Au Cochonnet Marin

Or the tournament that (almost) never was

Yesterday (Mother’s Day), I had made up my mind to forgo playing in the scheduled tournament and so, around 10:00 a.m. I leisurely strolled into the field just armed with my camera and my good looks.

To my surprise, instead of seeing a bunch of people actively tossing boules and wisecracks, I came across about half a dozen people sitting around and seemingly waiting for something to happen.

Que paso muchachos? I inquired in my usual amiable way.

Well señor, right now we have only 3 teams and an extra player. If you would do us the favor to team up with this person we would have 4 teams and we could get the tournament under way.

It was cold and windy and I really didn’t feel like playing, but I am an agreeable fellow and I went along with their plea.

So eventually 4 doublettes lined up for the annual Marin Mother’s Day tournament.

The steadfast players were:

1. Henry Wessel and Calvert Barron
2. Francois Moser and Verena Rytter
3. Jean-Claude Etallaz and Mireille Di Maio
4. Alain Efron and Genevieve Etallaz

Three games were scheduled to determine the outcome of the tournament.

Minette and I lost our first game 8/13 but later regained our wits and won the two next games.
Fortunate stroke of serendipity, wouldn’t you say?

Around 1:00 p.m. it was all over. It was the shortest tournament I ever played in.

The final results were as follows:

1^st place: Alain Efron & Minette Etallaz
2^nd place: Francois Moser & Verena Rytter
3^rd place: Henry Wessel & Calvert Barron
4^th place: Jean-Claude Etallaz & Mireille Di Maio

All the money collected from the tournament entries were redistributed to all the players in various amounts according to ranking.

After lunch a few more people showed up and casual games took place.

I was back home around 2:30 p.m. and contentedly counted again the pile of money I had just won.
Net profit: $6.00. Not a bad day after all.

By the way, what do you call a small mom? A minimum.
Happy Mother’s Day you all.

Alain
Mother’s Day campionissimo.

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

Like everybody else, I have my “bêtes noires” (my pet peeves).

For instance, nothing bugs me more than some self-centered yokel leaving his car door open on the traffic side of the street.
He/she parks, fiddles with god knows what while the door stays open presenting a hazard for a cyclist or another passing vehicle.

Same story in parking lots.
A wanker parks and leaves his door open preventing anybody else from pulling up in the adjacent space.
I call this type of behavior selfish, inconsiderate and an open invitation to mayhem.

I usually don’t wish anybody any harm, but I would rather enjoy seeing the offending door ripped off by a passing car and sent into a planetary orbit.

I think that to give them a taste of their own medicine it would be a good idea to send such arrogant twerps to Russia.
There they would meet kindred spirits and be treated in kind.

Judging by some videos that I have seen on YouTube, it looks like driving in Russia is akin to a demolition derby.
Everything is permitted. Cars are bumped, flipped and smashed without anybody seeming overly concerned.
There don’t seem to be any rule. “Chacun pour soi et Dieu pour tous.” Every man for himself and God for all.

I am pretty sure that in such an environment an open door yearning to be free would be unshackled within minutes.
And I don’t even think that the offending driver would even stop.

In a polite society, there are unwritten rules to be respected. “Treat others the way you want to be treated” is one of them

If you behave badly, expect the same treatment from others.
If on the other hand if you behave like a gentleman (a courteous honorable man) you will be rewarded with the same respectful treatment.

So for crying out loud, close the damn door and don’t mess with my blood pressure!

Alain

https://youtu.be/vfzFlko6LbY

I drive to the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District almost daily to mix pleasure with business fitness.

I usually walk about 2 or 3 kilometers around one or two of the four ponds to look at the wildlife and take some pictures.
The ponds are hosting a variety of large birds including Canadian geese, ducks, herons, snowy egrets, gulls, pelicans, and an assortment of small birds.

Originally the geese mainly interested me. I have always been intrigued by the way they communicate (very noisily) before taking flight and during flight.
I would be very curious to know what they are saying. Are they arguing or chatting?

But lately I have been captivated by a couple of swans.
You cannot miss them. They are snow-white and they are the largest birds in the area. They are also the only couple of their kind.

According to Wikipedia, adults typically weigh between 15-30 lbs. (I would say more like 30) and their wingspan ranges from 185 to 250 cm (6 ft. to 8 ft.).

“Swans often mate for life, and both parents participate in raising their young, but primarily the female incubates the eggs.
Most pair bonds are formed when swans are 5 to 7 years old, although some pairs do not form until they are nearly 20 years old.”

Like all the people walking the trails, I have been watching them with interest.

They built a large nest on the embankment of one of the ponds and the female has been incubating for quite some time.

She practically never left the nest. I wonder how she feeds herself?
The incubation period lasts about a month and all the nature lovers have been anxiously waiting for the birth of the cygnets.

And a few days ago, to everybody’s delight, they appeared!
Nine of them. They almost immediately took to the water; fluffy little balls bobbing like corks and huddling very close to the mother.
They have been more photographed and filmed than movie stars on the Red Carpet!

Swans are very territorial and can be very aggressive when they feel that their babies are threatened.
And an angry swan rising above the water and flapping his six feet wings can be very intimidating. Few creatures dare to challenge them.

Some humans by the way could learn some valuable lessons watching these dedicated parents.
And I have yet to see a swan using a cell phone while piloting his family.

Alain