Somehow, this gathering reminded me of a song by Charles Aznavour called La Mamma.
« Ils sont venus. Ils sont tous là.
Dès qu’ils ont entendu ce cri.
Elle va mourir, la mamma.
Ils sont venus.
Ils sont tous là.
Même ceux du sud de l’Italie »
There were 60 players and scores of guests, and everybody thoroughly enjoyed this event organized by Brigitte Moran and her close family. As I previously said it was very well thought out and everything went without an hitch. I believe that this was the most enjoyable event that I attended this year. Merci Brigitte.
Coffee and croissants were served early that day, and 3 games were played before lunch. During all that time we were entertained by a very talented French couple called Duo Gadjo. The woman sang popular French songs (and played guitar) and was accompanied by her husband who also played guitar. It was a great idea and an added pleasure.
For lunch, we were served a sumptuous paella prepared by another French fellow called Wilfried Eisinger. It was excellent and plentiful.
In the afternoon, there was a Concours and a Consolante. You can see some pictures in the accompanying photo album.
Concours:
1st place: Patrick, Shannon and Holly
2nd place: Lucas, Frazer and Roland
Consolante:
1st place: Richard, Lynn and Ben
2nd place: Jean-Claude, Luc and Alain
Charlie, along with Louis Toulon was one of La Pétanque Marinière’s original founders, and a hard worker to boot. He was also instrumental in having a fence built around our field. He (along with other members) donated a substantial amount of money to the club to get it done.
He was a great pétanque player and I teamed up with him many times. Among other things, I always envied the fact that he was ambidextrous.
Charlie, up to his last days always kept a sharp mind. He was a great belote player, and more importantly, he always counted cards and remembered each sequence of the game. I always admired the fact that after each of our games, he quickly tallied up everybody’s scores in his head. Not bad for a guy in his nineties
He was also a lucky fellow. Late in life, he met a charming woman who became his loving companion and shared his life. Even Gerry (the so-called Golden Bachelor) a young stud in his seventies, has trouble finding a mate.
Charlie, you are gone, but far from being forgotten. I am pretty sure that while lounging on a cloud and sipping a Piña Colada, you were smiling while looking at us.
Vaya con Dios amigo…
Alain
PS: Watch some pictures of this event by clicking on “My Photos“