The day dawned with a cool, misty rain and looked less than promising right up until the noon starting time. Nevertheless, the event organizers decided to go ahead and hope for the best. The rain quickly subsided and, though still a little cool and dreary, the day turned out to be okay after all.
Crowds were not as large as expected because of the "iffy" weather, but they were still enthusiastic and the numbers picked up a little as the day went on. We had managed to lay out an area where the grass was cut all the way down to the dirt and had a surface that wasn't that bad for petanque. Unfortunately, the morning showers had turned our hard-dirt surface into a soft-mud surface when play started. Shirley had the foresight to bring plenty of cloth boule rags and we were able to wipe away at least some of the mud after each throw.
As we continued to play and the day dried out, the combination of our walking back and forth and the better weather improved the surface to the point where the mud was less and less of a factor. By the end of the day, we again had a reasonable surface to play on. Those who had never played before soon found that it's a simple game to learn the basics, but a game that allows one to progress to a higher level of play if he's willing to put in the time and effort to practice.
Everyone seemed to have a good time. The hot dogs and chili and sodas and funnel cakes and popcorn and pickles and, well, you get the idea, were all free and good. The music was a delightful background. And the people were outgoing and friendly.
Shirley and I were delighted when the pastor, Francis Smith, came by and invited us to come back next year for another opportunity to spread the word about petanque to the Meadowview community. We're looking forward to it, and we're already trying to think of ways to improve the experience. Maybe a little coarse sand, well-tamped? We'll see!
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