Category: Fourre-tout

Yesterday, devoted members of La Pétanque Marinière met at the Left Bank brasserie in Larkspur, to celebrate the club’s annual holiday lunch/meeting.

This event took place in the restaurant’s private dining room located in the back of the main dining room. It was small and cozy, but the acoustics left a little something to be desired.

Your correspondent (kitted out with his sneaky little camera) was there naturellement to share with you the details of this affair.

The guests arrived between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. and chose where and with whom they wanted to sit. They had a choice of Salmon salade niçoise, Cheeseburger, Croque- monsieur, Salade de poulet and Jacques Pepin’s mixed greens salad.

Shortly thereafter the waiters brought the dishes (plus white and red wine) that the guests had previously ordered. The service was good and the atmosphere was convivial.

Toward the end of the meal, after the “crème brulée” and the coffee, Brigitte Moran presented a few token of appreciation to some deserving volunteers. Henry Wessel and Calvert Barron, Mark and Sandra Shirkey and Charlie Davantes where among those recognized for services rendered.

Then Christine Cragg (our president) gave us the state of the Union address and what’s forthcoming in 2018.

Everything was over by 1:00 p.m. and half of the guests headed for the field for a few rounds of pétanque.

It was a nice, good-humored affair and I believe that a good time was had by all.

“Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and receipts for all major purchases.”– Bridger Winegar

Merry Christmas to… nearly everybody!

Alain

PS: it is extremely difficult to take well-contrasted pictures in a room flooded with artificial lights; please excuse the quality of some of the accompanying photos.

Life is a habit. Or rather life is a succession of habits. Samuel Beckett

Most of us are creatures of habit. We don’t like changes; we like things to stay the way they are. Changes, in general, are not popular, especially with the middle-aged crowd. These people are set in their ways and feel more comfortable with the familiar, the tried and true routines.

But life does not stand still; it does not care about your habits and it has a sneaky way of hurling curveballs at you.
A few days ago I received a letter from my general practitioner notifying me that he was leaving at the end of the year; he was telling me in essence “nice to have met you, find another guy.”

This is not welcome news. Over the years I have been through a bunch of doctors before settling for one. Finding the right physician is like finding the right girlfriend; you have to take them on a road test before initiating a serious relationship, and many fail that test.

I have been with my doctor for the last 10 years and I felt comfortable with him. He was more than a doctor, he was almost a friend. He probably knew me better than my wife and took the time to listen to me. Losing him is a blow. It is a little bit like breaking up with a girlfriend. It is very upsetting. Now I have to go on an Internet dating site and find another compatible soul; and as you know, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before finding your medical prince.

Then I got word that my dentist retired. Another defection! What is this? A conspiracy? Fake news? Another blow. My dentist was not perfect, but I was used to him especially his teeth cleaning associate. Now I have to find another dental maestro… what a drag…

In life, you need to have in your Rolodex a list of people that you can count on. You need to know a reliable plumber, an electrician, a contractor, a roofer, a dentist, a doctor, a car mechanic, a shrink, a lawyer, a barber, a computer geek, an escort… a mafia Don?
If one of those defects, it throws a monkey wrench into your mechanic. You have to audition new candidates and it can be a frustrating and costly experience.

So here we are, two weeks before Christmas, with no health specialists to call my own… what is a guy to do?

Santa, if it is not too late, drop a decent doctor and a dependable dentist in my chimney. I believe in you and I promise to be good in 2018.

Your friend, Alain

If you were not in San Rafael yesterday you missed a great day of pétanque.
Sure it was cool in the morning, but the rest of the day was absolutely splendid. The temperature never rose above 65° F but the afternoon was sunny and very pleasant.

Twenty contestants were fashioned in ten doublettes teams and they were as follows:

1. Mark Shirkey & Larry Cragg
2. Henry Wessel & Liza Moran
3. Jacques Rattaire & Daniel Martinez
4. Jean-Michel Poulnot & Yeisi Martinez
5. Miller Zea & Alain Efron
6. Jean-Claude Bunand & Wyatt
7. Brigitte Moran & Charlie Davantes
8. Jean-Claude Etallaz & Tamara Efron
9. François Moser & Calvert Barron
10. William LaVelle & Mireille Di Maio

You might have noticed that they were 3 newcomers, 3 congenial youngsters from Colombia named Daniel, his sister Yeisi and Miller. They are beginners but they show great promises. I promise you that in a few months and they will give you a run for your money. I also understand by the way, that they will become members of our club starting next year.

Pastries and coffee were offered before the beginning of the tournament that started around 10:30 am. Two games were played in the morning and 3 games in the afternoon. The winners were determined as usual by the number of games won and by the number of points accumulated.

I was paired with newcomer Miller Zea and we did all right in the morning. I played as a pointer and Miller was the enforcer. We won 2 games before noon. In the afternoon we did not do as well, losing consecutively 3 games in a row (2-11, 11-13, 8-13). That’s the way the croissant crumbles…

My wife Tamara and Jean-Claude Etallaz fared much better (she always does) snatching second place (and big money). I might have to take lessons from her… Drat!

The top dogs were Jacques Rattaire (who you should know, comes all the way from Redwood City) and newcomer Daniel Martinez. They won 4 games and barely lost one 12-13. Congratulations y felicitaciones amigos!

If you did not notice, Jean-Claude Bunand was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the head of Johnny Hallyday, a French rocker who died a few days ago.
France honored him with a national tribute? This guy was never my cup of tea, but seems to be have been appreciated by a bunch of people… especially Jean-Claude.

Final results:

1^st place: Jacques Rattaire & Daniel Martinez
2^nd place: Jean-Claude Etallaz & Tamara Efron
3^rd place: Larry Cragg & Mark Shirkey
4^th place: William LaVelle & Mireille Di Maio
5^th place: François Moser & Calvert Barron

And that was the day that was.

Alain

To look at photos of this event, click on the “My Photos” link located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.