It's Been a While . . .

Well, it's been over a month since I last posted on the blog.

The main reason for this long delay is simply that life in California is so much more slow paced and laid back than the frenetic, up-tempo life that we lived on the Continent.

Still, we have had several fun moments since we last checked in with you.

Of course, we had a delightful time hosting Lucie Damboise for a couple of weeks in August. Lucie is the daughter of Jean-Charles and Marianne Damboise who became our friends in Lyon. Lucie spent most of the Summer living first with our friends Paul and Joanne Sabolic, then attending and living in the dorms at Cal State-Northridge before moving to Camarillo.

Lucie in Casa Contreras with Jacob

Lucie at Cronies Sports Grill

Being Grandparents now consumes a big chunk of our time. 

Teaching Jacob Tackling Techniques

Jacob checking me for signs of a possible concussion from one of his hits

Lucie Goes to Hollywood

Lucie at the famous Chinese Theater

With Mickey on Hollywood Boulevard

One of Laurie's favorites growing up

Dreaming of France on Santa Monica's

Third Street Promenade

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

It would not be Summer without

a Dodger game and Vinny!

The view from our seats for the

New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodger

Bringing the HEAT!!!

STRIKE ONE!!!

He is Cuban and 66

I'm Cuban and 66 too

We attended a fun BBQ

at the home of the Selig's

Lucie's first Smore

Great dinner in Carpinteria
Kathleen Zant, Laurie and Lucie 

We drove up the coast to meet the Zants for dinner.

With John Zant

John and I were teammates on the 1963 St. Francis H.S. football team (12-1) that won the C.I.F. "AAA" Championship with a 7-0 victory over La Mirada H.S. at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

We will be joining other members of that team for a 50 year reunion/celebration of the championship in October.

John has been a long time, highly acclaimed sports writer for Santa Barbara newspapers.

Great food and fellowship in Carpinteria on that night.

FIFTY YEARS???

Speaking of football . . .

Much of the last month has been spent coaching the Newbury Park H.S. J.V. team with our son Mike who is a teacher and coach at NPHS.

J.V. vs. Frosh Scrimmage

Coach Contreras the Younger and

Coach Contreras the Wiser

J.V.s in Yellow

Shane Sipes can play!!!

Jacob and Vanessa were

at the scrimmage

Frosh DB trying to catch up to

J.V. WR Luke Wuesthoff

RB Connor Williams for Six

The 2015 NPHS Varsity

Before Lucie was due to fly home to Lyon, we just had to take her on a boat ride in the Ventura Harbor.

Cathy Salltee, Debi Murphy,

Laurie and Lucie

Sidewalk Art at the Harbor

Lunch at Brophy Brothers

Lucie had one last chance to shop

at LAX

Au revoir Lucie!

Again, we really enjoyed our time hosting Lucie.

Meanwhile, back to American football . . .

J.V.s at Ventura H.S. for a Scrimmage

NPHS in Yellow

RB Jonas Mello ran tough

After three weeks of practices and two scrimmages, we were finally ready to play our first game.

Our expectations for our J.V. squad were simple. All we asked was that we attended practice, stayed focused and worked hard to improve daily. 

As Freshmen in 2012, our group posted a 3-7 record but did show marked improvement throughout the season. We need to build on that base to be sure.  

NPHS Panther J.V. Helmet Decals

Our first game was at Buena H.S. in Ventura on a very hot and ridiculously humid afternoon.

DE Brock Barton pressuring

the Bulldog QB

NG Kyle Koh and DE Jacob

Blackburn on the tackle

Jonas Mello had a GREAT game!

Near the Goal Line

TD PANTHERS!!!!!!!

LB CJ Stanziano on the Blitz

Contreras and Contreras

Big Hole for Jonas Mello

We earned a hard fought 24-21 victory on opening night. It was a good feeling and the boys were happy to say the least!

Game Two at Thousand Oaks H.S.

