Day #167 – Kelly’s Neck

Boggsville PA

The last several days have been a blur.  I’ve been slowly getting over my plague.  Kelly came down with it.  Linda has been in denial about catching it.  Beth has lost her voice and has been sleeping in a recliner because of her stuffy head.  Lori has been feeling icky, too.  Debbie has sailed through it all, taking care of us and feeling just fine.  I have been consumed by guilt.  If I’d known I was getting sick, I’d have sent Kelly along without me.  I thought the sore throat, which Kelly had first, was just a little thing that we’d both gotten over.

We met Tammy one morning for breakfast.  She uses neither Internet nor cell phone, so we decided to meet up to tell her some road stories.  We brought along a laptop so she could see some photos.  She has been so supportive of us.  And, she has been a real role model for us.  Hers was the first RV we ever saw up close and personal.  When we all camped at the River’s Edge (http://www.campriversedge.com) a couple summers ago, and we saw her roll in with her RV, we knew we were destined for the road.

We also met up with Rosie and Joanne for lunch one day.  We met about half-way – at the Aspinwall Grille (http://www.awallgrille.com).  We had missed seeing them on our last trip to the ‘Burgh and did not want to miss them again.  It was good to catch up.  If we hadn’t been so sick, we would have gone to Wednesday Night Supper, but we didn’t want to spread germs any more than we already had.  And, if I’d known I was going to be in Pittsburgh for two (TWO) Tuesdays, I’d have brought my knitting.  Life is currently filled with “next trip” promises to each other and our friends.

Kelly woke up this morning with a very stiff neck.  She couldn’t move without horrible pain.  She thought it was from sleeping on multiple pillows.  Debbie drove her over to their local chiropractor who specializes in trigger-point work.  Kelly came home with better mobility, but quite a bit of bruising.

We had hoped to kayak up here – Buffalo Creek or the Kiski or the Yough. But, nooo – we’re all too sick.  Did I mention hell fire and damnation???

Our card playing has taken an interesting turn.  Kelly and Debbie have begun to win – consistently.  Linda and I have not taken this very well.  Considering all the months that we whooped them, time and again, you’d think we could be better sports about it.  But, winners have trouble becoming losers.  In an effort to salve our wounds, Kelly suggested a tournament.  We’d play in rotation, with all permutations of partners, for several games.  She refused to tally scores until all the rounds were finished.  I was curious to see how this would turn out.

I discovered that I play more aggressively when I play with Kelly as my partner.  She’s quite a risk taker at cards and I try to match her style when I’m partnered with her.  Generally, I play more conservatively and take a “wait-one-more-turn-to-see-what-happens” attitude.  That style has been leading to losses when I’m team mates with Linda.  We both use the same strategy, resulting in more aggressive players jumping at chances we’ve passed up.  Debbie seems to play even more conservatively than I.  So, when we were paired together, we lost quite often.  Kelly and Debbie analyzed the results of our tournament seven ways to Sunday, but in the end, it really seemed to have more to do with the luck of the draw than any particular strategy.