Rolling the dice and shooting the breeze

Lolita Harper

They gathered on the front porch of a magnificent house in Bonita

Canyon. Their children were at home and they were ready for a

monumental night. Their eyes sparkled as brightly as the sequents on

their wedding gowns, and they milled about, waiting for some action.

They are a spirited group of Bonita Canyon women who escape the

monotony of every-day life in suburbia for a rousing game of Bunko.

Wednesday night was “Bridal Bunko.” Each guest dressed to the

theme. Brides, bridesmaids and even a “groom” attended the game at

co-host Lori Openshaw’s home.

The women have been getting together for about five years to roll

the dice, shoot the breeze and let loose -- so to speak. Each member

of the group hosts, or co-hosts, a night at her home, and each party

has a theme. Parties are held once a month, giving each woman the

honor of being the hostess once a year.

Angela Caliger said she has been a part of the group since she

moved into the neighborhood four years ago.

“We all have kids, so we just get together and have girl talk,”

Caliger said. “It’s a girls night out where you can walk home.”

The large home was beautifully decorated with white flowers, lace

and ribbons. The large “head table” carried crystal wine glasses, a

beautiful centerpiece, luxurious candle sticks and fine china. In the

kitchen, the blushing brides milled around a display of

chocolate-dipped strawberries, delectable pastries, vegetables and

cheese.

Near the north-facing window sat the piece de resistance -- the

two-tiered wedding cake.

“Look at that cake,” the guests marveled.

Women wandered around the house, handing out drinks and trading

stories about their wedding days. A party guest in a beaded gown with

a full skirt clutched a glass of red wine in one hand and a layer of

her full skirt in the other. The group of 30-something women still

fit into the dresses they wore 10 to 20 years ago and they looked

radiant.

It had been 14 years since Colleen Premer walked down the aisle in

her off-the-shoulder, fit-and-flare gown. She said it was “kind of

fun” to have it back on, sans groom.

“Isn’t this every woman’s dream to do this again?” Openshaw said.

After small talk and big drinking, the game begins.

Bunko is a dice game usually played by women and generally coupled

with alcohol. Players sit at tables of four in teams of two and try

to roll the dice to correspond with the round of the game. Round one,

people try for ones. Round two, go for twos, etc. There are three

dice at each table, rolled at one time by one player, and the teams

compete for the most “matches” per round.

Each match is worth one point. Two in one roll is worth two

points. If all three dice are the same and correspond to the round,

it is called bunko, and that team automatically gets 21 points.

With 12 players per group, there are six teams, sitting at three

different tables. The winners move up, and the losers move down. The

head table controls the timing of the game. Once a team at the head

table hits 21 points, all play at the other tables stops and the team

with the most points moves up.

So, who are the bunko gurus in the Bonita Canyon group?

“Oh, it’s just a stupid, silly dice game,” Premer said. “The main

point is not dice, it’s social interaction between friends. Sometimes

we don’t even get around to playing.”