We Shut The Place Down

Mah Jongg Weekend at High Hampton is off to a roaring start. We had an excellent class of beginners who were engaging, attentive and brilliant. All things I love in students. There were more of them than we originally thought which worked out fine. We shall see how they do on their homework in the morning. I predict 100% from them all.

Between beginners and beyond beginners Suzanne, Jan and Tracy (who arrived this morning just in time for class) had lunch in the tavern. I must get a photo of the mountain we looked out at while we ate. It is a shear rock face rising up over the lake. Gorgeous is not a good enough word to describe this wonder.

The afternoon was for the students who know how to play mah Jongg to move to the next level. Each one of these ladies is a new student to me. They came from far off lands of Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham and further afield. I blew more than a few minds with some of the concepts I was teaching them since they had never had me as a teacher before. I do wish there was a certification that is real, (not from a mah Jongg tile company) for Mah Jongg teachers. This is a completely unregulated industry to say the least.

The beyond class is my favorite to teach as it is teaching people how to think, not what the rules are. Perhaps I can make a dent in the number of players who play with blanks. If you don’t know what that means, it’s mah Jongg junior.

After class we had a wine reception. By that point I needed a down time reception, but a woman showed up who missed the first day of beginner class because she thought it started tomorrow. So I gave her a quick private lesson to try and catch her up.

Suzanne, Tracy and Jan and I had dinner together. The food here is exceptional. We all ordered this carrot soup that defies description beyond the word heavenly. The chef came out to see us and we begged him to make it again tomorrow. He said yes. I know what I am ordering.

Our dinner was a story telling fest. Suzanne wanted me to tell Tracy the story of how I met my husband. That is really six stories woven together with a lot of laughing. By the time we were done we were the only people left in the restaurant having sat there for three hours. I did notice that one couple who was seated at a table next to us quickly got up and moved to another table, perhaps offended by a story I was telling about Ron DeSantis. Not sure why they moved as it was clean. Not like most of my stories. I’m certain I was just too loud. You know how loud I am.

I promise I will get better pictures tomorrow, but I won’t be any quieter. For now I need for my extroversion to calm down so I can actually sleep. I have to get up and do it all again tomorrow. I can’t wait.