Sometimes it's nice to get up off the couch or chair or floor and go outside to play. Sometimes, I said. Like so many other Gen X kids, plenty of my younger days were spent out in the fresh air from dawn until dusk, kicking the can, tossing a ball, making up our own games. I still like to get out of doors when the weather is nice, and the world has been kind enough to supply us with a variety of lawn games that factor in the comparatively aching skeletons inside us aging children. Less running, jumping, or diving and more strategic thinking before a well-timed throw while balancing a full cup in the off hand.
Kubb is one of these age-appropriate entertainments. A Scandinavian import, it's a simple game that involves marking off a largish rectangle on the grass and then setting up wooden blocks with castles etched on them (kubbs) within that area. There's also a taller, kingly block that is the main prize. Opponents face off across the square and take turns tossing wooden batons in an effort to knock over hostile kubbs and eventually the rival king. There are some plot twists involving moving kubbs around that make it a touch more challenging than that, but it's basically a chance to throw wooden sticks at wooden blocks to achieve satisfyingly sedate destruction and familial dominance. It's all very Nordic.
Come on over sometime. We'll break out the Kubb and see who's the real Viking. BYOB.