Debbie 347. Michael 345. Those were the scores from last night’s Scrabble match, which also happened to be game number 591. I know this because Michael, also known as “Captain Spread Sheet” has kept a running total of all of the games we’ve played since we became Senior Nomads in 2013. That’s right - he can tell you the dates, scores, and exactly where we were every time we played Backgammon, Cribbage, Dominoes, Rummikub, and Scrabble.
He can also tell you that we’ve played nearly one thousand games altogether, and we are so evenly matched the scores often vary by only a few points - no matter the game. That means no one leaves the game in a huff, and the marriage is a happy one.
My backpack is jammed with all these games, (Michael takes all the electronics in his) and I am often pulled out of the TSA security line to have it inspected. The dense Bakelite dominoes and our travel backgammon set always seem to be of interest, but that usually ends in a nice chat with the TSA inspector about games they play. I know you must be wondering why I don't check all this stuff - but my suitcase is always on the edge of the 23 Kilo weight limit.
You might also ask why we haul around so many games with us? And that is a good question. But every time I consider leaving one or two behind - I am torn because we enjoy them all.
Suggestion - If you don't have a game with you, invest in a travel size of one of your favorites, and add a couple of decks of cards to your carry-on. I know we've been glad to have our Kindles to read and a game to play during airport layovers and long train rides.
Then there are the games we’ve played over the years with friends and family. Jenny Youngblood Campbell is the instigator of most of our games nights. And she takes no prisoners. The scores don’t make it onto the Excel sheets, but we certainly enjoy them - and we love to watch our little “Card Sharks” as they graduate to more adult games.
All the grandchildren have learned Backgammon from Grandpa Michael. Here are the French kids, and the LAX kids are good players, too.
Our family favorites include Apples to Apples, Scattegories, and a wild card game called Contract - a variation on Rummy with shouting involved. When we are here in San Miguel de Allende, we have set dates and times to play Scrabble and Rummikub with fellow enthusiasts - outdoors, of course.
Just last week, when we were playing Scrabble at Geek & Co, a popular outdoor cafe when Michael’s insatiable appetite for talking to complete strangers kicked in. A dapper gentleman wearing a Panama hat and a shiny satin jacket walked by. The front was embroidered with the number 29 and the back sported a fan of playing cards showing four 5’s and a Jack and Grassroots Cribbage - the name of his club in Chicago. It reminded me of John Candy and his gang the Kenosha Kickers in Home Alone.
Having four 5’s and the Jack of suit plus a five on the cut is the Holy Grail of Cribbage Hands - because you will end up with 29 points. The most you can have in one turn.
Michael deduced he must know a thing-or-two about the game, so he chased after him. Sure enough, he plays Cribbage in tournaments all over the United States. Before you could say “Twenty Nine” Michael was set to play Cribbage with his new friend Dan, a few days later. I tagged along and we both found Dan to be an excellent teacher and we left with a new appreciation for the game.
Then there are the games I play without Michael. Our son Christopher (who prefers to do the New York Times Sunday Crossword in ink) and I are avid word puzzlers. We both love the NYT's second most popular game - The Spelling Bee. It has its own colony of followers online - and while I don’t need that level of community, Chris and I often text back and forth with non-spoiler clues. We both found Wordle, the "it" game right now at the same time - and I am as enamored with it as everyone else on the planet. It offers a once-a-day opportunity to “think outside the 5 boxes”.
Michael and I are deep into something that isn’t necessarily a “game" but it can sure feel like one with all the ways to double your points, be promoted or demoted to various leagues, and "buy gems” to skip a day and still save your streak!
I am talking about Duolingo. Mr. Campbell is learning French and he hasn’t missed a single lesson in 425 days! Mostly because he is determined, at age 76, to learn French well enough to read books aloud to our three French grandchildren and also to push himself to learn something new. I certainly hear him speaking - but I also catch a few strategic swear words in English. I am learning Spanish and have a 92-day streak under my belt.
It must be working because I’ve been able to conjure up a few simple sentences here in San Miguel. But like anyone learning a new language knows - the native speaker will make some false assumptions about your linguistic ability and give you a long, rapid-fire reply. And there you are - caught like a deer in the headlights. Fortunately, I can pronounce “Disculpe! Yo no hablo Espanol” (Sorry, I don’t speak Spanish) Next I’ll learn “Just kidding!”. Or order some salty potatoes.
As for physical games, we don’t golf, play pickleball, tennis, or softball. Do darts count? Because we love darts. However, we did recently learn to play tournament-style Croquet! That must count!
We were in Palm Springs in early January and had friends coming to stay for a couple of days. We were looking for something out of the ordinary to do together and Michael found an Airbnb Experience that hit the mark. It was called The Mission Hills Croquet Experience” and it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
We pulled up to the Mission Hills Country Club and were escorted to the pristine grass playing fields where we met Brian Lozano the Club Pro. He graciously overlooked the fact we weren’t wearing whites and taught the four of us and two lovely ladies from Missouri to forget everything we ever learned in our backyards about the game. We loved it! And Brian told us there is an active Croquet Club here in San Miguel and gave us the contact information. We can’t wait to play again.
Speaking of games, the Winter Olympics are on in the background. Sadly, they are surrounded with controversy, not to mention Covid restrictions - but nonetheless, it is amazing to watch, even under such difficult conditions, what the human body and spirit can accomplish.
When we are not playing games, we are busy planning our travels for April and May. We considered a repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton with some nice stops along the way, but the first seven days were at sea (of course) and masks would be required in public spaces, so we will save that for another time. Instead, we are focused on visiting Costa Rica and spending some time in Colombia. From there, we hope to head off to Europe for the summer - we may get the last three “Stans” in as well. We hope you are avoiding Covid and doing some travel planning of your own!
Thanks for following along,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
The Senior Nomads