The Cardinal Points Deck FAQ
jason tesauro
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s with the name?
The name plays off of the maps and the cardinal points of a compass (N, S, E, W), as well as the State bird of Virginia, where Tesauro made the cards.
And going back eons, cardinal points and colors have long been woven into the ancient and native wisdom around nature’s seasons, cycles, and innate energies. (Click on the image to the right if you want to explore this a little more.)
Where are the suits?
Buona domanda! (Good question!)
In lieu of the traditional Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs, the Cardinal Points Deck (CPD) features Backyard Birds of the Southeast in Black, White, Red, and Yellow. Whether you’re playing Gin Rummy, Poker, or Go Fish, follow the usual rules and let these birds of color take flight as analogs to your traditional suits.
UM, BUT HOW DO I PLAY SOLITAIRE?
In traditional Solitaire, the suits team-up – Spades & Clubs, Hearts & Diamonds – so that Black is with Black, Red is with Red. To play with the CPD, pair your suits as it suits YOU. Black & White, Red & Yellow… Yellow & White, Red & Black. We promise that the birds won’t squawk about it.
I’m a burgeoning Birder / Birdwatcher / Ornithologist.
What are these Birds??
Joker - Bald Eagle
K of Black - Turkey Vulture
Q of Black - American Coot
J of Black - Double-breasted Cormorant
10 of Black - Red-winged Blackbird
9 of Black - Brown-headed Cowbird
8 of Black - European Starling
7 of Black - Brewer’s Blackbird
6 of Black - American Crow
5 of Black - Fish Crow
4 of Black - Common Raven
3 of Black - Common Grackle
2 of Black - Pileated Woodpecker
A of Black - Black Vulture
K of Red - Red-breasted Nuthatch
Q of Red - American Robin
J of Red - Red-shouldered Hawk
10 of Red - Red-breasted Nuthatch
9 of Red - Cooper’s Hawk
8 of Red - Baltimore Oriole
7 of Red - Painted Bunting
6 of Red - Summer Tanager
5 of Red - Scarlet Tanager
4 of Red - Allen’s Hummingbird
3 of Red - Northern Cardinal
2 of Red - Ring-necked Pheasant
A of Red - Eastern Bluebird
Joker - Eastern Wild Turkey
K of White - Great Egret
Q of White - Great Blue Heron
J of White - Field Sparrow
10 of White - Ring-billed Gull
9 of White - Brown-headed Nuthatch
8 of White - Rock Pigeon
7 of White - White-breasted Nuthatch
6 of White - Eurasian Collared Dove
5 of White - Lucy’s Warbler
4 of White - Red-eyed Vireo
3 of White - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 of White - Sandhill Crane
A of White - Eastern Screech Owl
K of Yellow - Wilson’s Warbler
Q of Yellow - Eastern Meadowlark
J of Yellow - Wilson’s Warbler
10 of Yellow - American Goldfinch
9 of Yellow - Yellow Warbler
8 of Yellow - Female Painted Bunting
7 of Yellow - Nutting’s Flycatcher
6 of Yellow - Cape May Warbler
5 of Yellow - Female Palm Warbler
4 of Yellow - Female Western Tanager
3 of Yellow - Female Northern Cardinal
2 of Yellow - American Yellow Warbler
A of Yellow - Common Yellowthroat
What is an anagram?
Anagrams are the new word or phrases made from scrambling the original term.
For instance, an anagram for astronomer is moon starer. The back side of the CPD is a collection of anagrams derived from: playing cards by tesauro.
Here’s the full list:
playing cards by tesauro
a parabolic stud synergy
algebra candy pussy riot
arranged a tipsy soy club
calibrated a syrupy song
aptly gay cobra sundries
build racy pagan oysters
pains clergy you bastard
cry sin deploy rutabagas
god runs a spicy betrayal
a busy ancestral prodigy
balanced yoga rips yurts
trendy as our gipsy cabal
grand suitors play by ace
dares baring a lusty copy
you spy cabaret darlings
lays up greybeard tonics
inescapably rad rug toys
carbonated girls say yup
Where did the maps come from?
Moving to Italy means that Tesauro had to pare down his belongs. Before he recycled all of his ephemera, he gave it one more glance. Amongst the folderol and gimcracks, he found maps from far-flung travels. The CPD is made from the maps that guided his voyages to Venezia and Chianti in Italia and the island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal.
And what about the quotes?
Each of those lines was cut and collaged from a tattered copy of Tesauro’s favorite children’s book, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster. His wife is still mad that he took scissors to the book that was once read to all the children at story time, but now the words are preserved in an alternate form for all.
If you take a moment to notice, many of the lines are cleverly matched to their particular card. OCD or attention to detail? You decide.
The original Cardinal Points Deck.
Bonus
Since you made it this far down the FAQ, why not take one more step?
There’s a typo in the deck. Or, maybe that should read at least one typo…. And several cards (six, by our count) are outliers from the rest. Can you find them? Drop a line if you think you know!