5 May 2019

Euchre Camp 2019: Cards and Bluegill Guides

During the first weekend of May we successfully pulled off the camp’s annual, not very famous, and always dangerous Euchre tournament. A lot of things have changed about the weekend since we started and have changed since the tournament became annual but the evening card games have remained the same. Fun, long lasting, and competitive with lots of controversy.

It all started, years ago, as a temporary get away from the long spring work season and an excuse to get together half way through the long haul to deer season. It used to be just Muddy and I and he’d hunt turkey and help me do chores in the fields. I’d invite a couple buddies over for an evening and we would play some cards. It has grown or morphed into a ten; or more man event with brackets. We do some fishing during the day of the tournament, have a barbecue feed then we play euchre all night and sometimes, into the next day. For me it has become one of the highlights of the year rather than just a flotsam of peace drifting downstream towards hunting season.

The only frustration (and you may have suffered this too if you host) is getting guests to RSVP and commit if they do. Plans are ever changing in modern days and though guys mean well, you don’t really know what you’re going to get until “kick off”. However, once the guys are there, it all falls into place. Ironically, this year we changed the venue date to a weekend to accommodate those participants that work for a living and work a regular schedule; yet that didn’t really alleviate fears of commitment from some combatants…I mean participants.

As it was; we had a good turn-out on the first official night of camp although we only had one prospective player show up for the evening and three other party goers. The pre-game has always been as competitive and interesting as the actual tournament (where we play for the coveted Nerf swords trophies) the next evening. This year another camp visited for “happy hour” on Friday with no interest in playing cards. So, we sipped concoctions and played music. As the night waned and our happy hour guests worked their way back to their camp; my now lone guest and I turned to a two-man euchre game. There is a two-man euchre game but our guest had never played before so we played a four-man game and played our imaginary partners hands to help him gain an understanding of the game. Luckily, I had a quick learner and it turned fun playing it all out, next thing we knew a lot of bourbon was missing and it was four in the morning. The pre-tournament tradition was fulfilled. I informed the slackers who showed up for fishing on Saturday (bright and early) that the previous evening I had built the perfect euchre machine. They were put on notice.

Now with most of the party there early on Saturday, the fishing went as expected, with my secret spot not panning out. I saw the water current as we pulled in and my heart sank like split shot. It wasn’t right. Of course, Muddy found a way and was the only one to catch fish all day. He picked up a nice walleye and several small mouth while finding several morels in places nowhere near where anyone knew they grew…by about fifty miles. The legend continues.

For dinner, I had to be saved by Doc, to tenderize the ribs at the last second. Apparently, two hundred degrees for eight hours didn’t make up for my tardiness in getting the ribs in the oven in the morning. But by chow time we had all players in. Our oldest and first member, Bob, in the vicinity of eighty made it and made it through the night. Unfortunately, we were missing some members due to serious health concerns and another guy because of a conflict, yet we still ended up with ten.

The card battle was again fierce and the controversy swirled. We may have to run the results up to the Supreme court to get resolution once we prove there was unicorn collusion. The next day, as everyone filed out, we discovered that Muddy’s luck had run out. His truck had broken down, dying right there in my driveway as he pulled in Saturday morning; to the tune of twelve hundred dollars to revive it!

So, Muddy had to stay a few more days, stranded in Pennsylvania. Now, he is a guy who fishes for salmon out in the great lakes, from a ridiculously small boat. He has some of the best walleye harvests possible, dips smelt, plays with pike and Lord knows what else but despite his skill, he’s a bluegill fisherman first and foremost. That’s right, his favorite fishing in the world is for bluegills. So, to help him pass his time, rather than going for the more exotic fish; I took him to a little-known pond that is chock full of gills. Wouldn’t you know it? I’m a pretty decent bluegill guide. There were enough crappie and perch there to keep me interested; even if only Muddy caught them while I reeled in dozens of gills…figures. Euchre Camp 2019, no one got hurt; except a truck and a few gills over 7”. Another success.

See you along the stream.