My wife Joyce and I showed up at Emerald Bridge Club in Eugene in 2018. I had not played bridge since I was in high school in the 1960’s, and Joyce had never played. We had contacted club owner Don Marsh about lessons. He suggested we just come in and give it a try, and he would sit with us. We naively agreed. Needless to say, it was an interesting day.

 

It was a regular club game, an open at that. Don ushered us to a table, gave us a couple of pointers, and we started. After a few boards, Don said “You seem to be catching on. See you later.” and he left us on our own for the rest of the day!

 

When we tell this story now, people look at us with amazement and say something like “And you came back?”. We did. And we are very happy we did, not because we have become expert bridge players, but because we have met so many wonderful people. We now have a new circle of friends because we kept coming to the club. Thanks, Don!