Thurs., Aug. 2 - Thurs., Aug. 9, 2018
The weather in Ventura County continues to be HOT so we opted for some more outdoor activities this past week.
First up was a trip north on Friday for the annual . . .
. . . Santa Barbara Fiesta Days
Lots of colorful egg shells for sale . . .
. . . at only 25 cents each usually . . .
. . . all stuffed with . . .
. . . CONFETTI!
Perfect for smashing on people's heads which is a Fiesta tradition.
Mostly this is done to friends and family until the drinking starts.
The Fiesta's Parade
Firemen in the parade were
greeted as the heroes that they are
And they helped cool off many of us
A parade with LOTS of horses
Beautiful horses at that
White ones
Brown ones
With mantilla covered Doñas
Lots of vibrant colors
Almost like being in
Sevilla in the Spring
What an outfit!
It is so sad that many of today's
parade members may be unable to
attend this great event once that
damn wall is built
After the parade, it was time
to shop and eat
Interesting Dodgers bandana
No sale.
Ah the . . .
. . . Food Court!
Moderation in all things is my motto.
Seriously, after nearly six
months living near Milan we
are going into this store?
We both completely agree
It was a well stocked store
We bought a serving plate at an unreasonable price by Italian standards but Laurie was happy.
"Yes, dear."
Mary and Laurie showing off
their Fiesta flowers
Football Saturday at Buena H.S.
This first photo is from the J.V. vs. Frosh scrimmage.
I served as an assistant coach at Buena for three seasons from 2001 to 2003.
The Bulldogs Varsity in action
The Bulldogs played with great enthusiasm and were fun to watch.
Dr. Alex Garfio
Alex was a great RB for the Bulldogs back in 2001 and 2002 and went on to play for UC Davis and the Seville Linces in Spain.
He is currently an Assistant Athletic Director at USC.
I won't hold that against him.
What a great young man.
Buena Head Coach Ryan Bolland
Ryan was a Strong Safety for us at Buena in 2002 and 2003.
After graduating from Notre Dame, he joined me in the Summer of 2010 to coach the Hässleholm Hurricanes in Sweden and we coached together again at Rio Mesa H.S. in 2011 and 2012.
This will be Ryan's second year at the helm of the Buena Bulldogs.
What a great young man.
Tuesday at Newbury Park's practice
It was their first day in pads
Fundamentals was the order of the day
The first day in pads combined with near 100° temperatures made for a hard workout.
Why are the Varese Skorpions
in Washington D.C.?
Simple really, tonight at halftime of . . .
. . . the Rams vs. Ravens pre-season
NFL game they have been invited
to exhibit their flag football skills
If you recall, our U15 flag team won the Italian National Championship this year and U17s brought home the Bronze medal in their National Tournament.
What an amazing experience for the young Skorpions.
Speaking of amazing experiences . . .
Our son Mike, who will be our LB coach, and I head to beautiful Chihuahua, Mexico this Saturday for a week of Europe Warriors football as we prepare to play against the University of Chihuahua Águilas on August 18th.
Reading Is FUNdamental
The 11th installment of Walker's
"Bruno, Chief of Police" mysteries
did not disappoint
As usual this latest effort was equal parts murder, cuisine and French culture.
A good read indeed!
