Thursday, April 25, 2024
It was time for the long drive home after our latest Las Vegas excursion.
We got up early to bid our goodbyes only to be reminded that . . .
. . . Kevin does NOT do mornings well
In this respect, Kevin is exactly like his cousin Jacob.
Cousin Mary, on the other hand, is a live wire in the morning.
Their huge bed/couch looked
inviting to me as well
He RALLIED!
He is getting taller having blown by Laurie's lofty stature to be sure.
But he is not this tall
Yet.
It was so much fun playing Uno games with Kevin and watching him compete in his two middle school soccer games this week.
I wish we lived closer to each other so that we could visit much more often.
When we woke up this morning, Laurie was feeling a little under the weather. Regardless, she supported me in the quest for some new, out of the way adventures on the trek back to Camarillo.
Trooper.
Our first stop was for lunch in the City of San Bernardino.
No, not at the interesting
Amapola Rico Taco restaurant
Back in the 1940s, this spot was the location for Bell's Burgers.
The owner was one Glen Bell who, thanks to the inspiration, generosity and help of the owner's of the Mitla Cafe, would create the Taco Bell empire in the 1950s.
One of the Bell's Burgers employees, Ed Hackbar, would later start the Del Taco chain of Mexican restaurant that is Taco Bell's main competitor in the Mexican fast food industry.
More on these food connections and the Mitla Cafe's important roll in the Civil Rights struggle can be found by clicking on these two video clips. The first is from the CBS Sunday Morning show and the second is from a PBS piece on the restaurant history of Southern California. They are both well worth watching:
We were headed across the street to the historic . . .
. . . Mitla Cafe
They had me with the menu cover
Spacious but actually small
main dining room
The #6 Combination Plate
It consisted of a Chile Relleno, a Cheese Enchilada and a Beef Taco.
All were incredibly good, well worth driving about 20 minutes out of our way and, dare I say it, WAY better than anything that Taco Bell or Del Taco has to offer.
The Mitla Cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Thus, sadly, a Taco Tuesday two hour drive to San Bernardino is not possible.
Although, across the street at the old Bell's Burger site, that Amapola Rico Tacos joint just might be worth the trip.
After that great meal, and with Laurie feeling even better, we continued to the neighboring metropolis of Riverside to take a peek at the famous National Historic Landmark Mission Inn.
It was only 20 more minutes out of our way home but Laurie was feeling stronger and allowed me to follow my dream.
The Cheech!
Cheech Marin of the Cheech and Chong 1970s comedy fame, is the patron of this museum dedicated to Chicano Art and Culture. It is located next door to the Mission Inn.
I was tempted to enter but wisely decided not to push my luck any farther with Laurie delicate stomach at this juncture.
I proceeded to head towards the Mission Inn across the street.
The Chinese Memorial Pavilion
Colorful and charming, this memorial is dedicated to the spirit and courage of the Chinese pioneers who came to Riverside.
Another example of a culture and heritage contributing to the diversity that truly makes America great.
An intricate sundial near the
Chinese Pavilion
The glorious Mission Inn
The now spacious and architecturally impressive Mission Inn first opened as a simple, adobe boarding house in 1876.
By the early 1900s, it was a full service hotel and finally completed in 1931.
Over the years this gem grew in fame and is now listed on the rolls of National Historic Landmark Hotels.
Six United States Presidents
have passed under this archway
The list of U.S. Presidents who have stayed at the Mission Inn include Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Booker T. Washington was
just one of many social leaders
who stayed at the Mission Inn
Among the others who enjoyed a night or two at the Mission Inn while visiting the City of Riverside were Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller and John Muir.
Cannons for protection are a
MUST at hotels of this magnitude
Weddings are a big part of the
Mission Inn's services nowadays
The Inn's gorgeous courtyard
It has a definite European feel to it and also gives off a Hollywood vibe, too.
At least three movies have in part been filmed at the Inn.
They are 1915's "The Vampire," 1938's "Idiot's Delight" and 1997's remake of "The Man in the Iron Mask."
