February 7

This was the plan, with amendments as necessary.  It was to be a combination of sports and other cultural events.  Thursday (February 6) we graduated from the senior college winter semester and were planning on going to the girls basketball game that night.  But after coming outside after graduation dinner, we encountered an icy snow.  That put the kibosh on the game (which unfortunately has happened several times this winter).  In spite of our absence, our Cards did beat Sauk Rapids-Rice, 76 – 41 (the boys won their 8th in a row that night, 80 – 60, at Rocori).  On Friday (February 7), as reported in this post, our boys hockey hosted A No. 7 ranked Duluth Denfeld (16-5-1).  On Saturday (February 8), Alex hosted the Breakdown Winter Lakes Classic, 7 basketball games played all day long, girls and boys, all highly ranked teams.  Our girls played AAA No. 2 ranked Becker (19-2) at 11:30 am; our boys played AAA No. 7 ranked Delano (17-2) at 7:30 pm.  At 11:30 am, the Super covered for me at our monthly climate meeting while I went to the basketball game.  Josie was at the winery from 2 – 6:00 pm.  We couldn’t make it.  At 3:00 pm, our girls hockey team (seeded 3rd) hosted St. Cloud (seeded 6th) in the opening round of the section 8AA hockey tournament.  At 6:30 pm I made a cameo (the Super stayed longer) at the Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra (CLSO) Thanks to You Party at the Garden Bar before I headed out for the boys basketball game.  While I will post on all the games (eventually), they were all, in the parlance of dear old dad, real pants-wetters.  On Sunday (February 9) we had the noon wine pick up party at the winery, followed by the CLSO concert, followed by book club.  Who said winters in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota aren’t exciting?

[Duluth is 218 miles, 3 1/2 hours from Alex.  I don’t ever remember playing Denfeld before . . . ]

[The nickname “The Hunters” and team mascot of Denfeld is named after Walter Hunting.  Hunting served as a coach to many Denfeld teams over the years . . . ]

[As noted above, it was senior night for the Cards . . . ]

[Leading off alphabetically was Joe Bigger (6), and his parents . . . ]

[Shane Birkeland (25) . . . ]

[Matthew Carlsen (26) (Matthew was also quarterback for the football team and is going to Bethel next year, which currently has a starting quarterback from Alex.  But he will play baseball and pitch in college.) . . . ]

[Landyn James (1) . . . ]

[(Sorry, I forgot who was on crutches) . . . ]

[Derek Pesta (5) . . . ]

[Andrew Revering (2) . . . ]

[Caleb Strong (3) . . . ]

[Sydney Wiseman, manager . . . ]

[Round ’em for the group photo . . . ]

[And the National Anthem . . . ]

[1, 2, 3, go Cards! (Or words to that effect) . . . ]

[And away we go . . . ]

[Cardinals front line, top to bottom: Derek,  Joe Westlund (10) and Caleb . . . ]

[Westlund (we have 3 Joes) trying to take advantage of a fallen Hunter . . . ]

[Josiah (another Joe) Gronholz (8), from just a couple houses away from where we used to live, is having a terrific sophomore season . . . ]

[Chasing after a Hunter . . . ]

[The ref gives the Cardinal bench a high five . . . ]

[Caleb is our leading scorer . . . ]

[Which again calls into question how the game could have ever been played without face protection . . . ]

[Ooops, sorry ’bout the stick . . . ]

[Jacob Partington (7) joins Josiah, Joe Bigger, and Shane in the offensive zone . . . ]

[Caleb is taking the draw here meaning Joe Westlund may have been invited to leave by a referee . . . ]

[Westlund is a speed guy . . . ]

[So Derek waits for him to enter the zone apace . . . ]

[I’m going to guess that’s Caleb behind the net . . . ]

