Justin Bo Johns

Our home for the weekend

Practice

Wednesday in Zanesfield, OH.

On the road again

Mitch

Settling in

Ruby-Duby-Doo

Shannon

If you've been following along, you know we played Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at four different Carolina location before returning to Winston-Salem for Sunday play.

We took Monday off!

But, then, on Tuesday, we drove 485 miles to Zanesfield, Ohio, to play with our friends at the Zanesfield Petanque Club. They were hosting a Memorial Day Weekend Petanque Extravaganza in conjunction with the Logan Hills Festival.

Petanque Details:

Friday: Weyapiersenwah (Chief Blue Jacket) Doubles Panache Start 12:30. New partners after every game, 3 rounds, top seeds move on to the final, No cost, Medals for winners.

Simon Kenton Pointing contest & cookout 6:00. No cost, Trophy for the winner.

Saturday: Tarhe (Named after Princess Myeerah's father Chief Tarhe) Select doubles tourney. Price $20 per person. Pay out for Top 3 in Main & First In consolante . Trophy for First place in main, Medals for 2nd & 3rd. Consolante medals. Format later date.

Puckeshinwa (Tecumseh Father) Shooting contest, right after the finals, No cost, Trophy for the winner

Sunday: Wapalanye'thi (wah-pah-lahn-yay-thee) (Issac Zane White Eagle) Select Twist Doubles Tourney, Price $20 per person. Pay out for Top 3 in Main & First In consolante, Trophy for First place in main, Medals for 2nd & 3rd. Consolante medals. So what is the twist? You can not play with the same partner you played with on Saturday. We won't need to know your partner in advance and we'll be able to help if needed on making sure you get a new partner.

Closing the loop-- 5/21/2017

After playing Wednesday in Winston-Salem, Thursday in Morganton, Friday in Asheville, and Saturday in Charlotte, we returned to Winston-Salem on Sunday for afternoon play.

Our friends Rick & Maggie spent Saturday night at our house after making the trip from Leesville, SC, to Charlotte on Saturday. So they got in two straight days of play even though they must make a drive of about 200 miles (one way!) from their home to Winston-Salem in order to do so. Just the kind of dedicated players we love!

5/20/2017 Third Saturday play in Charlotte

We traveled form Asheville on Friday evening back to our Lincolnton, NC, house where we spent Friday night. Then, on Saturday morning, we continued our petanque journey by traveling to Nevin Park in Charlotte for third-Saturday play.

The Charlotte group continues to have a steady core of players, many of whom are associated with the Alliance Francaise. It's usual to have at least a dozen, sometimes twice that, for regular play. Denyse and Jeanne have been working together to encourage play and have done a fine job. Rebekah was also instrumental early on in the establishment of play at Nevin Park but has been unable to attend of late due to other commitments.

Our first trip to Asheville petanque!

We played in Winston-Salem on Wednesday, Morganton on Thursday, and now Asheville on Friday as our tour of Carolina Petanque continues. Michel Baudoin has purchased a church that he intends to renovate and re-purpose into a French restaurant. He currently operates BOUCHON at 62 N Lexington Avenue in Asheville.

The new facility is to be located at 184 New Haw Creek Rd, Asheville. Michel is happy to have on site parking at the new location, as downtown parking can be limited. There is to be a bar, several petanque courts, and, of course, fine French food.

We had a great time playing on Thursday and meeting some new people. One first-time player, Don, did exceptionally well and even ended up buying some recreation boules! Hope he continues to enjoy the game for many years to come.

5/18/17 Regular Thursday play

Shirley and I are making an effort to make the trip up to Morganton on Thursdays where play begins around noon. Since the group is just getting started, we know there won't be many players for a while until word gets around. Kirk is planning a small tournament in mid-June to give the new terrains a little exposure.

The surface is a little better each time we go-- whether due to normal settling or the efforts of the Parks and Rec people in removing some of the excess fine gravel that's making the courts too soft.

We hope the park is able to come up with some sun shelters before the weather gets much warmer. We know from experience that the number of players dwindles as the temperature varies up (or down!) from the 70s.

5/17/2017 Regular Wednesday play

We're on a 9:30 AM schedule for Wednesday play at Miller Park (2500 Queen St) in Winston-Salem. The plan is to start before it gets too hot, but from now on through the summer it will probably be plenty warm-- even at 9:30.

Nevertheless, we have the shade of the treeline to step back into now between trows, and it's a major improvement over what we had before. Shirley and I were bringing sun shelters and umbrellas to entice players to come, but it was not as nice as the natural shade we get from the trees at the back of the petanque area.

We're usually able to have at least two games with some shade on the courts and within a short distance even when it's not on the court. Take a look at the pics above and see what I mean. We're happy to have a core group of players who are able to play during "normal" working hours and look forward to the Wednesday group just as we do the Sunday crowd.