Newsletter chitchat - March 5, 2024

[Cassel]

What kind of game do you like to play (or liked to play when you were young)?

Are they card games? Board games? Something else?

Is it available online too?

Let's chat.

[Ann Seeber]

Oh, it has been a while since I played but I used to love a game called German Pinochle. I played with my husband and various other players at a tavern in Pine Island, a nearby farming community, when we lived in Warwick, NY. We played for money, $1.00 and $2.00 per game. I see Carol's game link has Pinochle, which I also played. My parents played regularly with friends from church, and it was something I watched with interest when I was a child. My husbands both played Poker for money, but I never had the nerve to join. When my late husband, Frank, and I would travel to movie theater owner conventions around the country, we would end up at casinos in Atlantic City, NJ, or Las Vegas, NV. One time in Vegas, I was watching a game of Texas Hold'em (a poker variation) when the celebrity, Steve Martin, strolled over and joined the game! Wow, he was very handsome and charming. If you are not familiar with him, I've attached a photo. He was known as a comedian on Saturday Night Live and in films, such as "Roxanne," where he played a version of Cyrano DeBergerac. Lately, he is the creator and star of the hit show "Only Murders in the Building" with Martin Short, which is available in the US on Apple+. He is also an artist and talented banjo player.

Edited March 6 by Ann Seeber
added photo

[Michele]

When I was a kid, we played Pokeno as a family. It's like Bingo except with cards. Also, my siblings and I played the card game Old Maid with my grandmother. Every time she picked the old maid or someone picked it from her, she would start laughing. We all ended up giggling like crazy.

[Ann Seeber]

Speaking of board games, we played Monopoly a lot and Scrabble. We lived in a two-family house in Rutherford, NJ, (photo added) and the woman from upstairs would come down and play Scrabble with my mom every evening, especially if my dad was watching a baseball game on the kitchen TV. I ended up marrying her son, Jack, who was the father of my two daughters. He passed away in 1992, just before the birth of my granddaughter, Jackie. 

[Anne Lamp]

I never played board games much.  My step sister and  step brother were 6 & 7 years older than me and there were no other kids close.  My family played Canasta and Pinochle. I know the basics in Pinochle but never could get interested enough to get any good at it... When my sister was expecting, she and her husband lived with us for a while..  She wanted to play Canasta all the time.  A lot of times I was the only one there and not busy.  Good grief, I got so tired of  playing it, I couldn't stand the thought of playing cards  for a long time.  Oh well she did have a fine baby boy and he did not come out with hearts, spades, diamonds, or clubs all over him, so I guess it all turned out OK.

[Ann Seeber]

55 minutes ago, Anne Lamp said:

I never played board games much.  My step sister and  step brother were 6 & 7 years older than me and there were no other kids close.  My family played Canasta and Pinochle. I know the basics in Pinochle but never could get interested enough to get any good at it... When my sister was expecting, she and her husband lived with us for a while..  She wanted to play Canasta all the time.  A lot of times I was the only one there and not busy.  Good grief, I got so tired of  playing it, I couldn't stand the thought of playing cards  for a long time.  Oh well she did have a fine baby boy and he did not come out with hearts, spades, diamonds, or clubs all over him, so I guess it all turned out OK.

I went to camp most summers and all we played was Canasta. It did get a bit boring after a while. My more recent card game of German Pinochle is lightning fast and exciting. Wish I could find some players now. Most of the ones we played with are now gone.

Edited March 6 by Ann Seeber

[Corrie Kinkel]

I always have played a lot of different games. For cardgames: Canasta, Patience (Solitaire) and the Dutch games of Jokeren (the translation to English gives the names, rummy and pinochle), Hartenjagen (Hearts), Klaverjassen (translation says: play Jass) and Pesten (Crazy Eights). I suspect that the rules for each game are a bit different in other countries. When our kids were young we played a lot of Pesten, it takes not much time and is so easy to learn. My husband played Bridge for a while but I never did. Board games were another favorite like Scrabble, Monopoly, Stratego, Mens erger je niet (Ludo), Ganzenbord (Game of Goose). My husband and son played Chess . I have no idea which one of all these can be played online; the only one I have on my pc/phone is Solitaire.  For many years my sister in law came over for a couple of days and when the kids were still living at home they knew she always wanted to play cards with them. Later we played  Klaverjassen with her until she was not able to travel any longer and she died 4 years ago. Now we hardly play games anymore.