[So, the Cards took two penalties late in the period.  The Hunters scored on the 5-on-3 advantage, and then scored again just after the 2nd penalty expired at the buzzer ending the period.  If you read the senior bios above, one of the things several players said is they would like to make fighting legal at the high school level.  That’s the big problem we old girls hockey Super Fans have always had issues with in the boys game.  It seems more about hitting (and a big hit draws a bigger roar from the fans than a goal does) than playing the game.  Too often dumb penalties lead to easy goals, and the Hunters took advantage of that in this game to essentially score 3 power play goals . . . ]

[The 2nd period started with early pressure from the Cards . . . ]

[Caleb launched a shot from the right circle . . . ]

[Westlund looks for a rebound . . . ]

[Cole Walters (29) has a first hand encounter . . . ]

[With the Denfeld defense . . . ]

[And at about the 10-minute mark, Derek got the Cards first goal . . . ]

[So, let’s celebrate it . . . ]

[Shortly thereafter, the Hunters got two more goals within a minute of each.  Then another minute and a half later, Shane scored to keep the Cards relevant.  After an evenly played 2nd period, the Hunters led 4 – 2 . . . ]

[I then committed a faux pas.  I left at the end of the 2nd period.  It was after 9:00 and it was going to be a long day the next day.  At the Y the next morning I talked to another fan who said she also left then, as did a few other folks.  So, of course, from the Cardinal Connection:  The 3rd period the Cardinals exploded for the most goals scored in a period all season. Joe Westlund scored a huge power play goal to get momentum going the Cards way.  Josiah Gronholz and Andrew Revering added 2 more helpers to their night’s scoring.  Caleb Strong tied it up with a huge goal.  Gronholz and Westlund chipping in helpers.  Derek Pesta got the game winner with Jacob Partington and Shane Birkeland getting the Apples on the goal. Josiah Gronholz got the empty net goal at 15:59 to seal the win.  Landyn James had 29 saves for the Cards in the win over the top 10 Class A Duluth Denfeld Hunters. The Cardinals are now 16-8 on the year and close out the season Tuesday night against the Sartell Sabres at the RCC.  Final Score Friday night Alexandria 6 Duluth Denfeld 4.]

Sometimes people ask, ‘Are hockey fights real?’ I say, ‘If they weren’t, I’d get in more of them.’  ~  Wayne Gretzky

Up Next:  Girls basketball

February 4

I went to the game before this winning streak began.  I think the team would agree, it was not their finest hour and a half.  I waited until now for them to win me back as a fan.  They have (though they have no size or depth) – and are now 14 – 4 on the season after beating Brainerd in this game 73 – 59 . . .

[The statutorily mandated pre-game hug . . . ]

[After player introductions . . . ]

[I had a bad angle for photos the first half because of standing student fans.  I could have moved, of course, but . . . Brainerd’s size and strength advantage limited my excitement for photos.  The Cards were once down as much as 9 and were fortunate to close the gap to 3 in the final seconds of the half.  As you can see on the scoreboard, Colton Roderick (35), 6’5″ junior guard (our tallest player) carried the team with 2/3’s of its points . . . ]

[The 2nd half offensive action was at my end of the court.  With the likes of Erik Hedstrom (22), 6’4″ sophomore forward, and Carrson Jones (11), senior guard, beginning to chip in, the Cards started taking control of the game . . . ]

[Colton continued his fine play in the 2nd half . . . ]

[Here with a left-handed dribble through the lane . . . ]

[For a lay up . . . ]

[He has now scored 56 points over his last two games and has got to be picking up interest for play at the next level . . . ]

[Carrson inbounds from the end line . . . ]

[Ethan Patience (14), 6’3″ senior forward, launches a 3.  He didn’t have many opportunities to do so in this game against the Warriors’ size . . . ]

[Kristen Hoskins (21), sophomore guard, along with Colton and Carrson, gives the Cards plenty of quickness and firepower from the perimeter . . . ]

[Carsson here, but all 3 of them live to drive hard to the hoop . . . ]

[And it appears he scored here . . . ]

[I shot a ball into the air, it fell to earth I know not where . . . ]

