Seeing Gibraltar, Spain, and France w/ Kirk, Bo, and Parker

Gibraltar

Spain

Narbonne, FRANCE

I borrowed these photos of Kirk, Bo, and Parker's recent European Vacation from Bo's FACEBOOK page.  They played petanque in Gibraltar (a British possession), Spain, and France.  If you're a FB friend, I'm sure you've been following their journeys.

Here's a sample of their comments on French petanque:

"We played several games yesterday but played 2 France vs USA we split 1and 1. They beat us pretty bad the first game 2-13. The second we had figured out the court but trailed the entire game. However I shot a carreau at 10m for 5 to win. Great players and super friendly; if you are in Narbonne you should play at St Francois Petanque!"-- Kirk.

And here's a FB summary of the trip:

 "We are back at home after an approximately 25 hour travel day yesterday and only a few hours of sleep. It was an amazing trip in which we saw many facets of Gibraltar, Spain, and France and I hope it will not be another 14 years before we return.

A general reflection on the last couple weeks in Gibraltar, Spain and France are that they beautiful countries with a rich history but more importantly are filled with interesting, fun, and helpful people that made the trip really special and makes me want to return soon. This is not an all-inclusive list but highlights of many interactions daily we had with great people.

The staff at Dona Lola in Mijas who helped orienting ourselves and start converting our Spanish dialect to traditional Spanish.
The super friendly and helpful cab driver in Gibraltar who picked us up after the 10 mile hike off the rock.
Everyone at the Gibraltar Petanque Federation who welcomed us like long lost relatives; especially Mario and Matthew.
The staff and owner at Hanuri restaurant in Mijas.
Everyone we met at Club Petanca Los Prados in Malaga who couldn’t have been more accommodating and kind; especially Juan and Cliff.
The owners of the apartment in Narbonne who were very friendly and helpful during our stay there.
Everyone we met at Saint Francois Petanque in Narbonne who despite a significant language barrier welcomed the crazy Americans who wandered into the club for a great afternoon of petanque; especially Joel.
Nina who met us at apartment and oriented us in Barcelona.
The lady at the bakery around the corner from the apartment in Barcelona who had a big smile for us every time we stopped by.

There are many many others who need to be thanked and I wish I could list them all.
Thank you and we hope to see you again sometime soon!"-- Kirk.

We're happy to have them home safely back in the USA and look forward to seeing them again soon.

A great way to celebrate my birthday!

We had a nice turnout yesterday at Miller Park in Winston-Salem, NC, on my birthday-- another hot July-in-Carolina summer day.

We were particularly glad to see Teng and his son, Wing (sp?) from Newton, NC.  Mai was working at the fresh market--they have a large garden and manage to produce enough to sell some of their surplus to local residents-- and unable to make the trip.

Also, Robert ("Stump") and Cheryl were back again and brought Tamara and Jemira (sp?), two of their grandchildren, along with them.  The Morrisons are always a welcome addition to the group and we're glad they have been able to rejoin us for the past couple of weeks after an extended absence.  They have a new grandchild who's only a few months old that has taken up much of their free time lately.

After Sunday's play, several of us, at Rom and Barb's invitation, met at Mayberry's Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant a few miles from the park.  Rom and Barb very generously treated the entire group to sandwiches and ice cream/milkshakes in celebration of my birthday.  Also, Kerry, upon finding out that Sunday was my birthday, had left play early and gone by a local bakery for a cake.  Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and especially to Rom, Barb, and Kerry for the post-play celebration.

Sincerely,
Gary