Mom and Dad came to our apartment last night for dinner and bridge. E & I are learning the game together, although he's picking up on it faster than I am. My cards were terrible for most of the games, averaging about 5 points. Then one adrenaline-charged hand I was suddenly able to bid 1NT! I studied the cheatsheet carefully to make sure I was opening appropriately, then passed it to my dad (my partner), who studied the appropriate responses to 1NT, responded with 3H, and passed the cheatsheet back so I could decipher what he was saying about his hand. I think we wound up bidding 4NT, although we took all the tricks.

Bidding is an agreed-upon code for what you have in your hand, so as long as you can count your points you can fumble your way through it with the cheatsheet. Playing is another matter, especially when you've called the trump, your partner, the "dummy," has laid his cards down, and you must find transportation back and forth between the two hands you are playing. When it came time my dad stood behind me and pointed out which cards to play.

Met the photo club at Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park this afternoon. It was chilly and the sun didn't last long; the fair-weather drummers weren't out and the cascade was dry. Still we were able to shoot for a little over an hour -- three of us on Yashica Mat 124 Gs, the "ghetto TLR."