Last Saturday was a sunny but rather chilly day in Marin, especially in the late afternoon when the sun retreats behind the Civic Center building. This didn’t prevent some pétanque devotees from showing up and practicing their favorite game.
According to the experts, Pétanque is good for the body and equally good for the soul. So, my lubovnitsa and I go to the local field on a regular basis to play a few games and keep in touch and enquire about AWOL friends.
People are creatures of habit and can easily fall into a dull routine, doing the same things and seeing the same people day after day. So, on Sunday, my friend Jean-Claude Bunand and I decided to have an afternoon delight by going to a fabled place called Lamorinda
According to another friend (who shall remain nameless), it is an area where the sun always shines, populated by friendly half-naked natives; they will invite you without any chichi to their tables, games, and tepees.
Who could resist such an invite?
After a 45 minutes ride, we arrived at the Promised Land around 1:30 PM. Everybody was having lunch and we were greeted enthusiastically by the natives. We were offered flowery leis, food, drinks, and some gold ingots by the local vahines. We were also invited to participate in a few games with them.
We gratefully accepted and played a few matches with the friendly natives. After a little while, due to a (permanent) grumpy back, I stopped playing and concentrated on memorializing this event for our grandchildren. Armed with Sneaky Pete (my discreet little camera) I spent about an hour documenting the feats of the natives. They were good and photogenic, but definitely younger than our own aging arthritic members.
To quote an unknown philosopher, age is no big deal, “but the side-effects are getting harder to ignore.” – I can vouch for that.
Around 4:30 pm, most of the regulars had left and we decided to do the same thing.
A particular group of six though was not about to quit and continued playing. According to the legend, they play until dark or until they drop to the ground from exhaustion. Some people stay behind to carry the limp bodies to their cars.
To summarize, it was an afternoon delight, spent with the extremely friendly natives. If someday, you wonder what to do, I recommend Lamorinda, the magic land across the Bay where the sun and the skirted natives are always hot and friendly.
When you go there, tell them Alain sent you.
Alain
PS: Click on “My photos” to feast your eyes on the friendly natives.