Au Cochonnet Marin

Yesterday, along with scores of people, I attended a party celebrating the life of Charlie Davantes. It was very well organized and extremely successful. Good old Charlie knew a lot of people and many of his friends came to pay him respect.

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:
1^st place: Patrick, Shannon and Holly
2^nd place: Lucas, Frazer and Roland

Consolante:
1^st place: Richard, Lynn and Ben
2^nd 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“

Between 30 and 35 people gathered yesterday on our pétanque field to attend our Annual Business Meeting… and it felt like a family affair. A past to remember, a present to celebrate, a future to generate.

Christine, our esteemed president, gave a little speech about the state of our club and the state of our finances. Both are in good shape, thank you very much. She thanked the Board Members for their dedication and cooperation.

Commemorating the demise of Verena and Charlie, she went a little emotional and as expected, shed a few tears. She was then presented with a flower bouquet by Shama and Sara Danielson. A bouquet that she totally deserves. Over the years Mama Cragg has been a very good president, and she absolutely merits this small token of appreciation and even more.

A light lunch, reminiscent of our yesteryear picnics, was served around noon. It consisted of an excellent roasted chicken, some side dish, salad cheese, and homemade cookies. By the way, the chicken also greatly appealed to wasps who came by the dozens to share the festivities.

The picnic was very well organized, with many people lending a hand. Alain Marchand helped by Mike Rago oversaw the chicken operation. Mike O’Leary and Christine did the serving. Almost everybody helped and everything went very smoothly.

Sabine brought Florence (her Parisian friend), Richard, and Deborah (her daughter-in-law), and naturally César the wonder dog (a great fan of pétanque) loved by all.

Claudie Chourré and Christine Lemor-Drake who had not seen for a long time also made a welcome appearance.

After lunch, we split up into small groups for a few games of pétanque. The temperature was then hovering around 95 degrees and we (at least me) felt grateful for the founders who had the good idea to plant trees on the field.

Due to the oppressive temperature, most of the people didn’t linger, and around 4:00 p.m. most everybody had left the field.

Altogether, it was a nice family affair that I am sure pleased everybody.

Well done, board members, and thank you!

Alain

 PS: I don’t function well under the heat, so I took just a few pictures.

“Serendipity is when you find things you weren’t looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult.” ~ Erin McKean

A few weeks ago, I caught the Covid bug (rather it caught me) and I was sidelined for a few days. This incident reminded me that I ought to get a Covid booster shot as soon as possible. But at the time the vaccine was not available, and I relegated this matter to the back of my mind.

 Then yesterday I went to Kaiser Permanente to get a new pair of glasses. After I stepped out of the Optical Center, I noticed a long line of people across the hall.

I suddenly thought about what I once read about the old Soviet Union. In the “glory days” of the regime when everything was in short supply, people usually carried a bag with them. Just in case… when they saw a line anywhere, they automatically joined the queue without bothering to find out what the end product was. Better get a little bit of anything than nothing at all.

So, I approached the line and enquired what it was all about. Covid and flu booster shots I was told. It just happened to be a true case of serendipity; the occurrence, of something by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Without specifically looking for it, I came across what I was searching… and I ended up with two sore shoulders.

Famous cases of serendipity include Penicillin, radioactivity, X-rays, microwave…

“It’s a bizarre but wonderful feeling, to arrive dead center of a target you didn’t even know you were aiming for.” ― Lois McMaster Bujold

Serendipity exists everywhere, even in pétanque. I have seen it a thousand times… maybe a little less. Your opponent tries to hit one of your boules… he grossly misses but serendipity intervenes, and he ends up gaining 3 undeserved points. The infernal luck!

Serendipity is around looking to make someone happy. If your heart is pure and if you are a true Democrat, it will find you.

Alain