Diane and Herb Ziemmer, who have spent the last three winters in Osoyoos as snowbirds from Alberta, have played cribbage almost every day since they got married more than 30 years ago. Ten days ago, Diane was shocked when she found out she had played a “perfect hand” and scored 29 points in a game against her husband. (Keith Lacey photo)
Diane and Herb Ziemmer have played tens of thousands of cribbage hands during their more than 30 years of marriage without either one dealing “a perfect hand.”
That all changed 10 days ago when the Alberta snowbirds – they returned to their home in Mayerthorpe this past weekend – when the happy couple were playing the popular card and board game inside their rental unit at the Safari Beach Motel in Osoyoos.
“I’ve been playing cribbage since I was a kid and Herb and I have played almost every single day since we got married more than 30 years ago,” said Diane. “I had dealt a perfect hand at a tournament in Alberta 15 or 16 years ago, but neither Herb or myself had ever had one in our lives before this happened.”
To get a “perfect hand” of 29 in cribbage, you have to be holding three fives out of the four cards you are dealt as well as one jack. When the remaining cards in the deck are cut, the turn card has to be the final five and it must be the same suit as the jack.
That’s exactly what happened to Diane the evening of Sunday, March 23.
“I was dealing and I knew I had a good hand, but when the final five came up as the turn card, my husband calmly said that I had a 29 hand,” she said smiling. “I just sat there dumbfounded as I wasn’t exactly sure how to count to get 29, but my husband knew it was the perfect hand and he just sat there smiling.
“During my husband’s entire career, we would start our day off with breakfast and a game of crib before he went off to work. It’s a great way to spend quality time together and a fun way to start the day. But in all those years, neither one of us had ever had a perfect hand, so this was something pretty special for both of us.”
Despite the perfect hand, Diane didn’t manage to win this particular game.
“My husband put me in the stink hole and beat me by a point,” she said.
This is the third winter the Ziemmers have spent in Osoyoos as snowbirds and they plan on returning – and playing a lot more cribbage – next December.
“We love it here,” she said. “When you’re from Mayerthorpe, you want to get away for the winter and we love it here in Osoyoos.”
No matter where they live, the Ziemmers know a small part of their day will be spent playing cribbage.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
