Great Weather Brought out Great People!

The whole crew! Philippe, Jake, Heidi, Rolf, Jim, Jean-Claude, Tony, Romain, Maude, Eric, Joyce, Michel, Jimmy, Gerard (in back), Rolland, Daniel, Danny, Sebastian, Francois, and Theiry, and other friends. The day was perfect! Although, I only have 10 fingers, how do I sort out these boules? Cyrille, you might have to cut your vacation to France short to help me out! What more can you ask for though than a day like this with all of these great friends! Tres Bien! (I'm trying to work on my French!)

Maude's Dip is a Hit!

It was such a nice day, and with so many players, Maude's dip didn't last more than one break time! I think this dish has the record for the fastest time to be gobbled up! Feel free to bring more next week Maude!

David brings new recruits in from TX!

David brought his daughter Heidi, and her husband Rolf... all the way from Houston! Joe mentioned that there's clubs in Texas, and it just happens that the Houston Petanque Club (3408 Ashlock Drive, Houston, TX 77082) is right in their back yard! Houston, we have incoming boules! :-)

Marley is on the Job!

Hey, Just because I'm little, don't think I can't drag new players onto the piste! I can drag this little visitor, Alex, onto the court with no problem! Joe can cover me by blocking her mother, Sally. Together we make a GREAT team! Jeff's new little buddy T'Choupi's got a lot to learn!

Campus Martius Crew is Serious!

Some of our new regulars try to examine the closest boule. Tony (center) knows right away, Jeff (examing) wants to make sure. BTW-Joe's keeping up his efforts to promote RICARD (with his sticker from NYC) to be involved in Petanque. Maybe for our club here in Michigan, and our upcoming event in Miami! Keep watching the calendar for details! And buy much RICARD in support of the cause!!

Jeff takes Charge in the Clean-Up

After 8 1/2 hours of playing petanque on Saturday, Jeff (Snoop) kindly offers to help in the clean-up, and surprisingly still excited to do so, as you can see! Everyone should come down when they can to see how nice the courts are (Saturdays, 9:00-3:00), not to mention the sandwiches from Au Bon Pain (in the background)!

More New Atrists?

Jeff is going to begin to get jealous with all of these new artists coming down to Detroit. Our new friends from West Bloomfield were searching for studio space, but found a great space for petanque instead!

Jazz Extrodinaire May Play Campus Martius!

I (Joe) can't help but say that Mr. George Benson is an incredible Jazz musician! I had a great time watching his band, and having a little talk with him and his band on Wednesday night at Meadow Brook Hall's "Music on the Lawn" event. Campus Martius would, without a doubt, bring benefits to its park and visitors by having his band come by to do some playing. Of Course!, I'd prefer that he do it while we're teaching a little petanque! Maybe he can come down and play some of that great saxophone he displayed tonight!... It'll surely get us in the mood for some relaxed, focused petanque play!

Marley see's trouble with T'Choupi

"Who is this T'Choupi character anyways?", official mascot Marley says... I hope he doesn't think he's going to be poking in on my territory! This little guy's got a lot to learn before he starts trotting around on my pistes!

Cooler Weather Riverside....

Another beautiful day at the Detroit River front for the Renaissance Petanque Club. The temperature riverside is at least 15 degrees cooler - making an otherwise unbearable day, comfortable. Don points in the close boule as Hal and Tony watch.

Tony Proves that New Petanque Players Can Be Great Petanque Players

Tony, new member of the Campus Martius Park Petanque Club, and weekday pointer for the Renaissance Petanque Club is new to Petanque, but nonetheless, a master pointer. He'll always offer words of encouragement when your own boules don't "get closer than his."

Thunderstorm Watches?, Warnings? Not Enough!

Despite televised thunderstorm warnings and watches Sunday morning, it wasn't enough to thwart the hard-core players! Joyce, Danny, Eric, Maude, Hal, Brigette, Joe, Dave and friends still came out to keep the piste busy Sunday afternoon. The afternoon turned out just great afterall! (Although many of us said we'd be there with our rain gear if we had to!)

Joyce is becoming a Distraction!

Joyce shows off her lucky "large coin", similar to Jeff's, which won her team's advantage of the initial cochonette placement (I think she won with the choice of "tails"?). She even advised her teammates to "throw it far, because Joe can't shoot out there". She's pushing his buttons!

Campus Martius is the Best!

Just another picture of how nice the park is... Joe will be sure to be there next Saturday morning with plenty of boules to start grooming the next petanque superstars! Thanks to Njia Kai, from Campus Martius, for the great hospitality on Saturday...