Hollywood luminaries Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Tom Hanks, Barbara Streisand and James Brolin have also taken advantage over the years of all that the Mission Inn has to offer.
I can't say that I blame them
A lovely fountain just adds
to the ambience
Of course the Inn has a
Barber/Hair Salon on the premises
Small flying buttresses
brought a smile to my face
It made me wonder how the post-fire rebuild of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is progressing?
Under the pink awnings is a cupcake store.
I entered only to find several beautifully made, rich looking possibilities with lots of people waiting to purchase a delight or six.
I was strong and just looked.
My body is a temple after all.
A crest on the Mission Inn wall
with a subservient Native American
kneeling beneath two Catholic priests
Typical.
This wall is getting interesting
in its own right
Really interesting!
Now happy to have explored two new sites for the first time we drove on for two more hours to Casa Contreras after another Las Vegas road trip.
I fully plan to take Laurie to the Mission Inn again soon to add our names to the list of Presidents, social leaders and celebrities who have enjoyed all of the amenities of this gorgeous, historic landmark hotel in Southern California's Inland Empire.
On to American football news from all over the globe . . .
Sweden's Limhamn Griffins
Men's team will host Stockholm's
AIK squad on Saturday while . . .
. . . the Griffins Women's team
will travel on Sunday to play
the Västerås Roedeers
Poland's Warsaw Derby on Saturday
Toulon Canoniers will be at the
Nîmes Centurions on Saturday
if you happen to be in the
Occitanie region of Southern France
Italian DI Feline Derby
The Parma Panthers (2-2) will be hosting the Torino Giaguari (2-3) on Sunday with playoff implications still in play for both teams.
The only other Italian DI game
on this weekend's IFL schedule
The host Lazio Marines (1-4) will be playing for pride while the Legnano Frogs (2-3) are still in the thick of the playoff hunt if they can win at least two of their final three regular season games.
Bart Iaccarino's Cecina Trappers (4-1)
are ranked #3 of Italy's 13 team DII
Our beloved Italian DIII team,
the Catania Elephants (4-0) are
ranked #1 in the 9FL South
There are 21 teams total this year in the Italian DIII, 9FL division with only five of them still undefeated.
The 17 team ELF is nearing the
start of their fourth season
The Barcelona Dragons have a
robust ELF six game home schedule
The order in June has the Dragons hosting Austria's Tirol Raiders, Switzerland's recently rebranded Helvetic Mercenaries and Italy's Milano Seamen.
July will see Germany's Munich Ravens, Spain's first year Madrid Bravos and Germany's Stuttgart Surge traveling to Catalonia for games.
Spain's Serie B Quarterfinal
Playoff games are this weekend
Our old club, the Guadalajara Stings (5-1) will be at home against the Valencia Giants (5-1) on Sunday in a tough playoff opener to say the least.
I'm backing the Stings all the way to a title this year.
Another reminder of a big
South American tournament next
November in Mendoza, Argentina
I just may be in need of a road trip by then with my brand new, still unused USA Passport.
A Saturday pro game in Mexico
that eventually leads to the . . .
. . . Mexican Pro Football Championship
Game in June
The long drive home today featured endless sports radio talk about tonight's all important NFL Draft.
It started tonight in Detroit with
the First Round only
The Hype was all consuming
for the pundits
This draft order led to much speculation
analysis, mumbo jumbo and just
plain outright guessing
Let's work with this Mock Draft
It is just one of hundreds that the experts had structured for wiser NFL clubs and their owners, GMs and coaches to follow implicitly.
They didn't.
After nailing the first four picks
correctly, the Mock Draft above
fell apart, sort of
A total of 28 names on the Mock Draft list were correct, just going to different teams than predicted.
There were four players listed in the Mock Draft as First Round picks that did not get selected tonight. They were Jer'zahn Newton (Illinois DT), Cooper DeJean (Iowa DB), Kool-Aid McKintry (Alabama DB) and Adonai Mitchell (Georgia WR).
Is there a better first name in the list of 2024 NFL Draft prospects than Kool-Aid?