[A time out and time for congratulations as their 2nd half run opened up a comfortable lead . . . ]

[Kristen is a player who can control the ball when you’re tryng to run clock . . . ]

[Colton begins a top of the key move . . . ]

[As Erik breaks for the basket . . . ]

[Erik swished 3 3’s in the half and appears to be the team’s best long range shooter . . . ]

[Colton and Erik play catch out front . . . ]

[We’ll wrap up the game . . . ]

[With Kristen making some free throws . . . ]

[And then Colton as well . . . ]

[We appear to be a good free throw shooting team – a handy ability in close games . . . ]

[A nice win and an especially impressive 2nd half . . . ]

You can say something to popes, kings and presidents, but you can’t talk to officials.  In the next war they ought to give everyone a whistle.  ~  Abe Lemmons

Up Next:  Too many games to think about . . .

July 5 & 6

London (Greenwich), England

Wrapping up our 19-day cruise (15 days aboard ship) that began June 18 and ended July 6.  It subsequently took me 216 days to blog the whole damn trip . . .  

[Exiting the British Museum, which had featured . . . ]

[An object of our Norwegian cruise . . . ]

[What it feels like to be behind bars . . . ]

[Oh, it was a garden . . . ]

[Green plant matter, which the Super says are, “Oh cripes, I can’t remember” . . . ]

[The Kimpton Fitzroy London is a historic five-star hotel, located on Russell Square, Bllomsbury, in the Borough of Camden. From its opening in 1900 until 2018, it was known as the Hotel Russell (Wikipedia).]

[This was a big year for suffragette movement . . . ]

[The Kimpton, Bernard Street side . . . ]

[What’s London without Fish & Chips?]

[Woo-woo!]

[So, I guess we did eat here.  Bill’s at the bar ordering drinks.  (An after the fact note from Honeywell VP emeritus, Bob Annen, “In the pub picture you will notice Honeywell electric air cleaners mounted in the ceiling.  We sold a ton of air cleaners to Pubs.”)]

[And yes, fish & chips . . . ]

[Mmmmm, good!]

[Where else are you going to take your horse in a city of 14 million?]

[It’s always good to know where you are – the far side of Russell Square from the British Museum . . . ]

[And where we went – to the Whitehall Gardens . . . ]

[Entering thusly . . . ]

[Looks like garden . . . ]

[From whence one can see the London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames.  It is Europe’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.75 million visitors annually, and has made many appearances in popular culture.  The structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft).  When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel.  The London Eye used to offer the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 245-metre-high (804 ft) observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013.  The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge beside County Hall, in the London Borough of Lambeth (Wikipedia).]

[The White Hall Gardens are within walking distance from Trafalgar Square towards the River Thames (via Northumberland Ave) or the Hungerford or Jubilee Bridges that cross the River Thames.  It is just one of the gardens that form the Victoria Embankment Gardens created from 1864 following the embankment of the Thames by Sir Joseph Bazalgette.  The garden laid out in 1875 by George Vulliamy has a wonderful array of shrubbery, bedding displays, mature London plane trees, lime trees and trees of heaven. Three statues stand within grassed islands commemorate William Tyndale (1494-1536), Sir Henry Bartle Frere (1815-1885) and General Sir James Outram (1803-63).  Whitehall Gardens offers a hidden oasis enclosed within elaborate railings, reproductions of Bazalgette’s design of 1873.  It is also a designated Site of Importance for Natural Conservation for its contribution to wildlife guide (london.org.uk/blog/around-london/whitehall-gardens-in-london/).]

[We gather around the first statue, of many, one encounters walking the gardens . . . ]

[Sir James Outram . . . ]

[Hi, Ruthie, who’s the next statue?]

[We’re closing in on it . . . ]

[Bartle Frere – we did not know the grass loungers . . . ]

[Royal Horseguards Hotel . . . ]

[William Tyndale . . . ]

[Ditto . . . ]

[Charles G. Gordon . . . ]

[Lord Portal of Hungerford . . . ]

[Hugh Trenchard . . . ]

[Victoria Embankment Gardens . . . ]

[Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), and the Police Community Support Officers (PCSO), the territorial police force responsible for policing all 32 boroughs of London, excluding the City of London (Wikipedia).]