Campus Martius Park offers Petanque on Saturdays

Njia; Jeff; Cheryl; James; Tony; Jeff; and Joe enjoyed a full day's worth of petanque at Campus Martius Park. Thanks again to Ms. Kai, the park will likely host all sorts of interesting events to come...

Tony Plays the Point Perfectly at Campus Martius

Tony is also new to petanque, but he certainly took to the game easily. That's one of the best aspects of Petanque, the immediate ease in playing (as well as it's positive social environment).

Cheryl Points Right to the Cochon at the Campus Martius Park

Only her very first time playing petanque and already we see that she's a pro at pointing the boule to the cochon.

Michigan Welcome for T'Choupi

T'Choupi, the Widen's new Havanese puppy, will be coming up to visit the club sometime in August. Perhaps he'll even throw out the cochon for the "team sorting" - we're using a special "click method for training"

New Sculpture in Detroit?

Petanque is becoming so popular in Michigan, and with possibly two clubs right in Detroit, perhaps the City will consider this as the new symbol of sportsmanship.

Petanque at the Campus Martius

Well it looks like Michigan Petanque Club, Detroit Petanque Club, and the Renaissance Petanque Club will have a new addition to the cadre of Petanquers... Campus Martius. We'll get the inside scoop on what goes on and report back to you here.

Petanque and Campus Martius Park in Detroit

Amazingly, Petanque is being played at the Campus Martius Park (in Detroit off Woodware, near Compuware) on Saturdays, (between 9am-3pm).

And Joe and I didn't know ANYTHING about it until recently! We're going to see who is running this (every) Saturday event and congratulate them and join in a few games.

Strange but true, sometimes Petanque DOES exist in Michigan without the help of Joe and Jeff.

What did YOU do during lunch today?

Lunchtime petanque is turning into an immediate success story. Meeting at around 11:30 a.m. - with plenty of courts to choose among, Jeff and Hal darted from terrain to terrain to find out the various "tricks" and "angles."

Renaissance Petanque won't be caught without the advantage to any challengers.

Renassiance Petanque Club has it's own band

Steel drums and bongos, the members of the Renaissance Petanque Club were able to enjoy Jamaican music while playing alongside the river.

The cool breezes kept the heat away, and plenty of foot traffic offered up a "New York" feel.

Joe's Sneakers - Dirty Bombs?

Whoa! I think some of the bright colors of Joe's Petanque sneakers are starting to give me a headache. We'll have to run a geiger counter over them next week to see if it's on account of radiation!

Even the Unborn Babies Play

The whole Carelli family showed up on Sunday for some mid-afternoon Petanque. Theresa was even training her unborn son in the art of Petanque (perhaps the youngest Petanque player EVER!). Perhaps we should name him: Marco (Foyot).

Dan always the Gentleman

Always the gentleman, Dan assisted Joyce with her chair.

Father and Son Play Equally Well

Sunday afternoon brought the Carelli family to the Royal Oak petanque piste where Dad (Dave) and his son Jay (on right) played very good games of boule. Dave's pointing was vastly improved with the use of his secret weapon, the tortoise-boule.

Jeff Practices with Marley

Soon to be a dog owner himself, Jeff tests out various Havanese petting and treat giving techniques on Joe's dog. "T'Choupi will be learning how to throw a cochon," claims Jeff.

Welcome Back Jimmy K.

Long time no see... It's good to see some of our long time members return.

It seems like comfort IS the issue at MPC

Chairs (and thrones) aplenty at the Michigan Petanque Club. What's next? Hammocks?

Great Sunday for M.P.C.

Anita, Mike, Cathy, Joyce, and Dan enjoyed Sunday with the breezes chasing away the heat and the trees providing shady relief.

Ice-Cream via Motorcycle

Nothing is simply ordinary when it comes to Petanque. Even our local ice-cream guy rides a motorcycle. He has a side car which supports the ice-cream cooler box, and another smaller trailer behind for more goodies. We informed him that the best time to come around was at 2pm
on Sundays.

Ken Visits the Detroit Petanque Club

Friday Night -- Ken Chance gave his approval of the D.P.C. terrain, despite the fact that his team (Ken & Denise) lost to Joe & Jeff in 2 out of 3 games (and that final game on account of the field lights being switched off to throw us all into utter darkness. Kens play was really great, with solid shooting and good strategy. Denise was actually keen on continuing in the dark, using flashlights if necessary. I'll have to remember to stock up on camping lanterns for next time. Check out Joe's fancy petanque sneakers. (Joe says... Philippe's (from Petanque America) neighbor's 15-year old daughter from France said to get them when he was in NY, she says "their cool", so he couldn't let her down.)

