Nathan rejoins the group

Steve's young son, Nathan, came with him from Charlotte on Sunday to play with our group for the first time since he was with us back in January. His dad had just purchased him some brand new JB Junior competition boules in a 70.5/650 size and he was eager to try them. He played very well indeed. Sue Wien (just visible behind Bob in the last photo) commented that Nathan played a very controlled game for a young man his age, and I think she was right on the money with her assessment.

Tom Cearley and his son, Wesley, also made an apperance but were not able to stay long enough to play. They were in Winston-Salem visiting with Tom's father-in-law, Ronnie Rierson, who is recovering from recent major surgery. I'm happy to report that Ronnie is doing great and should be back with us in the not-too-distant future. Wesley had his girlfriend, Marcie, with him and the two of them watched the play for a while. He promised to bring her back to try her hand at playing before too long.

Danny and Josh victorious!

Danny and Josh played doubles against Gary and Shirley at Miller Park on Sunday. And don't let the fact that Josh is posing with the (losers!) rake throw you. He and Danny killed us four games to one.

As far as I am concerned, that's way more than enough said on the subject!

Khalid returns!

Khalid Mesbah, one of the very best players who plays with CarolinaPetanque, rejoined our group on Friday, October 9, 2009, at the Lincolnton court.

That's him, above, shooting (a raccoon with a camera). You knew he was a shooter, right?

Well, with him shooting and Danny pointing, they had little trouble dispensing with the team of Gary/Shirley/Augustin (4 games to 2). We were one player short for triples, so had to play 2 vs 3. Guess Friday wasn't a good day for drawing a crowd. Khalid's work schedule makes it difficult to play most weekends, but he promised to play more often with us if we're able to play some on weekdays.

I'll keep you posted.

Playin' in the dirt

We played in Lincolnton this week since Shirley and I have been staying there a little more often these days in order to allow Shirley to spend a little more time with her mom. Shirleyalso has an aunt who is in hospice care and has been visiting with her most days.

As anyone who has played on our Lincolnton court knows, it's a lttle softer (and slower) than either Miller Park or our Lexington court. It makes for a really nice change of pace and several people have said they actually prefer it. Danny seems to play especially well there.

One more comment about the play-- I'm not sure whether Shirley staged the first picture in this group, but she was the photographer and (as many of you will recognize) that is her boule holding the point. So, draw your own conclusions.

Miller Park again

We were all happy that Danny&Sue were able to make what has, unfortunately, been a rather rare appearance at Miller Park on 9/20/2009. Sue's duties caring for her mother in the NC mountains have kept them away for much of our summer season.

Steve Hackenberg drove over from Charlotte for the second week in a row. His pointing was really outstanding all afternoon. He hasn't been playing often, but he certainly is playing well.

Another beautiful Sunday

September 13, 2009, was a beautiful Sunday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the home base of CarolinaPetanque. We had a nice turnout and were particularly glad to have Ronnie Rierson, Mark Quilici, and Steve Hackenberg with us as there schedules have not allowed them to be frequent players of late.

We hope to see a lot more of them. And we'd like to see YOU too!

Bob M. in LA

Bruce measures as Carol and Martin watch. Bruce and CarolinaPetanque's own Bob Moyer prevail 13 to 4. This from an i-phone snapshot Bob took on a recent trip to Los Angeles. Though we enjoy Bob's updates from his travels, we look forward to having him back in the Carolinas for some local play before too long.