[The Eye, which was about to open during our first trip to London.  We did not partake, some have noted it’s expensive and may be a tad boring? . . . ]

[County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall) is a building in London that was the headquarters of London County Council (LCC) and later the Greater London Council (GLC).  The building is on the South Bank of the River Thames, with Westminster Bridge being next to it, heading south (Wikipedia).]

[The Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme has been established to tackle the significant work that needs to be done to protect and preserve the heritage of the Palace of Westminster and ensure it can continue to serve as home to the UK Parliament in the 21st century.  The 1,100-room Palace dates from the mid-1800s and is now one of the most iconic and significant buildings in the world.  The previous building was devastated by fire in 1834 but the oldest part of the Parliamentary Estate, Westminster Hall, built in 1099, survived and is still in use today.  The Palace is now a Grade I listed building and, with Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church, forms part of the UNESCO Westminster World Heritage Site.  Following the debates in both Houses in early 2018, Parliament agreed that the ‘best and most cost-effective way’ to carry out the restoration and renewal of the Palace in one single phase is to temporarily move out of the building.  The collective decision by members of both Houses of Parliament means that work has now begun to establish a shadow Olympic-style Delivery Authority and Sponsor Board, subsequently to be set up through legislation as statutory bodies, to manage the work (restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk/).]

[The tower “Big Ben” . . . ]

[Parliament Square . . . ]

[Westminster Bridge . . . ]

[Big Bus London (lest you weren’t sure) . . . ]

[The Eye from this end of the bridge (as opposed to the other side) . . . ]

[With County Hall in the background . . . ]

[The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London.  It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England.  The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built byWilliam the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite.  A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.   Today, the Tower of London is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions.  Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower,  the property is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a  World Heritage Site (Wikipedia).]

[(We visited on our first trip here) . . . ]

[The Shard, as we know now, taller than The Eye . . . ]

[Back to the ship, not taller than The Eye, for our last night on board . . . ]

[And our last evening shipboard dining . . . ]

July 6

[The morning of departure . . . ]

[Goodbye, Thames . . . ]

[Packing again, after a 15-day reprieve . . . ]

[A final lap around the ship for old time’s sake . . . ]

[And breakfast, of course . . . ]

[With Bill in Heathrow . . . ]

[And our final beverage before boarding the plane for home . . . ]

I’m leaving because the weather is too good. I hate London when it’s not raining.  ~ Groucho Marx

Up Next:  Regular Alex stuff . . .

July 5

London (Greenwich), England

Completing our stroll through the Old Royal Naval College, an adventure that would eventually lead us to the British Museum . . . 

[Where we were . . . ]

[As noted in the previous post, an excellent venue for an outdoor concert . . . ]

[And one had recently been held here . . . ]

[(So, I looked up bao buns) . . . ]

[Based on the debris field, my guess is that the concert was the previous night . . . ]

[Downtown London and the river Thames ahead . . . ]

[The Trafalgar Tavern is on the river . . . ]

[The Trafalgar Tavern is a Grade II listed public house at Park Row, Greenwich, situated on the south bank of the River Thames, east of and adjacent to the Old Royal Naval College.   It opened in 1837, having been built on the site of ‘The Old George Tavern’.  It was familiar to novelist Charles Dickens, who set the wedding breakfast in ‘Our Mutual Friend’ there.  It also became well-known as the venue for political whitebait dinners for the Liberal party in Victorian times, the last being held in 1883.  In 1915, the Tavern closed, and served as a home for aged seamen during World War I, later becoming a working men’s club between the wars.  It reopened as a pub in 1965, and in 1996 was voted the ‘Evening Standard’ Pub of the year (Wikipedia).]

