Fun and games, in Halifax

So what games did you play while on holiday in your childhood, at university or college, and now, when you travel? Games are a great way to while away the time, especially on rainy days. They help build friendship and community, especially when I win. They are a nice alternative to intense physical activity and a way to sooth sore or injured limbs.

I remember playing Chinese Checkers at the old Island Hall Hotel in Parksville. Other family favourites included standard card games like Fish and later, Rummy (no Gin involved). Also Kings Corner, and Crazy Eights.

Decades later when Kathie and I travelled with our young family the games of choice were Uno, Pit, Mille Bornes, and much later, Canasta.

Only this morning I pulled out a set of cards and played a round of Solitaire (often named Patience) and this evening (as the TV no longer works) we will play Crib.

For many years now, we have enjoyed Yahtzee and other dice games. Terry O’Reilly recently explained the history of this popular game on his show Under the Influence. The game was invented by an anonymous Canadian couple, who called it The Yacht Game because they played it on their yacht with their friends. [Wiki] From creator Edwin Lowe to Milton-Bradley, and finally to Hasbro, sales are fifty million annually. Required skills include luck, probability, and strategy.

At home, or on the road each morning as I rise, I play New York Times e-games—Wordle,* Connections, and more recently, Strands. The popularity of e-games makes me wonder if anyone plays physical, good old-fashioned games anymore. I try not to make my result shape my day or shake my confidence if the result is poor. So you know, today was an OK result.

As for the rest of the day, for those following our ridiculous travel odyssey, (go here, and here), the fun and games continue. When attempting to collect our rental car we discovered that that our new payment card was not accepted, this despite the assurance by our bank that it is sufficient, and despite the car rental company’s email confirmation that it was allowed. A call to two levels of assistance have gotten us nowhere. They have promised a call back from an unidentified person at  an unidentified time. Watch this space.

So can games put the fun back in your vacation, even when your travel world is behaving badly? You bet–oh, that’s another type of game; not my scene.

UPDATE: Kathie fixed the TV; so we watched an old friend, Vera tonight; she never disappoints. More fun and games in Halifax.

*SEE MY EARLIER POST about Wordle here.