Damien, Stephanie, Manelle, Linda.
In addition to incredible gardens, fields, dog house, chicken coup, patios, yards, etc., the mas has a petanque court. (Petanque: the French version of bocce [or, peut-être, bocce is the Italian version of petanque] that uses metal boules instead of wood.) The court (50 feet long, eight feet wide) is in disrepair (leaves, pine straw, branches, etc.,) so you and Damien give it a good raking/cleaning. The whole group comes out to play: Linda (la mère de Damien), Stephanie (friend, from GB), and Manelle (cousin, from Algeria). You've played the game for a while, but never on actual French soil, as they say, and you win every game (team and individual). Totally bad form, because 1) The host should always win at least one game and, 2) Manelle had never played before, and 3) See # 1. Gracious even in defeat, Damien invites you to have dinner with the family again. They are the best! Merci beaucoup.
Double cupping petanque, and your first-ever taste of pastis.
Linda fires off a shot.
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