[This was the view from the front of the tavern . . . ]

[The Millennium Dome, also referred to simply as The Dome, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building originally used to house the ‘Millennium Experience’, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium.  It is the ninth largest building in the world by usable volume.  Located on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East London, the exhibition was open to the public from 1 January to 31 December 2000. The project and exhibition was highly political and attracted barely half the 12 million customers its sponsors forecast, so was deemed a failure by the press.  All the original exhibition elements were sold on or dismantled.  The Prime Meridian passes the western edge of the Dome and the nearest London Undergroound station is North Greenwich on the Jubilee line (Wikipedia).]

[The Super readies to meet Admiral Nelson . . . ]

[Vice-admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag office in the Royal Navy.  He was noted for his inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics, which together resulted in a number of decisive British naval victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.  He was wounded in combat, losing sight in one eye in Corsica at the age of 36, and most of one arm in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife when he was 40.  He was fatally shot during his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 (Wikipedia).]

[We wish we could have partaken of the tavern, but the tour group was moving on . . . ]

[A low tide Thames beach?]

[Morden Wharf is a 19 acre regeneration site on Greenwich Peninsula.  The major riverside regeneration site, formerly a sweeteners refinery, is adjacent to the O2 Arena (Millennium Dome) with 500 metres of Thames river frontage and plays a crucial part in the delivery of the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s masterplan proposals for the western side of the Greenwich Peninsula.  Leading international architecture practice OMA are the masterplanner/lead architect on the mixed-use development and are developing their initial thoughts for the site (newlondondevelopment.com/nld/project/morden_wharf).]

[A sighting of our Viking Sun . . . ]

[With continuing shots . . . ]

[As we get closer . . . ]

[And closer . . . ]

[Our morning tour ended at 9:30 . . . ]

[We then struck out on our own . . . ]

[Back into the borough, as we went ISO the British Museum . . . ]

[This way to the underground . . . ]

[Check the map to see where we were going . . . ]

[Our transportation mode . . . ]

[It was about a 6 mile trip, 35 minutes, on the London Underground (Tube) from Greenwich . . . ]

[And there it is . . . ]

[The Super and I had been here on our first trip to London (in the 90’s?), but as I recall this was Anne and Bill’s first visit to the museum . . . ]

[For all the world’s major museums, there will be a line . . . ]

[So, we worked our way around . . . ]

[Et viola!  We are here, and waving!]

[Finding your way . . . ]

 

 

[We’re in – let’s begin . . . ]

[It appears we were first in Ephesus . . . ]

[Nice focusing, Tom . . . ]

[Anne and the Super check out the pottery collection . . . ]

[Further identified two photos down . . . ]

[I don’t know if it’s considered the No. 1 feature of the museum, or not . . . ]

[But they are certainly up there on everyone’s Bucket List . . . ]

[The Parthenon Marbles (also known as the Elgin Marbles), are a collection of Classical Greel marble sculptures made under the supervision of the architect and sculptor Phidias and his assistants.  They were originally part of the temple of the Partenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens.  From 1801 to 1812, agents of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed about half of the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon, as well as sculptures from the Propylaea and Erechtheum.  The Marbles were transported by sea to Britain.  Elgin later claimed to have obtained in 1801 an official decree (firman) from the Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman Empire which were then the rulers of  Greece.  This firman has not been found in the Ottoman archives despite its wealth of documents from the same period and its veracity is disputed.  The half not removed by Elgin is now displayed in the Acropolis Museunm, aligned in orientation and within sight of the Parthenon, with the position of the missing elements clearly marked and space left should they be returned to Athens (Wikipedia).]

[In Britain, the acquisition of the collection was supported by some, while some others, such as Lord Byron, likened the Earl’s actions to vandalism or looting.  Following a public debate in Parliament and its subsequent exoneration of Elgin, he sold the Marbles to the British government in 1816.  They were then passed to the British Museum, where they are now on display in the purpose-built Duveen Gallery (Wikipedia).]

