Totally Unauthorized

Here it is, 3 days after Christmas, and I’m not in Reno. It still seems strange to me.

For close to 30 years, I would get up early the day after Christmas, stop at the mall to hit a sale and then head over the hill to Reno for the regional. It was the only regional in the country that particular week, and all the pros and top players came and made it just a smashing success. In the earliest years, there was a pairs game that started at midnight, kicking off the New Year with bridge and waaaaaaay too much champagne.

In the 70’s when the tournament was downtown in the Pioneer auditorium, we all got coupon books for free drinks and hot dogs and slot pulls at most of the casinos. I was much younger, at least a little more stupid, and tried mightily to use up all of the coupons with my friends. That part of the past I don’t miss so much…..

Now, sadly, those days are gone. The league, in its infinite wisdom, has seen fit to sanction FIVE regional that week, with the result that Reno is now the smallest of the five and dropping fast. It just isn’t fun anymore. Perhaps the fact that we are all 40 years older has something to do with it, but even at this advanced age I manage to have fun at many tournaments.

Which brings up the good news–the week after the Reno regional is the Monterey regional, which is now the best tournament of the year. The hotel is stupendous: I grew up thinking that the Del Monte Hyatt was the coolest hotel in the world, and not that much has changed. After too many years of neglect, they have completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the place, and it is truly world class again. The location is perfect, the service is great, the price is right (those $105 rooms will be closer to $400 in high season, which is anytime except the dead of winter).

Then there are the restaurants: we’ll have to make our annual pilgrimage to The Sardine Factory so Gail can have the abalone. Maybe Fresh Cream again this year, or the Auberge de Carmel. Monterey Fish house for sure. If Stokes is open, we’ll book the Captains Room and see if we can squeeze 10 or 12 around the table.

Starting off the New Year with a week of good friends, great food and bridge is about as good as it gets. I hope to see you there.

The tides of life sweep both ways. Hillary Miller was once a fixture around our club, with her long standing partnership with Henri Madeiros, the rowdiest LOL in history.

Sadly, Henri passed on, and Hillary got a job which kept her from playing cards for years. Recently, I have run across her playing Bridge Base Online, and encouraged her to get back into playing face to face at the club.

Work was light around the old pizza factory this morning, so Gail and I decided to play cards at 10. I was very pleasantly surprised to a) see 17 tables in play and 2) see Hillary playing.

Over the years I have seen many players come and go. It often amazes me how someone I haven’t seen in years, or even decades, will one day turn up at the club and start to play as if there had never been a gap.

It also makes me think that many of us know someone who hasn’t played in some time, and perhaps all they need is a little encouragement to get back into the swing of playing regularly. If you know someone like that, ask them to play–it will make both of you happy.

So last week Gail and I went to Florida for a few days to visit with Susan and Karl. She loved being the big boss here in Unit 499 so much that she is now on her local and district boards in Florida, as well as the web manager for both.

Susan is teaching and directing as well, playing a major part in her local club–which is a very large, 7 day a week operation with two huge rooms so they can have simultaneous open and junior games.

When you only get to see people a few days a year, you pack the days as full as possible. On Sunday, we went to Disney Hollywood to see the lights–a display of over 5 million lights that takes your breath away. On Monday, Gail and Susan played cards, while Karl and I went to the Kennedy Space center. Then we had a raucous cocktail party for many of her bridge friends. The guest of honor was Frances, a delightful friend who is the center of attention wherever she goes.

Tuesday was a highlight–we took an airboat ride through the swampland. For many, I think, these tours are about the alligators. There are gators everywhere, in the water, on the bank, chasing fish and birds and turtles. To my mind, though, once you have seen 10 or 20 of the damned lizards, you have seen them all. The most interesting part to me was the birds–there are so many different kinds, large and small, and they are all intriguing.

At one point, we stopped in a cypress grove. It was silent and beautiful, and not filled with mosquitoes the way I had always imagined.

Finally, we went back to Main Street Disney, to see the lighting of Cinderella’s castle. It was just fabulous. Of course, I had to visit my Uncle Scrooge.

And here is the castle.

Then it was time to come home. Susan is going to be out here sometime next year, I’m sure there will be more excitement then.

Playing cards day and night is all well and good, but you get better by studying and working.  The ACBL Bulletin runs the “It’s your call” quiz every month, and I was pretty darned pleased to see that Ally Whiteneck and Trisha Oconnor both were listed for achieving perfect scores in October.  There doesn’t seem to be any limit to how much there is to learn about bridge: I think I have as much to figure out today as I did 40 years ago.  But maybe that’s just me……..

The boys who go to Gatlinburg every April aren’t the only travelers in the Diablo Valley.  Bob Alfandary writes me that he and partner Susan Nurock took second in their bracket in a regional in Ocean City, Maryland last month.  Bob says they did plenty of sightseeing, but I think they just went for the crab bisque—which is reason enough to go to Maryland anytime.

The unit had a memorial pro-am game for Ken White last month, and there were 19 tables of pros and ams playing and learning and making friends in the club.  The unit provided pizza, and Iris promises that the next time they hold this event there will be duplicated boards and hand records.  Of course, by then we will have the hand duplicating machine the unit has purchased, which will make a wonderful difference in club and unit games in general.

The Unit mentor program continues to bring players together.  I’m required to mention that Mike Rippey, playing with his mentor Gail Giffen, had two 60+% games in the same week.  I wish she’d teach me that well.

So I’m holding up my column, and thus the entire Western Conference Forum, breathlessly awaiting the news/results from the Iron Horse Sectional, which ended an hour ago.  I call my secret source; she fills me in on all the dirt.  To wit:  there was a tournament.  It was good.  Attendance was fair, down 45 tables from last year.  Somebody won; although not my secret source, who is giving up the game forever or at least for tomorrow.  There were no fistfights. Hospitality and refreshments were wonderful.  I think it’s time to put an ad on Craigslist for another secret source.

Next month is the NABC in San Diego.  I hope to see many of you there, winning those last gold points and enjoying the Mexican food and balmy weather.  But don’t trust my secret source to tell me about the great things you do, write me at chris@pisarra.com

Gail and I are about to leave San Diego, after a week of bridge and eating.

The biggest news is that Hal and Ron Huffaker won the mini-Blue Ribbon Pairs, a two day national event limited to players with fewer than 5000 points.  It a hugely impressive feat.

Our grand Pooh-Bah, Iris Libby, went over 500 points this week, making her a Bronze LM.

Lots of other Diablo Valley people around here–I saw Winnie Jasper and Jerry Chamberlain, Patsy Ruth and Carol, Cecilia, Elizabeth (all the way from Hong Kong), Micky and Linda, Bob Luebkeman, Danny and Linda Friedman, Bob Munson and Nancy Blaustein.  Played on a team with former local Freddy Wooten, who is leaving on a cruise with Susan Ledford soon.

Now that the NABC is over, we have STAC week starting Monday.   Then the holidays, then we start the new year right with a week in Monterey at my favorite regional of all.

And the very next NABC is in Reno in March.  This is going to be a very good year for bridge, I should think.