mid summer review

Hello Canasta Goddesses,

In just a few days Leni and I will be leaving Paradise for  this summer's adventure at the only dune ranch in Ammagansett.  It is the week we look forward to all year, What makes it so special you might ask?  Our group, affectionately known as Rho Kappa, have been friends for over forty years.  What does Rho Kappa do  at the ranch?  We get up, eat a delicious breakfast,  talk, take a morning walk,  talk,  we play canasta,  talk, we eat lunch, we talk,  go to the beach, more talk, we play canasta, talk, we shop the Hamptons, talk, we go out to dinner, talk, more canasta, more talk. We go to bed with sore throats and sound of the ocean outside our windows. We get up early, rinse and repeat.  Hope to have some interesting hands to tell you about when we return.

A few weeks ago, while playing, one of the girls asked what we thought of melding with just three big jokers. I said you'd have to be having a HOT, HOT day to take that chance. (see When You're Hot, You're Hot, posted 9/22/14) One of the girls thought the odds were pretty good because there are still nine wild cards left in the deck. The other two players said they would never do it. What would you do?

Last spring I donated a canasta lesson for four to my grandsons' charter school. Benae, my daughter Erin's friend, bought the lesson at a fundraising auction.   The Broward Bunch, as the girls named themselves are lovely young women who are very busy with their families and careers, but took  a few hours off to learn our favorite game.  First they  reminisced about watching their moms and grandmas play our favorite game when they were young (take it from me, they are still young).  And there must be something about those young brains (not filled with as much junk, sorry... knowledge, as ours) because they caught on very quickly. They remembered to put down their threes, they remembered to take their talons, they took packs and made canastas.  It was a great evening and we plan to do it again.  Any readers who want to give their daughters or granddaughters lessons in our favorite game, contact me and we will set something up.

Hope all goddesses are having a happy, healthy summer, staying cool and dry and playing lots and lots of Canasta.

Much love, Barbara