[In 2014, UNESCO offered to mediate between Greece and the United Kingdom to resolve the dispute, although this was later turned down by the British Museum on the basis that UNESCO works with government bodies, not trustees of museums (Wikipedia).]

[So, here we are, looking at them in England . . . ]

[The Super tried to mediate the battle . . . ]

[Bill, Anne, and the Super check a corner lot . . . ]

[And here we’re swept up in the crowd . . . ]

[As an aside, when I first met Anne she had two cats named Agamemnon and Clytemnestra – seemed appropriate to the setting . . . ]

[A fun part of photography is that I usually don’t notice, until I ‘develop’ the photo, the expressions of other people admiring the same work of art . . . ]

[This has all the appearances of being Egytptian . . . ]

[The Balawat Gatesare three sets of decorated bronze bands that had adorned the main doors of several buildings at Balawat (ancient Imgur-Enlil), dating to the reigns of Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 BC) and Shalmaneser III (r. 859–824 BC) (Wikipedia).]

[Why yes, I did have to look up Balawat.  Balawat is an archaeological site of the ancient Assyrian city of Imgur-Enlil, and modern village in Nineveh Province (Iraq).  It lies 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast from the city of Mosul and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south of the modern Assyrian town of Bakhdida (Wikipedia).]

[A photo of a photo taker . . . ]

[Again, looking Egyptian . . . ]

[Another crowd scene . . . ]

[Initially thought to be the final resting place for Jimmy Hoffa . . . ]

[Yep, definitely Egypt . . . ]

[Now this was cool . . . ]

[I believe it was subsequently used to decypher the Runestone . . . ]

[I don’t understand the fashion statement of the rectangular beard . . . ]

[The Super zeroes in on the Rosetta Stone . . . ]

[Apparently her shot didn’t turn out and apparently I never got close enough to get a good shot, so I borrowed this one off the interwebs . . . ]

[Here we’re on the main floor . . . ]

[Home of the totems . . . ]

[In a remarkable rebuke to one of the world’s most prominent philanthropic dynasties, the prestigious Tate museums in London and the Solomon R. Guggenheim in New York, where a Sackler sat on the board for many years, decided in the last week that they would no longer accept gifts from their longtime Sackler benefactors.  Britain’s National Portrait Gallery announced it had jointly decided with the Sackler Trust to cancel a planned $1.3 million donation, and an article in The Art Newspaper disclosed that a museum in South London had returned a family donation last year . . . all as a result of publicity and legal actions surrounding the family and its company, Purdue Pharma, the maker of the groundbreaking, enormously profitable and frequently-abused painkiller OxyContin (www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25).]

[Then we took an elevator to top floor for the Japanese exhibit . . . ]

[Yakyu . . . ]

[Gaining perspective . . . ]

[On Buddha . . . ]

[She can move in any direction . . . ]

The English are not a very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity.  ~  George Bernard Shaw

Up Next:  The end of the Norway cruise . . .

July 5

London (Greenwich), England

Pip, pip, cheerio, and all that rot!  We’re at the last stop on the cruise.  Since we did it for ‘Edinburgh’, here is the proper pronunciation for ‘Greenwich’ as well – it’s pronounced ‘Worcestershire’ . . .

[We awoke to London out our balcony window . . . ]

[Anchored in the Thames, a river of some history and repute . . . ]

[In the left background, The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-story supertall skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of the Shard Quarter development (Wikipedia).]

[Assuming this is a sought after neighborhood . . . ]

[The Gherkin (known previously as the Swiss Re Building) is a commercial skyscraper in London’s primary financial district, the City of London.  So informally named because it looks like a pickle (or a football or an egg).   It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004 (Wikipedia).]

