Au Cochonnet Marin

Some private clubs are very exclusive and require significant endorsements for membership. Tamalous Inc. however, is a different kind of animal. It will pluck you and incorporate you into their ranks without your knowledge.

The more prestigious the organization, the harder it is to infiltrate. But lesser groups, eager for members, are not as particular and will shanghai you into their ranks under the cover of darkness. The Tamalous are notorious for their wicked tactics. Like the Foreign Legion, they will seduce you and with few exceptions, they will accept almost anybody.

How do they do it? It’s simple and ingenious. After a certain age, various body parts start to conspire against you. Your knee, hip, back, or any other part of your anatomy begins to complain and demands attention. You start by taking painkillers, hoping they will make the pain vanish. It might… but only temporarily, and sooner or later, the pain returns… sometimes with relatives.

Your frustration grows with the pain, and soon you start discussing that concern with your friends. You then discover that all your pals are experiencing the same discomfort and have been enrolled in the Tamalous without their knowledge.

So, when you meet with your chums, instead of discussing women, food, or politics as French people typically do, the first question they ask is “t’as mal où?” which in colloquial French means “Where do you hurt?” And surprise, everyone (even seemingly robust-looking fellows) discovers that they are now full-time members of this famous organization.

Club Tamalou is a vast international outfit, with members in nearly every country, even in prudish Iran. There is no discrimination whatsoever—male, female, gay, transgender—if you hurt, you become automatically part of the Big Brotherhood of Lamentations.

Of course, unknown to outsiders, we have a secret handshake to communicate with each other… and that is all I will say about this confidential matter. We don’t have a flag yet, but we are working on it, and I am confident that one day we will have a special holiday to acknowledge our status.

The Tamalous, like the Freemasons, unite for mutual support and fellowship… and the glamor of their secret ceremonies.

T’as mal où?

Alain

I am too busy to write anything about the Select Triples that took place on June 8 in Marin County, but instead, I will let my pictures do the talking… and they are much more eloquent than I am.

PS: in this album, the 5 last pictures (the winners) were taken by Christine Cragg, who forwarded them to me.

Have fun!

Concours:
1^st place: Tom, Mone, Kham
2n place: Kevin, Ashley, Peter
3^rd place: Chan, DeAngelo, Suzie

Consolante :
1^st place: Ted, Joe, Mark
2^nd place: Mike, Erin, Holly

Alain

Yesterday, we traveled to the distant Lamorinda Pétanque Club in Contra Costa County to participate in and document this Select Triples, FPUSA-sanctioned tournament. My wife was competing, while I tried to document the event with pictures.

We rose around 6:30 am, to arrive on time in Lafayette. Fortunately, the Sunday morning traffic was light, making the usually arduous journey feel like a breeze.

I hadn’t been to Lafayette in a while and was pleasantly surprised by the appearance and condition of the courts. The reception committee was similarly friendly and well-organized.

Fourteen teams had registered to play. Although there could have been more participants, the event felt intimate and welcoming.

Before I delve into details, I must mention that the weather was unseasonably cold for June and I was glad to have brought my Siberian-proof jacket.

Upon the invitation of Antoine and Sebastien Lofaro, Tamara agreed to join their team and compete in the tournament. She was hired to be the pointer and intimidate the enemy with her accuracy.

Tournaments can be nerve-wracking affairs and the key to success is remaining cool under pressure. It is not a given.
It also requires a cohesive team where each member knows exactly what to do and when to do it. By Vang, Janice Bissonnette, and Kham Chounlamany exemplified such a team, superbly cool and confident, with an exceptional shooter to back them up. Although I wasn’t specifically rooting for them, I couldn’t help but applaud their impressive moves, especially Kham’s who is the epitome of the perfect shooter.

Then midstream, I encountered technical difficulties. My camera suddenly stopped working properly, leaving me stranded and frustrated. Capturing great photos requires precise timing, as the perfect shot lasts only a fraction of a second. Without a reliable camera, it’s sometimes better to withdraw than to continue struggling.

So, after witnessing the acrimonious defeat of the Lofaro’s formation against Michelle Dang’s team for the 3^rd place in the Concours, we went home. Since I couldn’t take any more pictures, we didn’t stay for the presentation of medals and monetary rewards and left. Sorry about that.

Concours:

1^st place: By Vang, Janice Bissonnette, Kham Chounlamany
2^nd place: Tom Lee, Yor Lee, Suzie Lee
3^rd place: Michelle Dang, Chan Xiong, Mone Lee

Alain

PS: Some of my photos are OK, especially on full screen.