More Brooklyn Bastille Photos

Seems Joe saw quite a production out there in Brooklyn. Here's some more photos of the event, which included a guillutine - (for those who cheat?) Apparently the way one keeps more than 100 teams playing well and playing on-time is to keep to 10 points or 30 minutes per game. The 30-minute mark denoted by Mario using an Airhorn! Bravo Petanque-America!

Renaissance Petanque Club's Official 1st Game

The weather today was HOT HOT HOT - but that didn't keep us from playing the first official petanque game at the new courts along the Riverfront (near the GM Renaissance Center).

The surface is hard-packed sand and there are plenty of new benches, trees and lawns. Along the river we do receive some cooler breezes (and if you needed, you could always walk through the gigantic array of in-pavestone fountains nearby).

Hal, Jake, Carol and Jeff played an 11:30 a.m. start - ending at 12:30p.m. 13 to 11 (Hal/Jeff just squeezed in a victory).

Riverboat cruises by, the Renaissance Petanque Club looks promising

After we get some official feedback on events, we'll let you know whether we can use the GM Promenade for FPUSA National Events. There are 13 pistes, which should accomodate plenty of Doubles/Triples matches. The many conventions in the area will help both promote use of the Riverfront walk, and the interest in the sport of Petanque.

Joe attends NYC Bastille Tournament

President of MPC, Joe, attends his first Bastille Day tournament in New York. Was it a tournament? or a party? You'll have to decide... The Blue Orchids jazz band confuses the intent of the event to the casual observer... But don't be swayed... there was definitely some serious games played! But as you can see, you can't seperate a great time off the piste with some serious petanque games on the piste when attending such a great petanque event!

Mario Runs Everything With His Expertise

With our new club, running a tournament with 100 teams seems almost inconceivable... but to Mario, from Petanque America, NO PROBLEM! Joe gains some valuable advice from the Petanque America crew for running inevitably LARGE tournaments in our near future!

Bar Tabac Always Draws A Crowd!

Bar Tabac is the King of Petanque in New York! There was so many players, some had to be turned away (over 100 teams of triplettes!), and there were even more spectators! The finals game went past 10:00 that night, so 9 hours of petanque seemed to be more than adequate that day... Then on to the live music and the pastis!

Bastille Day Tournament a Huge Success!

Christophe (owner of Bar Tabac), Loi (from Philly, and had a cold, so couldn't play :-( ), Philippe (owner of Petanque America), and Mario (aka Super Mario, from Petanque America in Miami) stand, on Saturday night, in anticipation of a great tournament in the morning!

Romain only has Double-A not Triple-A...

Finally, we realize that the problem was with the starter-cable (not the starter) leading to the battery - that was loose. Fortunately we were able to contact AAA and they jacked up his car, tapped the wire, started up the car (American-made) and Dan followed Romain to the garage.

Thankfully enough of the club members were around to both call for assistance, and keep things comical!

Would YOU trust these guys to fix your car?!

Eric and Sebastien lend a hand at repairing Romain's vehicle. Unfortunately, Sebastien's ice-scraper didn't seem to do the job (it was 86 degrees outside!) and Eric bashing in the side windows of Romain's car with that metal wrench/club didn't seem to get the engine started either. I guess if anyone has mechical problems in the future, we'd better just leave it to AAA.

Romain's Car Requires Another Measurement

After the day's picnic and tournament festivities concluded, that's when the REAL fun began. Romain's car simply would not start. Dan and Eric crawled underneath to tap at the starter box (but it didn't work), and finally we all gave the car a big push to the curb.

Final Results: Jean-Claude, Mike, and Francoise Take 1st Place

We couldn't have asked for better weather or company during our Bastille Day picnic and petanque tournament. (more photos to follow). There were four games played by each of the eight teams with the top two teams (Gerard/Romain/Anita vs. Jean Claude/Mike/Francoise) going to a final.

and what a final it was! Jean Claude/Mike/Francoise were down 6 to 12, but they pulled a magnificent comeback (point-by-point) to finally arrive at 13 (and victory). Congrats to all of the players for participating and playing Petanque at a very high standard.

(More photos to follow as the day progresses)

Anita and Mike Concentrate in Final

Down 6 to 13, Mike concentrates to hold Anita and her team to 12 points.
In true Petanque gameplay, he did hold them at 12, for the win.