It’s been a semi-busy Friday/Saturday weekend. We had no plans at all until Wednesday or Thursday, when, for the first time in the 30+ years of the Quad City Senior Olympics, I read about it BEFORE it was over. Usually, I have read about the events (usually at Augustana) and thought, “Oh. Wish I had known about that before it was all over.”
I didn’t see the article about this year’s events until Wednesday and sign-up deadline was by 5 p.m., so I signed up at 3 p.m. for the two that didn’t require me to run or swim or do anything even remotely athletic, since I couldn’t even walk for about half of the last year, due to the side effects from cancer medication. (Maybe next year?) I noticed the “low impact” area had Literary events (which I still do not understand nor know about), a Spelling Bee and a euchre tournament. So, why not?
We drove to Ridgecrest Village and I participated in the Spelling Bee, coming in second of about 10 contestants. I unwisely spelled “vacuousness” with 2 c’s, but it was all in fun and I was awarded a Silver Medal. Then, we learned that we might have the opportunity to play euchre with 3 or 4 other tables of people for a “contest” of some sort to be held beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday. ($5 per person). I had paid $35 for a shirt, which I never got, because, apparently, one needed to attend the Opening Ceremonies, which were over before I even read about the event.
So, we went back on Friday and played euchre from 5 to 8 p.m. Much like bridge tallies, one did not play with one’s spouse or friend but on a schedule and they set it up for us to deal 2 times around and then quit and mark down a score (8 rounds). Although my spouse and I were never paired, we were tied at 16 points about halfway through the evening. It was then that I began taking note of the higher scores (Betty, #1, and Herman, #2) and realized that I was not likely to reach the 39 points of Betty nor the 37 of Herman. I did have 34 points, however, and, when I asked my husband how many points he had, he said “33.”
So, it was surprising that my husband was announced as the third place finisher, but—hey—it’s all in the family and, this way, we ould each have a medal (a silver and bronze.) It was a kick. Thanks to the organizers, who also provided some soft drinks and bags of chips to the contestants.
I wanted to find a regular, reliable night that we could play euchre, as we have done in Austin for 6 years. There, we simply show up at the Waterloo Ice House and it goes on from 7-ish to 9. We have to drive a long way to get there, but we always order food and eat. as do most of the other card players. The players are of all ages and stations in life. Last time we played, our opponents were a female fire fighter and her date (who had never played previously). It was a hoot!
I spent quite a bit of time trying to find any place that has a regular, recurring euchre game that doesn’t require membership in another group and/or doesn’t charge an entry fee. If you know of one, let me know, because I have come up empty. I did find that a tavern at 3rd and Pine in Davenport named “Gilly’s” seemed to have a game that began at 5;30 on Thursdays (although this post did not have a year on it, so that may be old information). However, recently, two patrons of Gilly’s were involved in a fatal shooting. The City Council subsequently canceled Gilly’s liquor license, so are they still having euchre games? And is it safe to go in there? The owner of Gilly’s testified at the hearing that she had hired security to “wand” people for guns, which did not sound ideal. (I just want to play euchre—not be involved in a confrontation involving guns.) Some have mentioned the Vikings Club (Moline) or the Elks or CASI. I remember playing at CASI with my dear departed friend David Dorris, but I also remember that it was not a very chummy feeling, as he was late once and they berated him for his delay. Plus I think there was a charge. All in all, I’m still looking for a weekly euchre game like the one we participate in in Texas.
(L to R) Marvis and Bob Hafner and Bob DeJonghe
On Friday night, we tried out Hemisphere (formerly the Red Crow) in Davenport. A very lovely ambiance and good service, but it was cold in there, to the point that my husband agreed it was too cold. Everything was also too salty. We had the crab cake appetizer (small, salty) and then we had the overly salty bone-in pork chop. It was not a cheap evening, as the bone in pork chop is $28, but the good news is that it comes with 2 sides, which, in my case, were roasted carrots and very salty fingerling potatoes. (Spouse had cauliflower and rice). Quite a bit of difference between the meal at the Mexican spot, with tacos at $7.50.
So, Saturday night we met up with old friends Bob and Judy DeJonghe and Bob and Marvis Hafner and it was a pleasant evening outdoors (except for the part where the train came through. Ha!) Bob will be having some surgeries beginning on Tuesday, so it was nice to be able to see them prior to his kidney and back surgeries. Always great to see good friends of so many years.
Picture (to the left) “the rest of the table” with husband Craig and Judy (DeJonghe).
Tacos were very good and only $7.50 for three. They were made like real hard tacos are served in Mexico, in sort of a rolled-up tube presentation. Also had part of a chicken enchilada, but too full to finish either.