Despite the threatening rain, Oktoberfest 2021 took place as planned last Sunday in Sonoma… with maybe a little lot less drinking and carousing than in Munich. For those who expected lots of lederhosen, dirndls, bratwursts, and Oom Pah Pah music, it fell a little short of expectations. But still, 54 people (without counting the canines) signed up to play and showed up on time.
I went to Sonoma with the firm intention of doing nothing but taking pictures, but in this world, nothing ever works exactly as planned. Toward the end of the day, one player (probably disgusted by his performance) defected, and I agreed to take his place for the 4th game of the day. We lost 7/13 on a thoroughly wicked area of the field.
But before we get to this… when the list of the players was posted, I noticed a lot of new names (which is good); but missing were the last names of all the players involved (which is bad). For us, out-of-towners, it is confusing and annoying; especially for those trying to write a little report of this event.
Two games were played in the morning, and two in the afternoon. In the morning I shot numerous pictures with a long-focus lens which allows me to discreetly record the antics of all players without their knowledge. An interesting pétanque picture to me has two phases: the split second the player releases his boule, and a few seconds later, his reaction to his (successful or failed) attempt. I particularly love the second phase… when I can catch it.
Let’s not forget either that pétanque is just a game not to be taken too seriously. You might disagree with your opponents about the validity of some points, but this is no reason to get unduly excited. Every player has the right to remeasure any contested point and should do so if disagreeing with the original assessment.
By the way, getting testy about some points is not the prerogative of youth. Some senior citizens proved to be equally feisty and didn’t hesitate (despite their advanced age) to get on all four to measure some contested points. For my part, I’d rather give you a contested point to avoid getting on my knees and to further irritate my aching back.
Around 4:00 pm the local Oktoberfest was over… and we didn’t get soaked.
The winners:
1st place: Jean-Michel Poulnot & Addie (no last name)
2nd place : Tim Wetzel & François Moser
3rd place : Peter Wellington & Mireille Di Maio
Alain
PS : Plenty of pictures