Here Come the Panthers!!!

Swarming on Defense

FS Shane Sipes about to earn a

HAMMER!!!

CB Luke Wuesthoff played very well

LB Dawson Schmidt Blitzing

Panther Cheerleaders

QB Erich Wuesthoff played well too

Goal Line Defense

CJ Stanziano at it again

Great Job Breaking Up a Possible

TD Pass

One last chance for victory

The Thousand Oaks-Newbury Park rivalry started in 1970 and has been played every year since then.

This game was again hard fought and close but the Lancers were a bit better than us on this day taking home a 18-12 victory.

Our record is now 1-1 on the season. Our next game is at Agoura H.S. this coming Thursday.

Mike and I took young Jacob to the Camarillo Airport last Thursday to visit the World War II Air Museum.

Firing Up the Hell Cat's Engine

Flying Transport "Over the Hump"

Jacob wanted to parachute

out on the static line

Thinking about Andy out in Las Vegas

Very Cool Little Plane

WWII Bomber

Recon Plane

Jacob Wanted to fly it

Looked Easy Enough to Jacob

Japanese Zero

One of only five in the world from WWII that can still fly.

Victory Decals are not just a

football thing it turns out

The Red Baron?

Jacob by the Casa Contreras Pool

staying cool in the heat in his

Sumo Wrestling outfit

So that is basically what we did this past month, about 75% football and a bit of good old family time.

I'll try to update weekly from now on.

BEAT THE CHARGERS!!!

Labyrinth

Reading Is FUNdamental

This is the second of Kate Mosse's trilogy of mystical life in France's Midi-Pyrennes region that I have read this Summer.

It was a good read and I look forward to reading the final book in her Languedoc trilogy, Sepulchre sometime soon.

Unfortunately, I will not have read these books in their sequential order. The correct order would have been to read Labyrinth first, then Sepulchre and finish with Citadel.

Hectic Sunday

Sunday was a bit more hectic than usual due to a snafu at the end of our Manzanillo trip.

We were scheduled to leave Manzanillo at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday for a short flight on AeroMexico to Mexico City where we would have a 75 minute layover before boarding an Air Tran flight to Santa Ana's John Wayne Airport.

We were smoothly going through our check-in process until our AeroMexico agent very apologetically informed us that our flight would be at least one hour late.

Of course, this meant that we would miss our connection in Mexico City. The people at AeroMexico were great in securing us a spot on a 4:00 p.m. Alaska Air flight to Los Angeles with all of our friends.

Since they had all flown out of LAX, it was easy enough to hitch a ride back to the Camarillo with the FitzGeralds.

The problem was that our car was still in Santa Ana.

Thus on Sunday I boarded a train in Camarillo at 7:18 a.m. for the three hour ride to Santa Ana. My sister-in-law Gayle, who lives nearby, picked me up at the train station and graciously gave me a ride to the airport.

From there I was off to my Mother's house for a visit. Guess who I found there?

"Oh God, more paparazzi!"

It was none other than young Jacob Contreras.

"Feed Me, SVP"

Vanessa, our niece Lauren and her

newborn Max were in the house too!

Our son Mike, my sisters Linda

and Marilyn, Lauren and Max

After visiting for a few hours, I was off to Cal State University-Northridge to pick up our friend from Lyon, Lucie Damboise.

She has been living in the San Fernando Valley with first our friends the Sabolics and more recently in the dorms at CSUN while she studies American culture and the English language. She will spend her last two weeks in California living with us in Camarillo.

Lucie with her two Brazilian friends

Suzani and Julianna

They are also CSUN students that she met through her university program.

After picking her up, we drove directly to a 70th birthday party in Camarillo at Yolanda's Mexican Food Restaurant.

Rod, Jason and Scott Fujita

Can you guess which one was celebrating their birthday?

Lucie and Laurie

Lucie is now safe and sound in Casa Contreras.