history of the known universe as many pundits predicted last Summer.

We'll see, there are still 11 games left in the regular season to straighten things out.

A BIG-10 Conference Game at the Rose Bowl

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Thanks to the most generous offer from long-time friend and blog follower, Michael D'Antuono, we were off to the Rose Bowl today for what would be my 25th American football game of 2026.

Michael owns four UCLA football season tickets in the Rose Bowl's posh Club Level. He could not attend today's BIG-10 Conference game and originally offered them to us and the Sabolićs.

As it turned out, Paul and Joanne could not attend so Laurie, our Michael and Jacob joined me for the day's extravaganza in Pasadena's Arroyo Seco.

Kickoff was set for

4:30 p.m. Pacific Time

Wisconsin Badgers

4 Wins - 1 Loss Overall

2 Wins - 0 Losses in BIG-10 play

at

#12 ranked UCLA Bruins

5 Wins - 0 Losses Overall

3 Wins - 0 Losses in BIG-10 play

Bruin Turnaround

UCLA was coming off of a disastrous 2025 campaign that saw their head coach fired after an 0-3 start and finish the season 3-9 overall and 3-6 in BIG-10 action.

In the off-season, UCLA hired Bob Chesney as their new Head Football Coach after a highly successful stint at James Madison University in Virginia.

With wins over California, San Diego State, Purdue, Maryland and Oregon to start an undefeated year, Chesney is deservedly the darling of the Westwood sports scene these days.

We arrived at the Rose Bowl at about 1:30 p.m. with the thought of fulling enjoying every aspect of the college football gameday experience.

After parking on the Brookside Golf Club that surrounds the Rose Bowl . . .

. . . a game of catch . . .

. . . quickly broke out

Laurie could not sit still

She quickly bonded with our new

Wisconsin friends who offered her a beer

She happily accepted.

After a while, we moseyed towards the UCLA Fan Zone to see what activities would be at our disposal.

That Wisconsin Football Equipment

Truck caught my attention

Closer inspection of the truck informed

us of the Badgers' rich football history

We passed lots of tailgate parties

We made it!

You get four throws to pass a

football through a small target

If you get two throws to successfully navigate the route, you win a $10 gift card to the nearby Bruin Store tent.

Jacob was a winner!

Michael, not so much

His final attempt, a dashing behind-the-back toss, certainly won him style points from the assembled judges/spectators.

Joe Bruin entered the Fan Zone

with his date for the game . . .

. . . and a bevy of beauties entourage

Posing for the traditional Rose Bowl

pre-game photo

It was time to enter the Rose Bowl

 

As you enter the Club seating area,

you begin to see wonderful memorabilia

from the Rose Bowl's storied past

I love these old Rose Bowl Game ticket stub reproductions on the bottoms of the escalators as you work your way up to the Club Level.

GREAT Face Mask!

Everyone in black high-top cleats is way cool as well.

1946 was the signing of the pact

between the Western Conference and

the Pacific Coast Conference to send

their champions to the Rose Bowl

each January 1st

The Western Conference would eventually rebrand as the BIG-10 Conference and the Pacific Coast Conference would evolve into the PAC-12 Conference over the years.

 

1963 Rose Bowl

#1 USC (11-0) - 42

#2 Wisconsin (8-2) - 37

John Walsh and I attended this tremendous game together. It was my first Rose Bowl game.

My mother dropped us off the the game in the morning and we then walked all the way home in the dark after the game.

A glorious time indeed for two 15 year old boys.

The Greatest Hoax in Rose Bowl History

Those wacky students from Pasadena's revered California Institute of Technology were able to infiltrate the University of Washington's not so highly secure card stunts and program Cal Tech for Washington to the delight of people watching the 1961 Rose Bowl Game between the Huskies and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Sixth ranked Washington (10-1) had the last laugh, a 17-7 win over #1 ranked Minnesota (8-2).

The Club Levels dining area was a

BIG HIT with all of us

All of the fare in this level, save adult beverages, were included with the ticket.

Question #1: "How many gummy bears can a growing 14 year old boy eat in one afternoon?

Answer #1: No such number exists in modern mathematics.

Question #2: "How many crab wrap halves can a growing 79 year old boy eat in one afternoon?

Answer: Two.

Mostly sated, we headed to . . .

. . . our seats for the game

Four happy campers

Did we say, "Thank you, Michael!" yet?

Blue seat tarps found on both ends

of the Rose Bowl for Bruins games

The Badgers entering hallowed ground

Here come . . .

. . . the BRUINS!

UCLA's Opening Kickoff was

a Touchback

Wisconsin taking to the air

UCLA started with a run

The sky was Bruin Blue

Football Ballet in the Secondary

A nice game photo taken from Facebook.

Wondrous sky as the Sun set behind us

A QB Pressure for

UCLA OLB Scott Taylor

Yes, it is another purloined Facebook photo.

Nature in its glory all around us

on this warm, muggy night

Wisconsin sniffing the End Zone

A boy and the wonder of

college football

Did we say, "Thank you, Michael!" yet?

Bruins still slinging it

Wisconsin collapsing the UCLA pocket

It was a case of too little, too late for Wisconsin.

With this win, the Bruins are now

one of only six undefeated teams

left in the NCAA's FBS Division

At 6-0, the Bruins are joined by

BYU, Miami, Texas Tech and Utah

The sixth and final undefeated FBS school is UCLA Head Coach Bob Chesney's old school, James Madison at 7-0.

While we were having a great time at the Rose Bowl, the world of college football was knocked for a loop today.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Losses on the same day by #1 Georgia, #2 Notre Dame, #5 Indiana, #6 Alabama and #7 Texas, has something close to that ever happened before?

Nothing like it jumps to my mind.

College football can still be magical despite NIL and The Portal.

We really do need the say, "THANK YOU!" to Michael D'Antuono for what was a truly fun day in Pasadena.