By Val Rhead
THE LAND CRUISE: A WEEKEND OF BRIDGE, FOOD, AND FUN
Recently, with my favourite partner-husband Peter, I enjoyed a weekend at the Briars Resort near Jackson’s Point on Lake Simcoe with the Bridge guru, Barbara Seagram. This was a significant session for Barbara and her husband, Alex Kornel. For the past twenty-five years they have hosted annual spring and fall sessions of Bridge lessons, Bridge games and sumptuous banquets for players to enjoy at The Briars. This was their last. It was part of a plan to gradually retire from their prominent position in Bridge education in Canada and in the United States.
They still have two Bridge Cruises scheduled: see below. Then they will be fully retired and will enjoy a life of playing Bridge like the rest of us without the hassle of organizing and teaching the game. It’s hard to imagine Barbara not being at the front of the room, teaching, and at the same time inciting her pupils to ravage, pillage and maim their opposition. She always has a gleam in her eye and a smile on her face when she jokes, provoking loud guffaws from her pupils.
This weekend was like several others we have attended at The Briars. There were lessons: lessons on bidding the hands, lessons on playing the hands, and lessons on defending the hands. Then there were games that we played, putting to work what we had learned. And then there was eating. Delicious meals were prepared by The Briars’ staff. Most of us have returned home with the objective of dieting off some of the excess calories that we have consumed over the weekend. But it was fun.
Barbara’s and Alex’s influence will live on long after their last Bridge Cruise has sailed. Barbara is a Sapphire Life Master with over 3,500 Master Points, but she claims that husband Alex is the better Bridge player. She is the co-author of 26 published books on the game of Bridge. The most popular, 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know, has 140,000 copies in print and has been printed in Japanese, French, Danish and German. I own many of these books and refer to them frequently. She has two final Bridge cruises scheduled before she and Alex are fully retired: December 6-22, 2019 and April 28-May 17 2020. Visit www.barbaraseagram.com for more information.
The Bridge weekends at The Briars will continue. SPRING BRIDGE AT THE BRIARS 2019 will take place on APRIL 26-28, 2019. The esteemed teacher John Rayner, accompanied by Jill Thompson, [email protected], will take over. There will be wonderful food, lots of bridge tips, great bridge & fabulous ambiance, and prizes.
Another site for bridge weekends in Cottage Country is the BRIDGE GET-AWAY AT FERN RESORT on Lake Couchiching near Orillia. It is hosted, taught and directed by Greg Coles. To book, call Fern Resort at 1-800-567-3376 [email protected]. For more information, contact Greg at (705)717-4133 or [email protected].
If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group or ask a bridge question, send the information to [email protected] and I will try to include it in this column.
NEW SOCIAL BRIDGE GAME IN HUNTSVILLE
Games are at the Active Living Centre on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose room on the 2nd floor (elevator). Use the back entrance of the Summit Centre.
Just come – with or without a partner. For information, please contact Donna or Peter Tikuisis at 647 471 1774 OR [email protected].
For now, this game will be played following Chicago Rules (allowing both fast and slow games). You will keep your same partner for the entire evening. Cost is $1.50 per person. Parking is outside the North Entrance opposite Heritage Village Railway Station.
PORT CARLING SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB
Games for the Port Carling Social Bridge Club are Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Port Carling Community Centre, 3 Bailey Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time. For information during November, contact [email protected]
Port Carling Bridge Results – Oct. 29
First …… Susan and Ted Daglish 3670
Second .. Peter Rhead and Els Vandenberg 3590
Third ….. Karen Atkin and Mary Jane Rogers 3420
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games for the Huntsville Club are Tuesday evening 7 p.m., Trinity United Church, 33 Main Street. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Contact Jan Roberts 705-635-2522 or [email protected] for information and partnerships.
The following winners are for Tuesday, Oct 30 with 12 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Jim Smith and Ralph Mitchell; 2. Vern Foell and Rod Dixon; 3. Liz Barnes and Bev Howard; East-West 1. Art Insley and Don Evans; 2. Liz graham and Barb Green; 3. Ann Cassie and Bruce Cassie
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays 7 p.m., Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For information or partnerships, call Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following winners are from Monday, Oct 29 with 10 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 2. Barb Forth and Vern Foell; 3. Mary Mitchell and Susan Maddocks; East-West 1/2. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 1/2. Kel Andresen and Jim Smith; 3. Art Insley and Don Evans
Looking for more bridge tips? You’ll find them here.
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