Here we are! We left home at about 2pm, and arrived here at the lake at about six. It was mostly a lovely drive through rural Vermont and upstate New York. We had to go through downtown Saratoga Springs, which was busy, but that was interesting to see and didn't last long. We have come here many times in the past, but this visit is different in one respect: the cottage is new. It is next door to the one we have stayed in past years, but it is also totally redone. The one we have stayed in before was sort of shabby in a charming way, but it has also been totally made over and is now reserved exclusively for the use of the owners. So that familiar experience of the past is now but a memory. The old cottage had a cement floor with big crack in it, hidden partly by a threadbare rug. This one has new, synthetic wood flooring, and no rug. It also has new pine paneling. And a new bath with gorgeous shower (old one had a metal shower stall). But we are told the beds are still clunky. We'll see!
We just had a game of "Scotch Bridge" (or, "Oh Hell") with two friends, Betsy and Ginny, who are staying nearby at another lake. Six of us played-Betsy, Ginny, Katie, Savanna, Ellen and myself. It's like bridge in that you bid on your hand (i.e., the number of tricks you think you can take) and there is a suit named trump. But, you start with (in this case) eight cards, and then each successive hand is one card less, down to one card. Bidding gets harder with each hand, obviously. However, the last hand was an easy bid for Katie - she was dealt the Ace in the suit named trump, a surefire winner. You can bid 0 up to the number of cards in your hand. You score 10 points if you make your bid, plus the number of tricks you take. There is some skill involved and a lot of luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment