Lamb celebration

Yesterday, the world famous Marin pétanque club (La Pétanque Marinière) hosted its annual Leg of Lamb picnic.
It drew a decent crowd (around 60 registered guests and some stragglers) who came to chomp on the lamb, chew the fat and incidentally toss a few boules.

 

This picnic, which was gratis for club members, reinforces the fact that with a membership fee averaging less than $3.00 a month pétanque is a ridiculously cheap form of entertainment.

And no special equipment is required to play the game.
No helmet, no protective gear, no mouthguard (even though some individuals could use it to keep their mouth in check) and no flashy uniform.
All you need is a set of good boules and you are set for life.
What popular sport can claim this distinction?

But enough said about the virtues of pétanque.

Here are the people who elected to play in the tournament:

1. Alain Efron & Helga Facchini
2. Louis Toulon & Tamara Efron
3. Christine Cragg & Genevieve Etallaz
4. Rene Di Maio & Lillian Sebban
5. Bleys Rose & Calvert Barron
6. Gustave Foucher & Monique Bricca
7. Philippe Arnaud & Blaise West
8. Colette Van Der Meulen & Claudie Chourre
9. Magge Lane & Mireille Di Maio
10. Joe La Torre & Charlie Davantes
11. Henry Wessel & Francois Moser
12. Jean-Claude Etallaz & Susan Holbert

The “piece de resistance” of the picnic was lamb and it was expertly cooked by Jean-Claude Etallaz and Antoine Lofaro.

I am unable to mention all the people who toiled behind the scene to make this event successful but they were many.
Some cleaned the field, some did the shopping, some prepared the meat, some prepared the vegetables, some did the paperwork, some helped to serve the food.
Let’s just say that it was a communal effort that ought to make the club proud.

Back to the tournament.

Three leisurely games were played after lunch and no scores were kept.
The format of the tournament was “à la mêlée » and luck provided a partner.
Personally, I had the good fortune to land a very capable teammate (Helga Facchini) and we did well.
We won 3 games out of three and we could have done better if I had not faltered in the last game.

I managed to take a few pictures, mainly before the tournament, and those quick candid shots turned out pretty well.

Incidentally, we have a new club member and his name is Harold. Please make him feel welcome next time you see him on the field.

The tournament ended with a wine lottery. Some people were extraordinarily lucky and ended up winning three bottles.
Lady Luck can be overwhelmingly generous or dreadfully spiteful.

 

“Nothing is as obnoxious as other people’s luck.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Alain

PS: To look at photos of this event and listen to accompanying background music, turn the sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page.