Home victory

As the Olympic Games were closing and the nation awaited the nearly victorious final four basketball team at the airport, I won instead of them.

They might have lost their last two games for a medal, but they still lifted the nation of Slovenia so much that I refused to be defeated, unlike and instead of them, and won all my three rounds at our annual card garden tournament yesterday, four years after my last victory.

The game is tarok (or tarock), an Austro-Hungarian game played in not so many places in Europe (and by Slovenian descendants in the USA), a bit similar to bridge (there are four suits and bidding too but it is played in threes – as we do it – or fours with no fixed couples and there are 22 special cards with Roman numerals and images that are clearly derived from tarot).

From 2007. By M. Zec.

There was a little rain, a little barking, some wild games, an excellent wild game goulash by dad, an excellent rice salad by amore, who then returned to Italy and was stuck in a traffic jam due to road works near Florence for an hour and a half, most excellent company of happy people like always, and the home nation victory and runner-up position. Sorry, dad, I had to beat you if I wanted to win.

Next year the tournament will be 20th in a row and we are already discussing certain special surprises. Maybe we should rent a villa and hold it in Tuscany. But wait, why? Our garden is the best.

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  Everything is ready.

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  The best playground.

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  A rest between rounds. So green.

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  I was grinning already.

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  The end! Celebrating with my friend Taja. Photo: Lenča. Thanks!

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  The host nation. Uncle Matic doesn’t play but lets us play in his court.

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  Victory stays at home.

This day in my blogging history

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  2017: Rome’s Non-Catholic Cemetery

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  2018: When bestia found a friend

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  2019: Some call it editing, I call it fakery

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