Monday to Monday, April 28 to
Cinco de Mayo, 2025
It was another good week for us in SoCal. Here are the highlights.
Laurie and I drove down to
San Marino to have lunch
with my sister Marilyn
When we were living in Gijón, Marilyn had asked me to bring her back a traditional Spanish hat known as a boina.
Boinas are basically oversized berets and Spain's premier maker is the Boinas Elósegui Company that started production in the city of Tolusa in 1858.
The photo above shows us both sporting Elósegui boinas.
This iconic San Marino dining spot
has been in business for 78 years now
Come to think of it, that's how long I've been in business!
After a delightful lunch, we all headed a long block up the road from the Colonial Kitchen to see what was being done to our ancestral home by its new owners.
They're refurbishing it, not tearing it
down as we suspected!
A new roof and a fresh coat of paint were obvious. We are all sure that they are making extensive changes to the interior to suit their tastes but it was good to see the old home still standing.
On the way home from San Marino, the nostalgia-fest continued when we stopped in Montrose where Laurie grew up.
These two shops used to be the famed
Montrose Hardware Store
That hardware store was owned by Laurie's father, Bill, and she worked there while growing up.
It was a good day visiting the old stomping grounds for both of us.
Laurie's car accident back in
mid-January
This frightening crash totaled her beloved Blueberry but, thank goodness, left her only with relatively minor bumps and bruises.
It also left us as a one car family . . .
. . . until this week
The Blueberry II is her new pride and joy. Thank you CarMax!
On Saturday, Mary participated in three events in her Ventura County Youth Track Conference J.V. West Finals at Ventura's Buena H.S.
Mary whizzing by us . . .
. . . in her 400 Meter Race
All four of Mary's grandparents
were at Buena H.S. to support her
Mary had a good day in setting two Personal Records in the Long Jump by 5-1/2" and in the 400 Meters by 1.98 seconds.
She also ran in the 100 Meter race but did not reach a PR today.
Overall, a solid day for Miss Mary.
While we all at the track meet, there were two football games being played in Spain.
The Gijón Mariners Senior Flag team (7-3)
lost their Semifinal playoff game to the
Gijón Norteños (9-1)
Spanish XXXI crowned the 2025
Serie A Champion
The Las Rozas Black Demons (10-0)
outclassed the Badalona Dracs (8-2)
Dynasty INDEED!
The Black Demons have now won the Spanish Bowl for the third straight season and have been in this championship game each of the last six seasons!
Las Rozas was in our Western Conference and was easily the best, most complete team that we played.
It was good to read about
this contract being inked
In these wacky college football days where teams like Georgia are "risking" everything with their three non-conference games against the likes of Marshall, Austin Peay and UNC-Charlotte, it is good two see these two heavyweights facing each other for 12 years starting in 2027.
On Sunday, I joined Jacob and Michael for the 40 minute drive up to Santa Barbara.
Stepping on to the Stearns Wharf pier
Lots of pelicans and sailboats
on a beautiful morning
Moby Dick . . .
. . . eyeballing a ship to wreck
Those sailboats set the mood for
a good beach day
Tempting but no
Equally tempting but,
still no
Each flag seen here belonged to a
sovereign state that once possessed
the land we now call California
Our main reason to be on Stearns Wharf
I really can't say no to any of our grandchildren's dreams and, as you may know, Jacob is becoming a Marine Biologist.
Thus another fun day at an aquarium.
If it were real, this would be
FRIGHTENING!
This crawl space under an aquarium
tank was too small for me . . .
. . . so I stayed outside with the
tank between me and Jacob
The orange Garibaldi is the
State Fish of California
That whale is BIG!
In the aquarium's Research Center
Jacob was allowed to sort out specimens that had just been raised from the sea floor.
I am looking down into the opening where the specimens are captured in baskets and then hauled up by hand every 20 minutes or so.
Jacob transferring miniature crabs via
this shell into new habitats to be studied
One HAPPY budding Marine Biologist!
Jacob was excited to learn all about the aquarium's volunteer program and is already getting his application organized.
Done with our aquarium visit,
where to next?
We were not prepared to go fishing
A dog on a paddle board
was a sight to see
We decided to stop in Carpinteria on the way home for lunch at a Mexican cantina.
We had a GREAT day!
Cool spot in Carpinteria
for us old geezers
I got an interesting message from our long time friend Julien Urgenti who lives in Lyon, France, about French tourism in these days of the Trump Tariffs.
Apparently, French tourism to the USA has reached a huge low in response to Trump's economic policies.
Julien reports that in an effort to entice the French to start filling up these now largely empty flights, both French Bee and Air France are offering one-way flights on certain days from Paris to Los Angeles for only 180 Euros, about $205 USD.
This is really cheap!
Just be ready to travel on the
correct day and, voilà, you are
in SoCal!
Monday called for Mexican food at
El Tecolote
We just had to properly celebrate Mexico's victory over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
Reading Is FUNdamental
A solid effort from Michener
leading up to Cinco de Mayo
As always, thoughtful insights into
early 20th-century Europe, this
time with the Spanish Civil War
as a background
A good week to be sure.
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