Mon. & Tues., April 27-28, 2026
As seems to be the case more and more every week, there is not much to report from our quiet domicile in Camarillo.
Living the Dream, INDEED!
The mystery of no natural gas
at Casa Contreras
As noted in a previous post, we noticed a sudden lost of access to our natural gas line late Saturday afternoon. This meant no hot water, no stove and no heater until access was reestablished.
We first checked to be sure that we had not missed paying our monthly bill to our provider, SoCal Gas. We had indeed paid our last bill ahead of time the first week of April.
SoCal Gas was not open for business on Sundays other than for emergency gas leak purposes, so after dropping the grandkids off at school on Monday, we called them.
No problem, they would have a well trained, professional service man at our door by noon.
After doing several fruitless checks inside our home at the sites of our water heater, stove and home heater, he tried one more thing.
He went to the outdoor main shutoff valve and found it in the closed position. We noted that our gardeners had trimmed back several bushes near the gas valve and must have accidentally bumped it into the closed position.
Well that service was easy and FREE to boot.
Laurie and I both love watching mystery TV shows shown on our PBS stations like Maigret, Father Brown, Grantchester, Midsomer Murders, Murdoch Mysteries, Poirot, Death in Paradise.
While all of these are great shows, for me the best of all of the PBS shows is . . .
This one, well written with
excellent cinematography and
excellent acting
Best of all, the Camarillo Public Library has the entire series for me to view at my leisure or even binge watch if the mood hits me.
News from the Continent . . .
Italian DI Standings
As has become the case in recent seasons, the Firenze Guelfi (4-0) are atop the standings.
Italian DII Standings
The Monza Daemons (5-0) are the last undefeated club in DII.
Italian DIII Standings
Part 1
Girone A is a dogfight between the Ciriè Blitz, Piacenza Woverines and Varese Gorillas all with 3-1 records.
The Bari Navy Seals (4-0) and Palermo United (3-1) are the class of Girone B.
Italian DIII Standings
Part 2
The Cagliari Crusaders (3-0) are the clear favorites in Girone C play.
Girone D's Formigine Honey Badgers (4-0) may be the most dominant DIII squad in Italy this season having outscored their four opponents 160-12. The Pisa TFU (3-1) is the only team to challenge the Honey Badgers losing to the Formigine team 16-6 at home.
Italian DIII Standings
Part 3
In Girone E, the Trieste Muli (3-1) own a small edge over the Castelfranco Cavaliers (2-2) and FVG Kraken (2-2).
Girone F is being dominated by Italy's two politically incorrect elevens, the Verona Redskins (4-1) and the Ravenna Chiefs (4-1).
The 2026 American football season in Spain is coming to its end soon . . .
The Spanish Bowl is this Saturday
Las Rozas Black Demons (8-1) at
Badalona Dracs (8-1)
A fitting matchup for the DI title, Las Rozas is the Western Conference's #1 seed and the Dracs are the Eastern Conference's #1 seed.
Spanish DII Standings
Cataluña Conference
Barcelona Pagesos 7-0 *
Reus Imperials 5-2 *
Argentona Bocs 4-3
Riudoms Rebels 3-4
Barberà Rookies 2-4
Barcelona Uroloki 2-4
Barcelona Búfals 0-6
Levante Conference
Valencia Giants 6-1-1 *
Alicante Sharks 6-2 *
Sueca Ricers 5-2-1
Alicante Thunder 1-7
Murcia Cobras 1-7
Madrid Conference
Alcobendas Cavaliers 7-0 *
Alcorcón Smilodons 5-2 *
Tres Cantos Jabatos 3-3
Boadilla Vikings 2-4
Pinto Goldbats 1-4
Madrid Capitals 0-5
Norte Conference
Valladolid Penguins 6-1 *
Santurtzi Coyotes 4-3
Cantabria Bisons 4-3-1
Torrelavega Berserkers 3-3
Villamayor Mercenarios 2-4
Guadalajara Stings 0-5-1
Sur Conference
Jerez Jaguars 5-0 *
Mairena Blue Devils 4-2
Canarias Canes 2-3
Sevilla Linces 0-6
* 2026 DII Playoff Team
The Spanish DII Playoff Brackets
Quarterfinals
May 16 or 17, 2026
Madrid Conference #2 Seed
Alcorcón Smilodons (5-2)
at
Norte Conference #1 Seed
Valldolid Penguins (6-1)
Cataluña Conference #2 Seed
Reus Imperials (5-2)
at
Levante Conference #1 Seed
Valencia Giants (6-1-1)
Cataluña Conference #1 Seed
Barcelona Pagesos (7-0)
at
Madrid Conference #1 Seed
Alcobendas Cavaliers (7-0)
Levante Conference #2 Seed
Alicante Sharks (6-2)
at
Sur Conference #1 Seed
Jerez Jaguars (5-0)
The game between the Barcelona Pagesos (7-0) and Alcobendas Cavaliers (7-0) is an odd matchup for an Opening Round game in my opinion.
Dreaming of Spain . . .
The 20 Most Visited Cities
in BEAUTIFUL Spain
Laurie and I have had the blessed fortune to have visited 16 of them over the years.
These are ones that we have yet to visit:
#8 Málaga
#16 Gran Canaria
#17 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
#18 Ibiza City
In our defense, only Málaga is located on the Iberian Peninsula.
Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife are both found in Spain's Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Morocco.
Ibiza City lies off the Mediterranean Sea coast of Spain in the Balearic Islands.
This itinerary is WAY too much
of a whirlwind even for me
A trip of this magnitude requires 14-21 days to be properly savored, in my humble opinion.
Ten days minimum for this excursion
Back to football and the controversial Los Angeles Rams recent Draft Class . . .
Newly signed Undrafted Free
Agent Rams to the rescue!
With the Rams' overall roster being considered by many to be the NFL's best in 2026, it would take an impressive player from this list to make the club.
Out of nowhere this popped up
"Concrete" Charlie Bednarik
Center/Linebacker
University of Pennsylvania
1945-1948
Bednarik was a two-time All-American for the Quakers in 1947 and 1948.
He was the first player taken in the 1949 NFL Draft staying put in Philadelphia with the Eagles.
He fabulous "60 Minute Man" career led to his induction to both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Concrete indeed!
I'd throw in Washington's
Camas Papermakers into this list
New York's Sleepy Hollow Headless Horsemen and California's Yuba City Honkers would be another good additions as well.
And so life continues . . .
