Yesterday’s picnic/tournament was what I would call a successful affair. It was well attended and various club members showed great team spirit by lending a hand to the event.
I also noticed quite a few new faces, and the people who brought them in ought to be commended for introducing these young men and women to the game.
The weather was clement. It was a little cool in the morning but almost perfect (not too hot, not too cool) in the afternoon.
The tournament directors were Verena Rytter and Liv Kraft.
The cooking brigade was composed of Jean-Claude Etallaz, Antoine Lofaro, and Roger Mattei.
The Helping Rockettes were: Sabine Mattei, Mireille Di Maio, Claudie Chourré, Eva Lofaro, Minette Etallaz.
As a welcome change, instead of the sempiternal peas and carrots, potato patties and stuffed tomatoes were served to accompany the steaks.
This week again I did not intend to play but I was ultimately cajoled into participating in the tournament and I was paired with (Holy Mackerel) none other than (ta-da!) Le Facteur.
Jean-Michel is a good, but very emotional player. In fair weather he is an amiable fellow, but when the boat starts rocking he can get a little paranoid.
Nobody likes to lose but regardless how things are going one needs to keep a cool head, and I reminded him of this a few times.
Personally, when playing my guiding principles are:
- If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
- Keep calm and fix bayonets.
- It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.
Ultimately we didn’t fare too badly winning 2 games out of 3 and losing the last one 9/13.
“Le Facteur was so depressed, he tried to commit suicide by inhaling next to an Armenian.” Woody Allen
The tournament’s participants were:
- Charles Davantes & Claudie Chourré
- Brendan Cohen & Miguel Cuevas
- David Katz & Minette Etallaz
- Francois Moser & Peggy Silversides
- Ken Lee & Christine Jones
- Steve Jones & Liliane Sebban
- Bernard Passmar & Sarah Passmar
- Louis Toulon & Julie Thompson
- Anton Vargas & Brigitte Moran
- Gustav Fisher & Sabine Mattei
- Henry Wessel & Eva Lofaro
- Herb Moran & Calvert Barron
- JC Etallaz & Greg McDonald
- Frosty Sabo & Mireille Di Maio
- Philippe Arnaud & Robbie Passmar
- Alain Efron & JM Poulnot
At lunchtime an enormous black dog appeared. At first sight I wondered if it was a pony or a small bear but it turned out to be a Briard, a dog that originated from the French region of Brie.
This gentle giant (weighing 130 lbs.) is sometimes called “a heart of gold wrapped in fur”. It is a great dog, but definitely not a lapdog and probably needing his own queen size bed.
Three games were played after lunch and the tournament ended around 4:30 p.m.
The final results:
1st place: Charles Davantes & Claudie Chourré
2nd place: Bernard Passmar & Sarah Passmar
3rd place: Frosty Sabo & Mireille Di Maio
And that was the way I saw it.
Alain
To look at photos of this event and listen to the accompanying background music, turn your computer’s sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.
Your comments are welcome.