WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL BLOG for La Pétanque Marinière in San Rafael, California. LPM has been an active Marin pétanque club since 1972 and affiliated with the Fédération of Pétanque USA, since 1975. We welcome people of all abilities, ages and nationalities to come and enjoy pétanque with us.

The Pierre Joske Courts are located on Civic Center drive in San Rafael. (click for directions). Casual games are played every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from about 1 pm. Tournament play is usually held on the second Sunday of every month.

Please consult the links on the sidebar to the right for more information on clubs in the bay area, nationally and world wide.

If you would like to play but haven't any boules, please contact our President, Christine Cragg. They can bring some for you to use, as well as introduce you to the basic skills and techniques of pétanque. In addition, if you are looking to purchase boules but are unsure as to which size and weight are right for you, we have a range of different examples from which to choose.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

LA BOULE DU DESERT SPRING OPEN PETANQUE TOURNAMENT

Join us four our First Spring Select Triplette Tournament on April 24 & 25, 2010, in Palm Desert.

The tournament will be played over two days, qualifying games on Saturday and the quarter, semi and finals as well as consolantes on Sunday. Entry fee for the two days is $60.00 per team.

Saturday April 24th, registration starts at 9:30am, games start at 10am.

Sunday April 25th, games start at 9:30am.

Coffee and croissants will be served on Sunday only. Bring your own lunch.

Trophies and cash prizes will be awarded to 1st place team; 2nd and 3rd place teams and winners of the Consolante will receive cash prizes only.

Visit our website www.labouledudesert.net for location of the courts

Sunday night at the Petanque Court Pavilion, dinner will be provided by our Chefs for a lovely Bistro menu consisting of:

Hors d’oeuvre: Fresh Melon with Prosciutto.

Entrée: Blanquette de Veau (Veal Stew in Cream Sauce)

Salad course: Green salad with cheese assortment.

Desert: French pastry.

Price is $25.00 per person, water will be available. but you are welcome to bring your favorite beverage. Dinner will start at 7pm, leaving time to relax and rest after the tournament.

Please complete the following registration form to indicate your interest.

We are looking forward to seeing you in our Desert.

Yours in Petanque,

Gerard Canabou, President

La Boule du Desert


REGISTRATION FORM

TOURNAMENT: La Boule du Desert, Spring Select Triplette

DATE: April 24 & 25, 2010

AT: Palm Desert, California

Team members

1.____________________________ Club_____________________

2.____________________________ Club_____________________

3.____________________________ Club_____________________

*email________________________ *Tel #___________________

Dinner

Number of persons attending Sunday night dinner: _____________

*To indicate your interest, please e-mail your registration to gerardcanabou@earthlink.net by April 8th, or call him at 760-568-1916 or Cell 760-399-6829.

By April 19th, please make your check payable to La Boule du Desert for the entry fee and dinner reservation and mail it to:

Gerard G. Canabou

85 Clavel Court

Palm Desert, CA 92260

Monday, March 15, 2010

2010 Nor Cal Cup Results & Slideshow

The 2010 Northern California Commemorative Cup Competition was held yesterday under sunny skies after a few nail-biting days of rainy weather. There were 19 teams representing, San Francisco, Willits, Lamorinda, Petaluma, Healdsburg and of course San Rafael. A lot of intense competition ensued as the various teams fought to have their name engraved on the perpetual trophy, all of whom seemed to enjoy the diversity of engaging in play with some of those not usually able to travel to San Rafael. Five games were played with the over all winners being: Pascal Gravier and Teri Sirico. There was a tie for the second place spot between the teams of Tino Lofaro/Errin McTaggert and Ken del Gobo/Tamara Efron. The players decided upon a 9 point play off, and Ken and Tamara walked off with a surprising and exciting 9-4 victorious effort over last years defending champions to win second place.
Thanks to all who worked to make the tournament a success. Thank you to the people who helped groom the courts in the weeks before and very special bottom-of-our-heart appreciation to Jean and Emily Etcheverry for taking the appearance and maintenance duties of the courts under their wing.

To watch the slideshow of yesterdays activities,
click here

Saturday, March 13, 2010

SUNDAY March 14 - Northern CA Commemorative Cup.

THE COMPETITION WILL TAKE PLACE AS PLANNED


*****REMEMBER DAYLIGHT SAVINGS STARTS*****


Registration ends at 10:00 a.m. All games start at 10:30 a.m.
Select Mixed Doublettes (1 man & 1 woman). 5 games (swiss system)
First Place: Plaques and names engraved on the perpetual trophy.
Second Place: Plaques
Bring your own lunch. Apéritifs will be served after awards ceremony.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Marin supervisors go forward with $83 million public safety building


Plans for an $83 million public safety complex at the Marin Civic Center moved ahead Tuesday as county supervisors asked firms willing to design, develop and help finance the facility to step forward.

Although a staff report asserted the county has not yet "chosen a specific site location" for the complex, attention is focused on a dog park across from the Civic Center.

Supervisor Steve Kinsey said the county's call for development proposals was a "really significant step in the most significant capital budget the board will do this decade."

Supervisor Hal Brown added, however, that "there's a lot of steps to be taken before we tell someone to start hammering out there."

Officials contend a facility that meets safety standards is crucial to accommodate continuing operations during emergencies, including an earthquake.

The dog park site is the county's "preferred alternative," although other areas, including the "Christmas tree" lot site at the Civic Center and "The Pit" parking lot farther south, as well as sites away from the Civic Center, will be studied, according to David Speer, facilities planning manager at the Civic Center.

"We haven't solidified the site yet," said Supervisor Susan Adams. "You're going to be seriously looking at some off-campus sites," Supervisor Judy Arnold told Speer.

"It's going to be a challenging project, whichever site is chosen," Kinsey said.

Click Here for the complete article.

Monday, March 1, 2010