Members of the C.C.A.F., Inc. team joined up with some of our friends in Santa Cruz and Reno to play in the "Soccer by the Sea" tournament last June. The "Manzanita" team, as we were called, wound up taking first place in the tournament, though there was stiff competition all along the whole way. There were two very difficult games with the "Mountain Mechanics" team, as the lead kept teetering back and forth, especially during the last half of the action packed final. 

Highlights of the trip started early, as Alex wound up swerving to avoid a semi that wanted to share his lane with him as we were leaving Las Vegas. From that point on, the energy level of the trip remained high, much to the chagrin of those sane individuals unfortunate enough to cross our path. Case in point. After a few hours, Alex opted to open the window, discovering a familiar scent.

Fifteen minutes later, he was trying to convince everyone of what had actually assaulted us, few believing him...

We headed through Bakersfield and across the Central Valley, seeing the sights, until...

Yes, the wine beckoned, but persisting, we continued on our quest...

Until we enventually reached Dawn's house, alive and, well... 

The woman demonstrated her saintly traits, those stretched to thier farthest reaches as she graciously put up with the antics of a dozen or so very large kids. In thier defense, they had been cooped up in the car for a significant period of time, some forgetting thier manners, or even what planet they were on.

In a last ditch effort to retain what she had left of her sanity, Dawn fell back on her last line of defense, opting to tame the children by taking them on a tour of Elkhorn Slough. The wonderful and historic scenery helped her to maintain some semblance of control as the woman stuggled valiantly against her deepest urges, knowing that it might not be in her best interest to drown the very teammates she might need the next day. She also knew in the back of her mind that the authorities might have something to say, should half a dozen or so bodies be found littering the historic landmark.

But in truth, her biggest fear was in confronting those teammates she would see the next morning, who, as protocol deemed, were expecting the out-of-towners to bring the beer. In appreciation for her efforts, a stop at the local grocier was made, and a celebration took place...

(the cause of which will make itself evident here shortly) 

Alex, a man of very few words, kept muttering something about the craps in the water. I'd always heard the game was played with dice, and the idea of them being eight legged and residing in water, well, imagine the terror, as we all know what water does to felt. We were eventually able to convince him that the things he'd been pointing to were crabs, an altogether different species, and one rarely found in a casino. At least outside of the restaurant... 

As a sidenote, we were able to gain the attention of one of the local populous. The primary benefit in that being an almost instantaneous change from the dreaded subject. That, was a sign from the diety (she/him) self, as all subsequent explainations seemed to find themselves obliterated, either by a lack, (or unwillingness) to comprehend the intent, the exercise falling far short of what we know to be communication...

A rare picture of Alex. The man is demonstating a facial expression that is rarely, if ever, seen on him.

Hopefully, it won't detract from the accuracy of the hairstyle....