56 Hands

I spent yesterday in Creston playing 56 hands of bridge and it was a really fine brain exercise! I played with a new partner (to me), Holly, and we had a bit of trouble here and there, but both felt positively about the experience at the end of the day. This was a Swiss Teams event and we sat east/west. Our partners, Betty and Anne, sat north/south. We play the same hands of bridge and see who scores best over 8 hands. Then we switch opponents and the whole process begins again. Eight hands per round x 7 rounds gives us 56 hands of bridge. We had about a 45 minute break in mid-afternoon. I realize that I really must start treating this the same way that one prepares for any athletic endeavour - get lots of sleep, don't have a hangover, and eat protein. For me this a pretty gruelling day, but I love it. Snow came down in Creston all morning so it was good not to be missing a sunny day. We ended up 9th out of 12 teams, so not our best day, but everyone had a great time. As a bonding exercise, it was first rate.