Category: Fourre-tout

I have always asserted that, periodically, regardless of age or sex, everyone needs deserves a new toy. You do because the routine can be numbing, and the lack of excitement can lead to creeping unhappiness. 

So, a few months ago, I bought a new “joujou”… A 2022 Honda Accord Touring… the hybrid model.

“A new man is like a new toy. Fresh and interesting. Almost intriguing. It’s like when you get a new car. Everything is different. The smell, the sound of the horn and seats, and it even ride good for a while. That’s what a man is like to me.” –  Jeanette Michelle

 Everybody knows how to drive a car. “It is elementary my dear Watson…” Well, that’s what I thought, but my previous car was almost 10 years old, and it is surprising how, in just a decade, so many innovations can be implemented.

Today’s car is nothing like yesterday’s jalopy. It is loaded with push-button applications, and it takes a certain time to master them all some. I have been driving this car now for almost 5 months, and (with the assistance of my inquisitive wife) I am still discovering new features almost every week.

 Sure, the new toy comes with a thick owner’s manual, but you cannot read it “au galop” like a “San Antonio” trashy novel. You need to peruse it like a bible, verse by verse… and take a few minutes to reflect on what the scribe initially meant.

And like a piano, you need to practice almost every day to play without partition… which you should not try on the freeway. It could be a little “pericoloso”.

A new car is like a new wife. You have to know which button to push to make it go smoothly… and you don’t learn this in a few weeks. For some people it takes years… Take Adaptive Cruise Control for instance. When you know how to use it, it is great, but the vocabulary explaining it was a little confusing.

Maybe it was the translation from Japanese to English that was a little deficient… But now, due to my persistence, I know how to use it. The same cannot be said for my wife though; after many years of coexistence, I am sometimes still hesitant about which button to press to steer her the right way… I need to review the manual which was originally written in Russian…  « Traduttore, traditore ».

But as long as I can drive my car knowing only 3/4 of its features, I will be happy. And that’s what matters.

See you on the road!

Alain

Time flies. About 50 years ago a handful of French expats decided to start a pétanque club… a ridiculous enterprise in a land where this “mysterious” game was almost totally unheard of. But “to a valiant heart nothing is impossible”, and after many false starts, La Pétanque Marinière was born.

Of the original protagonists, only 2 people are still alive: Louis Toulon and Charlie Davantes. And to prove that pétanque is good for you, both over 80, are still (occasionally) playing. How many athletes do you know that can boast such records? Most of the time, past 35-40 you are a has-been and out to pasture.

“Pétanque and sex are the only two activities you can enjoy while being mediocre”

Yesterday La Pétanque Marinière celebrated its 50^th anniversary and many people came to take part in this party. Among them, the Joske clan, lead by their matriarch Maryse Joske. For those who still don’t know, Pierre Joske was the person most responsible for the creation of our beautiful field. Thank you very much Joske family.

 Many people participated in the success of the club, but one stands out, and for many, she is the only Club President that they have ever known. Her name is Christine Cragg and yesterday (as always) she was instrumental in the favorable outcome of our celebration. Among many other things, she spent a long, long time putting together a collection of photographs displayed during this event. She was also helped by her faithful husband Larry who, among other things, set up the very professional sound system.

Personally, I give Christine a lot of credit for leading the club for so long. Being president is not an easy job, and very few capable people are postulating for the post… Above all, unlike some other deranged president, she will never attack any other club to enlarge her following. Thank you, Christine, for keeping the peace with all the other independent clubs.

“What is exciting about pétanque is that even if you play very badly, it is always possible to worsen your game.”

As I said earlier, many volunteers lent a hand to the party. On the food side, Sabine Mattei and Mireille Di Maio did an excellent job purchasing and arranging the eatables. They were also assisted by Nina, Tamara and Wendy. Thank you all for a job extremely well done.

I cannot mention all the volunteers that were of assistance, but I also noticed that Sara Danielson and Shama were part of the working crew. Thank you very much, ladies.

In the afternoon, after the speeches and personal testimonies, a little Concours consisting of 3 untimed games took place. The tournament ended around 4:00 pm and medals were awarded to the best players.

They were:

1^st place: Bernard Passemar & MarieAnne Curley
2^nd place: John Morrison & Patricia Biscay
3^rd place: Frazer Bradshaw & Helen McGill

Thank you all for coming and making this event memorable.

Alain

PS: Don’t forget to look at the pictures that took me a very long time to choose, crop, and correct. I hope that you will like them.

Quantity does not necessarily mean quality, and yesterday at La Petanque Marinière, even though we were few, we had talent.

Shama and Christine C. were tallying the entries, and at 10:00 am when we started playing, we were a grand total of 28 + 2 dogs. Fourteen (14) doublettes. La crème de la crème if I may say.

It was decreed that we would play 2 untimed games in the morning and 3 games in the afternoon.

Fate assigned Jerry Wilkinson as my partner, and I couldn’t have asked for a better person. We made a good team, and in the morning, we won one game out of 2. In the afternoon we won 2 more games for a grand total of 3 out of 5. Jerry shot well and I pointed decently. Not too bad for a tired Tamalou!

Since there were no elimination games, I had to play steadily throughout the day, and I didn’t have much of a chance to take any pictures. I managed just a few, “a la sauvette”. Sorry about that.

At 4:00 pm it was all over, and Shama and Christine gathered all the data to anoint the best players. As usual, the number of wins and the number of points determined the winners.

If you have not yet noticed, we are witnessing the emergence of a new star. The one and only Ann Krilanovich and I sensed it right away when she first strolled into our field less than a year ago. Congratulations and a big hug dear Ann!

Final results:

1^st place: Hellen McGill & Ann Krilanovich
2^nd place: Eddy Pay & Larry Cragg
3rd place: Delio Cuneo & Beth Caetano
4^th place: Joe Danielson & Lynn Bell

And that’s the way it was in our glorious Marin County, Sunday, October 9, 2022.

Alain

PS: Watch a few pictures of this event and the beaming faces of the winners in a new little album.