La Quinta Vacation Day II

Monday, June 29, 2026

As expected, it was a warm day in La Quinta with the temperature peaking at a balmy and official 100°F/37.8°C.

It was a perfect day to lounge about and . . .

. . . enjoy the bounty of the land

Laurie was ready for our four night

stay in the desert with FIVE pairs

of flip-flops

Obviously, she was prepared for any and all eventualities.

I traveled with but a single pair of my own.

Portrait of Brian FitzGerald

who took all of our photos yesterday

Laurie would have an eventful

day at the pool today

In the day's furnace-like conditions

MAXIMUM pool time was a good call

My view in the shade by the

pool for most of the day

Battling the aftereffects of sun poisoning and too many of our friend Gonzo's heat beating libations, I opted to retire to our bedroom for a short snooze.

Before I go any further, I must comment on Gonzo's outgoing, positive nature combined with his skills as bartender and resident Grill Master. He is top-notch on all levels.

Gonzo at the Grill

On top of these gifts, he is also Rio Mesa High School's long-time Girl's Soccer Coach so his insights while watching the three World Cup games today was invaluable to all of us soccer neophytes.

By the way, today's World Cup Knockout Round of 32 results were:

Brazil 2 - Japan 1

Brazil now plays the winner of the

Ivory Coast-Norway game on July 5th

Paraguay 1 - Germany 1

Paraguay advances on Penalty Kicks, 4-3,

and will play the winner of the

France-Sweden game on July 4th

Morocco 1 - Netherlands 1

Morocco advances on Penalty Kicks, 3-2,

and will play Canada on July 4th

What the . . .

While I was taking a nap, Laurie fell getting out of the pool.

Brian and Gonzo came to her rescue with their First Aid kit.

Shin battered, the official prognosis was for many more years of fabulous wedded bliss.

We saw this fireworks stand parked

next to the CVS pharmacy where

we replenished our First Aid supplies

We passed on purchasing any pyrotechnic knick-knacks of mass destruction.

News from the net . . .

Team Costa Rica's Sharks boasting

of their 20+ encounters over the

years with American football teams

from other countries

The Sharks continue the hype as they prepare for Sud America Bowl II in Mendoza, Argentina this coming Fall.

The Sharks dominated the competition in winning Sud America Bowl I back in 2024 which we witnessed with the FitzGeralds.

Mexico's U.N.A.M. Guerreros Aztecas

getting pumped up for another season

This is so true, but still,

NOBODY MOVES

This pretty much sums up our day

in La Quinta's scorching Sun today

 

Stay tuned for Tuesday's update of life in the Coachella Valley . . .

Time with Family From Las Vegas and Friends in La Quinta, California

Tues.-Sun., June 23-28, 2026

Summer continues to be a special time of the year.

Food is, of course, always a good topic

Freda's used to serve up the best pizza in all of Camarillo. Unfortunately, they closed their pizzeria in our humble town about two months ago.

After visiting my dentist in Thousand Oaks this week, I stopped in at Freda's T.O. location and brought home one of their delicious Margherita pizzas home to share with my bride.

Good move.

At the Nike store in the Camarillo

Outlet Mall I espied this French

World Cup jersey

Unfortunately, they had none in any "plus" sizes.

I noticed while reading in my usual

living room chair that the sycamore tree

across the street is getting HUGE!

On Thursday, Andrew, Jill, Emma, Max, Kevin and Savannah drove in from Las Vegas to spend a few days with us.

Good times and, as usual, lots of food including . . .

Breakfast from . . .

. . . Camarillo's iconic Rolling Pin Donuts

Kevin in a sugar induced

donut coma

Kevin and Andrew passing a

soccer ball around in our backyard

Kevin is getting taller

He'll be a Freshman in high school next Fall.

An offer out of the blue on Friday

My phone rang twice on Friday with calls from football coaches Joe Smigiel and Doug Dagan of Newbury Park H.S.

The Panthers were suddenly in need of a new Special Teams Coordinator for their high powered program. They were offering me the position without any solicitation on my part.

I asked for a day to think about it but after sober reflection to this most flattering offer, I decided that with Jacob's Frosh football season at Camarillo H.S. looming as well as scheduled Fall trips to Georgia for a Civil War Reenactment, Seattle for a UW-Penn State game and a nice excursion with the FitzGeralds to Prague, Vienna and Budapest, that this was not a coaching position that I could devote the proper amount of much needed time.

I will be a civilian again during the 2026 football season.

After three fun filled days with the Las Vegas Clan, we were off to La Quinta, California with five friends to spend a few hot days in the desert Sun.

Marilyn tribute in Palm Springs

where we stopped for lunch

Mutant cow also found

in Palm Springs

After foraging for supplies at the local Costco, we headed to our AirBnB, six bedroom house which will be our base for the next few days.

Our new abode was GINORMOUS!!!

Nice pool with a large shaded

spot to help us with the heat

Let's meet our housemates . . .

Laurie, Koreen and Pam

Chris

Gonzo

A stoic author contemplating

his next blogpost

Thank you, Brian FitzGerald for taking these candid shots, perhaps we'll capture his image in the next few days.

Moon bright Sunday night

in the Coachella Valley

Thoughts from the net . . .

The new President Obama

Learning Center

A disturbing sign of our times

Complete sentences, Obama speaks

in complete, rational, coherent sentences

Our Glorious Leader does not

Life seemed so much better during

so many previous administrations

Time for some gridiron notes . . .

Not strictly football but

good Huskies news for sure!

Former Los Angeles Rams

Safety "Little" Eddie Meador

belongs in Canton, Ohio's

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Meador also had 22 Fumble Recoveries during his Rams' career from 1959-1970.

Meador about to tackle the Giants

RB Tucker Frederickson with

Deacon Jones in hot pursuit

The Rhein Fire warning all about

the dangers of playing in sizzling

Europe this weekend

American Football League of Europe action this weekend . . .

Rhein Fire (4-1) - 45

Alpine Rams (1-4) - 13

No surprise here.

Wroclaw Panthers (4-1) - 48

Firenze Red Lions (0-4) - 7

Ditto.

The Vienna Vikings (5-0) are the

last undefeated club in the AFLE

European Football Alliance results . . .

Prague Lions (1-5) - 45

Tirol Raiders (0-4) - 44

These two evenly matched EFA clubs put on quite a show this weekend.

Munich Ravens (5-0) - 37

Noedic Storm (5-1) - 34

Another EFA barnburner between the two best teams in the Alliance.

They didn't wear them today but I

LOVE these Munich Ravens jerseys!

Can't wait for the next game

between the Storm and Ravens

Season over, Colombia's

Soacha Rhinos are now in

Rest, Relax and Recharge mode

A 9-3 Huskies season would be acceptable

I found the predicted loss to Nebraska and victory over defending National Champion Indiana to be of interest.

My thoughts turned to Michael

and Jacob as they and Vanessa and

Mary head up to Astoria, Oregon

for a Civil War reenactment soon

This is always a fun event,

the highlight of the busy Camarillo

Social Calendar every Summer

Reading Is FUNdamental!

This Philo Vance mystery was first

published in 1929, it was an absolute

period piece HOOT!

These next few days parboiling in the desert heat with friends should be tons of fun.