Independence Day!!

Happy new year! Well, Rotary new year that is. I have now officially assumed my duties the District Governor of Rotary International District 5190. My good friends from the Portola Club invited me to kick it all off in the Graeagle Independence Day parade (on July 1st this year) last Sunday.

Kim and I met Ralph and Ann Taylor at around 10:30 in the morning and headed to parade registration. We arrived at the Graeagle Chevron to get connected with my "Ride" Bill Tantau in his 1949 MG TC. Bill is a Portola Rotarian who acquired the car in the mid sixties. It is a very cool set of wheels.

Bill and his sweet 1949 MG TC

MG is a British make, and the letters stand for "Morris Garage". Several years ago the brand and license were sold to an outfit in Malaysia. The TC indicates the model. The "T" series was produced from 1936 to 1955, and the TC was the third version. The one Bill owns is a 1949 model that was imported to the US. Interesting that it still had the steering wheel on the Right hand side. Pretty cool!


The Portola Rotary Club had several cool car entries, including a Model A Ford pick up truck, and a 1935 Ford sedan. Their Youth Exchange Student (Rachael Wehrman who is going to Sicily) rode in a beautiful 2008 Corvette! Kim rode in the Taylor's convertible "New Beetle". She was dressed up as Betsy Ross, and got many compliments!!

Model A Pickup on the left, and 1935 Ford on the right.

Gloria LaPlant, Portola's Club President, me, and Betsy Ross!

Ralph and Ann's VW with flag wavers in the back!

So, we had a few days to recover from the Graeagle Parade, before the Actual July 4th Parade and Picnic/Auction in Loyalton. This was a good thing, because this is a long and exhausting (but fun) day. It starts with a parade through Loyalton that includes an "instant replay". The entries move down main street, circle out through some residential streets, then come back onto main street and return for a second pass in the opposite direction. After the parade, there is a big celebration out at the Rotary Picnic Grounds that includes craft vendors, games for the kids, soda, beer, and hot dogs, a live auction (flea market type items), and a barbecue lunch. This year we also had live music after the auction.


My day started early as I had to pull the local high school band on our flatbed trailer in the parade. They are called the Room 10 band, and they are really very good. Musicians include drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboard, and a couple of female vocalists. They decorated the trailer the day before and we were ready to roll at 9:00. They were very well received by the crowd, and won "Best of Parade"! My favorite number was "Wipeout" by the Surfaris! The lead guitar's version of Jimmi Hendrix' Star Spangled Banner was nicely done, but got mixed reviews (I loved it). 

Decorating the "Float"!

The "Room 10 Band"

Best of Parade Trophy

Then it was off to the park to cook Tri-Tip roast, and sell junk at the auction. The Tri-Tip was a new deal this year, as we had done a deep pit brisket buried in 7 to 8 cords of flaming cord wood for near 30 years. The Tri-Tip was a hit, and I think we actually made more money than ever before!  Maggie and Lucy came to help serve food. They were a huge help, and slapped out potato salad and beef for about an hour and a half in the blazing July sun with the hot barbecue to their backs and no shade! They deserve a medal!

Mini-Coop wraps meat (left) and
"Upchuck" throws some roasts onto the grill.

Maggie slings potato salad, and Lu slaps on the beef!
Notice the tan on Lucy's arm?

Finally it was over, and I assessed the damage Kim had done at the auction. She purchased one ton of Hay (good), and several furniture items (not so good). However, she played a great role in driving bids up for many of the auction items. My guess is she netted the club several hundred additional bucks that will be used on community service projects and scholarships! She deserves a medal too!

"Betsy" sits at a retro computer desk she purchased.

When I got home I crashed in my recliner in the shade with a jug of ice cold lemonade. Happy birthday America!!


That's All!

Still the Champs!

In 1968, I was a junior at Canoga Park high school. We started as sophmores, so it was my second year there. In August, football practice started. Hot and miserable we practiced twice each day, and we had been doing fitness workouts together for a month. Then the coaches announced that all team members would have their hair shaved (like a boot camp haircut). This was a big deal to some, especially the seniors, but we all did it. I think that was when the magic started.

Our school newspaper: The Hunter's Call"

The short version: we surprised everybody by wining the Los Angeles City Championship for the first and only time in Canoga Park's history! IT was a wonderful experience, and sticks with me to this day. The power of team work, and believing in yourself were driven home to me during this amazing season. 

#12 Keith "White Shoes" Litz runs the ball,
 Charlie Barker #75 blocks,
and Greg done "22 is ready for the pitch.

As a junior, I was on the kicking teams, and second team offensive and defensive tackle. At 6' 2" and 185, I was one of the tallest, but certainly not the biggest guys on the field. Because of injuries to the two senior lineman who played ahead of me, I got to start in 5 of the eight regular season games. In one game I was the only Canoga player to play both offense and defense. After playing defense in a few games I was given my coveted green practice jersey. The defensive team was called the "Green Machine", while the offense was the "White Wave". Great memories. We forged tremendous friendships with each other. They were a different kind of friendship. We didn't have to hang around together all the time, although some did. We became truly brothers. That's the best I can describe it, still doesn't feel like it conveys the deep level of commitment and love we feel to each other.

Coming off the field after holding Poly's Offense. #21 is Joe Mears.
I am partially visible behind #30, Tommy Lee. I wore #76. You can see
I was one of the tallest, and wore a white "neck roll" for extra
protection.

Yes, I used the present tense: feel. The team has gotten together several times for reunions over the years. Many of these have been hosted by our head coach, Jack Mathieson. To a football player, there is something god-like about the head coach. Now that can be good, or bad. I experienced both while playing. Coach Mathieson was good, very good. He had (and still has) a sense of humor, compassion, sternness, and understanding that came together in a wonderful mixture. He made it FUN, worked our asses off, did not tolerate slacking, and somehow brought that team together psychologically into a force. We truly believed we were unbeatable (we did lose one game, but that is another story). 

A young Coach Mathieson. He was also my swimming
coach as a sophomore.

In june we all gathered once again at Coach Mathieson's home in Arizona. He hosted us all at the Orange Tree Golf Resort in Scottsdale. We spent three days together, reminiscing and catching up on life. Not all could make it, but most of us were there. Most of us went on to play college football, but nothing was ever quite so satisfying and rewarding as that season in 1968 when we came together, and showed that grit, determination, hard work, and believing in yourself can make magic happen.

Here's some pictures of the reunion.

Joe Mears, and his wife Patti (she was one of our cheerleaders!)

Greg Done our "scat back" on the right,
with our QB Keith "White Shoes" Litz and his friend 

Billy Murillo, our defensive safety on the left,
and our kicker, Nick Lomax on the right.
 Billy's nick name was the "Frito Bandito" as he
 intercepted 13 passes during the season!

Nose Guard/Center Larry Megougerac (left),
 with Def. Tackle Kieth Fisher

Ray Dembroge was our offensive end. He now lives in
Carson City.

THe Frito Bandito, BOb Adams, our All City Running Back, and me.

Keith Fisher, Offensive Tackle Charlie Barker,
and Nose Guard Don Wolfram raise their glasses

Coach and his wife Helen.

Team picture. The banner was signed by all of us at a
previous reunion.

The coach was loving this picture! Many of the ladies were on
the cheer leading squad, or in the stands during our games.
Of course, Kim was going to school in South Lake Tahoe at the time.

Nice cake! It went fast!

It was a good time for all. Kind of sad that a few of us couldn't make it. It is amazing how rejuvenating these reunions are. Hopefully we will get together again in a few more years.

That's All!