Au Cochonnet Marin

Yesterday we went to Sonoma to participate in the Council on Aging/Wine Country Games, a competition for athletes over 50.

Upon our arrival we were surprised to see so very few people on the field.
Only 16 individuals (8 doublettes) lined up to participate in the tournament.
In retrospective, this low attendance might have been caused by the rather steep entry fee ($40.00 per person, lunch not included) and a lack of sustained advertising.
It was for a good cause but the price was still rather high.

The participants were:

1. Jean-Claude Etallaz & Bea Moua
2. Peter Wellington & Mike Cooper
3. Joe La Torre & Dave Katz
4. Antoine Lofaro & Teri Sirico
5. Jean-Michel (Le Facteur) & Bernard Passemar
6. Alain Efron & Tamara Efron
7. Higgins & Barbara Howard
8. Carl & Linda Motshielder

The games smartly started around 9:00 a.m., because that early in the day the temperature was sill bearable.
Later on in the afternoon the temperature shot past 90 degrees and it became rather uncomfortable to stand in the sun.

Three timed games were played in the morning, with more games in the afternoon.

There were many good players among the contestants. I particularly noticed a certain Bee Moua (JC Etallaz’s partner) who is an excellent shooter showing great concentration.

When I started playing I realized very quickly that familiarity with the field was a determining factor. The Sonoma terrain is quite different from the San Rafael field and quite treacherous for the non-initiated.
It is dusty and the dust masks the ground’s irregularities and slows your boules.
Tellingly, we lost our 1^st game 3/13 against Bee Moua and JC Etallaz

We won the 2^nd game 12/11 against Joe La Torre and David Katz. Joe managed a superb “carreau sur place” and really deserved to win the game.
We lost our 3^rd game 6/13 against Peter Wellington and Mike Cooper
We lost our 4^th game 1/13 to Antoine and Teri.
Finally, after becoming a little better acquainted with the field, we managed to win our 5^th game 13/3 against Higgins and Barbara Howard.

Around 3:00 p.m. the heat was intense and people were desperately seeking shady spots.

In the semi-finals

Le Facteur and Bernard P. beat Carl and Linda Motshielder 13/5
Antoine and Teri beat Peter Wellington and Mike Cooper by the amazing score of 13/1.

In the finals (played on the new court) Antoine Lofaro and Teri Sirico faced Le Facteur and Bernard Passmar.
Both teams played well.
The scores seesawed back and forth until the end when Antoine managed a superb “carreau sur place”.
The appreciative crowd burst into a spontaneous round of applause.
Two “carreaux sur place” in a row are extremely rare but Antoine did it.
He shot again and managed another unbelievable “carreau sur place” that clinched the game.
The crowd went wild.

Antoine and Teri beat Le Facteur and Bernard Passmar by a final score of 13/10.
A magnificent conclusion to a very good game.

When the dust settled:

1^st place: Antoine Lofaro & Teri Sirico
2^nd place: Le Facteur and Bernard Passmar
3^rd place: Linda & Carl Motshielder
4^th place: Peter Wellington & Mike Cooper

Every contestant was awarded a bottle of sparkling wine, with top finishing players getting more substantial prices.
Antoine and Teri both received a bottle of Pastis, a bottle of sparkling wine and a $25.00 gift certificate from Central Market in Sonoma.

Alain

To look at photos of this event and listen to the accompanying background music, turn your computer’s sound on, and click on the “My Photos” link located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.

For sake of portability, all the pictures in this event were taken with an iPhone5 and mostly with a Canon Powershot S120 camera.

Politicians fascinate because they constitute such a paradox; they are an elite that accomplishes mediocrity for the public good. George Will.

Well my friends, get used to it. Life is full of paradoxes.

For instance, when you elect to get a cat from a shelter they ask you a bunch of pointed questions such as:

• Are you 21?
• How much are you willing you spend on a pet?
• Do you have a veterinarian?
• Do you plan on having children?
• Do you own a home or rent?
• Do you have a fenced backyard?

The shelter also specifies that all adopted animals should be indoor pets and that they will be neutered and fitted with a microchip implant.

But it seems that when people are planning (or not) to make a baby, nobody bothers to ask the same pertinent questions:

• Are you 21?
• How much are you willing you spend on this kid?
• Do you have job?
• Do you own or rent?
• Do you have a fenced backyard?

Adopting a pet implies responsibilities, but shouldn’t the same (even more rigorous) guidelines also apply to the children making business?
Procreating is a very serious line of work and before going at it shouldn’t people answer satisfactorily all the above questions?
It seems obvious to me.

Alain

Warning: If you cannot answer all the last questions satisfactorily and still persist in making babies, you might be spayed and fitted with a microchip implant.

 

 

I am afraid that I am addicted.

Like all junkies I have been reluctant to admit it, but I cannot deny it any longer.
I am a camera fiend, a compulsive shutterbug, a paparazzo. I cannot spend a day without taking pictures.
If I do, I will experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, headaches.
Right now I have 11,226 pictures on my hard drive and I cannot stop.

I HAVE to take pictures and wherever I go I tote a little camera that allows me to satisfy my cravings.

Like all addictions this one started innocently enough. It began a long time ago when I elected to take pictures on special occasions or vacation trips.
Photography was then a cumbersome and expensive process.
You had to buy films, load, shoot, bring everything back to a processing center and wait.
And the results were often disappointing.

But once the digital age came into being, everything changed.
No need for films anymore, and limitless number of pictures. It was like going from a bolt-action riffle to a Heckler & Koch submachine gun.

And best of all, instant gratification. No more middlemen. You can now instantaneously see the results of your work. You just have to shoot and transfer the shots to your computer.

My favorite subjects are living creatures. People or animals, preferably caught unaware. The minute people become aware of your presence, their demeanor changes drastically and Mr. Hyde disappears to make room for doctor Jekyll.

The secret of taking good pictures is to take 3 or 4 shots of the same subject in a rapid succession.
If somebody blinks on the first shot, chances are that he won’t do it again on the second or third shot.

I take a lot of pictures of my cat because I think that felines are among the most graceful creatures on earth.
I could use my wife as a model, but she is too fussy and too expensive.
And that’s probably why I adopted the Princess. To serve as a cheap model.

She absolutely does not mind and I take advantage of her photogenic qualities.
She is a natural. She never poses and she leaves whenever she pleases.
The mark of a true prima donna.

To me photography is life narrated in images, and as long as a picture is candid and focused it is a good picture.

Alain

PS: You can see all the above pictures full size just by clicking on them