New Card Games

When my parents purchased our cabin in 1960, there was a shelf of books under the stairs.  It has remained there.  Zane Grey novels, old Reader's Digest magazines, Coronet magazines, all from the 1940's and 50's.  One of the books - How to Play Canasta - has also been patiently waiting for someone to pick it up.  This past week I did.  For the first time ever.

I had heard Canasta was really hard to play, so I was never interested, but for some reason I decided now is the time to learn it.  So I began to read it and found that it is not that hard to play.  There are a lot of rules to remember - which we sometimes forget and have to refer to the book - but it is a great game for two.  Except when one of those two is Don Norton, who is very good a cards and ruthless too.  I get just enough good cards to make me think I am going to beat him, but he usually wins.

We played every night at the cabin and we now at least understand the game.  And we learned it the old-fashioned way - we read a book!

Then we learned another game - Machiavelli - from Annelle King.  It is an equally fun and challenging game, very similar to a game we play with the Dunlavys and Martis called Rumicube.  Don equates it with chess, as one has to consider many aspects of how the cards go together to win.  I found it equally as fun, and it has many fewer rules to remember.  Not a bad thing for old people!