Instead, these four overlooked players were replaced by breakthrough athletes Jordan Morgan (Arizona OL) at #25 to the Packers, Darius Robinson (Missouri DE) at #27 to the Cardinals, Rickey Pearsall (Florida WR) at #31 to the 49ers and Xavier Leggette (South Carolina WR) at #32 to the Panthers.
Speaking of college programs represented in the Draft, it was an historic day for the University of Washington Huskies.
After some research, I found that over the years, the Huskies have produced a total of 28 NFL #1 Draft picks, far more than I recalled.
Here is the list of UW First Round Picks with their overall Draft status included:
1941, C Rudy Mucha, 4th, Cleveland Rams
1941, B Dean McAdams, 8th, Brooklyn Dodgers
Two First Rounders in 1941 established the record for most Huskies selected in the First Round.
1952, RB Hugh McElhenny, 9th, San Francisco 49ers
It was said at the time that "Hustling" Hugh had famously taken a pay cut after leaving the UW to join the 49ers.
1967, WR Dave Williams, 16th, St. Louis Cardinals
I was fortunate enough to be a teammate of Dave's on the 1966 UW squad. Besides his skills as a WR, he was also a tremendous track/decathlon athlete at the UW. I remember him mostly as just a good, down to earth guy.
1978, C Blair Bush, 16th, Cincinnati Bengals
1980, DT Doug Martin, 9th, Minnesota Vikings
1981, OT Curt Marsh, 23rd, Oakland Raiders
1985, DE Ron Holmes, 8th, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1986, LB Joe Kelly, 11th, Cincinnati Bengals
1987, DT Reggie Rogers, 7th, Detroit Lions
1990, C Bern Brostek, 23rd, Los Angeles Rams
For the second time in UW history, two Huskies were First Rounders in 1992.
1992, DT Steve Emtman, 1st, Indianapolis Colts
Emtman is still the only Husky to ever be honored as the NFL Draft's #1 overall selection.
1992, CB Dana Hall, 18th, San Francisco 49ers
1993, OT Lincoln Kennedy, 9th, Atlanta Falcons
1995, RB Napoleon Kaufman, 18th, Oakland Raiders
1995, TE Mark Bruener, 27th, Pittsburgh Steelers
2002, TE Jerramy Stevens, 28th, Seattle Seahawks
2004, WR Reggie Williams, 9th, Jacksonville Jaguars.
2011, QB Jake Locker, 8th, Tennessee Titans
2013, DB Desmond Trufant, 22nd, Atlanta Falcons
The 2015 NFL Draft was an historic one for the UW with three Huskies going in the First Round.
2015, NT Danny Shelton, 12th, Cleveland Browns
2015, CB Marcus Peters, 18th, Kansas City Chiefs
2015, LB Shaq Thompson, 25th, Carolina Panthers
2017, WR John Ross, 9th, Cincinnati Bengals
2018, DT Vita Vea, 18th, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019, OT Kaleb McGary, 31st, Atlanta Falcons
2021, OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyimka, 32nd, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2022, DB Trent McDuffie, 21st, Kansas City Chiefs
Tonight, this elite group of Huskies would be joined for just the second time ever, by three more Dawgs to make it 31 UW athletes selected all-time in the NFL's First Round.
The first to go was a bit of a
surprise to the experts
The surprise was not that he was a first rounder but rather that the Falcons took him this early in the Draft.
Getting paired with QB Caleb Williams,
the Draft's and the Bears' overall
#1 pick will be fun to watch
I think that the Steelers got great
value with this pick at #20
This First Round was just another tribute to the wonderful 2023 UW team that finished 14-1 as history's final PAC-12 Champion.
DAMN, this is SO true!
This map just popped up
randomly on Facebook today
So many good memories from our 2008 and 2009 seasons coaching Sicily's Catania Elephants. The wonderful town where we lived, Acireale, is even on it.
The Elephants were the perfect team and football family to be with at the start of our EuroBall Adventures.
It was a busy but memorable day today to be sure.