[A closer-upper of the Gherkin . . . ]

[A closer-upper of the Shard . . . ]

[A farther-awayer of the Shard . . . ]

[Just because we’re getting better light . . . ]

[Ole woke up and wanted a look see at where we were now . . . ]

[Ole recalled that his ancestors once vacationed, or pillaged, here . . . ]

[It brought a smile to his face . . . ]

[We seem to have drifted as we now had a clear shot of the skyscrapered city . . . ]

[We did have to anchor in river center as it is tidal and we didn’t want to get stuck . . . ]

[Beautiful sky over merry ole England . . . ]

[Is that the name of a song?]

[Now we’re looking at the riverside where we will disembark.  The three visible masts are on the clipper Cutty Sark, our first stop ashore.  The two domes on the left are the Old Royal Naval College, in whose vicinity we would be taking a guided walking tour . . . ]

[Our going to shore transporation, MNBA Thames Clippers . . . ]

[It wasn’t a long distance, but I wouldn’t want to swim it . . . ]

[I admittedly committed no offences . . . ]

[A view of our ship from our river clipper . . . ]

[Land ho!  (After about a 2 minute ride) . . . ]

[And now a view of our ship from land . . . ]

[And there’s the Cutty Sark, adjacent to the pier . . . ]

[Trending toward the Cutty Sark, the clock tower of St. Alfege Parish church, Royal Borough of Greenwich, in the background . . . ]

[‘Cutty Sark’ is a British clipper ship.  Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development, which halted as sailing ships gave way to steam propulsion.  ‘Cutty Sark’ is listed by National Historic Ships as part of the National Historic Fleet.  She is one of only three remaining original composite construction (wooden hull on an iron frame) clipper ships from the nineteenth century in part or whole (Wikipedia).]

[I thought this quite helpful, lest you’ve forgetten your Roman numerals . . . ]

[Nannie the figurehead comes from ‘Tam O’Shanter’, a poem by Robert Burns.  In the poem Tam is a farmer who is chased by a scantily-clad witch called Nannie.  Nannie is dressed only in a ‘cutty sark’ – an archaic Scottish name for a short nightdress.  Cutty Sark’s figurehead is a depiction of Nannie the witch, holding a horse’s tail (www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/we-recommend/attractions/nannie-cutty-sark-figurehead).]

[And now leaving the Cutty Sark for our walking tour of Greenwich . . . ]

[Our group and our guide (whose name I’ve course forgotten, but it wasn’t Clive) . . . ]

[Lest you’re not sure, it’s the Gipsy Moth . . . ]

[And on into Greenwich . . . ]

[In case you’re thinking of committing an offence . . . ]

[The aforementioned clock tower . . . ]

[Meridian House (Old Greenwich Town Hall) . . . ]

[University of Greenwich . . . ]

[We had no idea Bill had a dining facility here.  Appears to be a student favorite . . . ]

[There’s a famous meridian that runs though here somewhere . . . ]

[The university . . . ]

[I have no reason to doubt that this is King William Walk . . . ]

[De Vere Venue Devonport House Hotel . . . ]

[Where folks live . . . ]

[The Greenwich Tavern located at 1 King William Walk . . . ]

[We were here, as noted an 8 minute walk from the pier . . . ]

[At the entry to Greenwich Park . . . ]

[Where William IV greets you . . . ]

[Sculpted by Samuel Nixon in 1844 . . . ]

[Our guide, with the Greenwich Tavern across the street . . . ]

[Hmm, not open?]

[Yinka Shonibare’s ship, a scaled-down replica of Nelson’s ship Victory first seen on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, was installed in its new home in Greenwich, outside the new Sammy Ofer wing of the National Maritime Museum.  Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle (possibly the largest in the world), 4.7 metres in length and 2.8 metres in diameter, went on display in time for the museum’s 75th anniversary on 25 April, 2012 (www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/apr/23).]

[The Super with a peace rose (?) bush . . . ]

[The colonnade of Queen’s House in Greenwich Park . . . ]

[Turning 180 degrees to the Royal Observatory on the hill across the park. Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south-east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed, it covers 74 hectares, and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site (Wikipedia).]

[The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is an observatory situated on a hill in Greenwich Park, overlooking the River Thames.  It played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and because the prime meridian passes through it, it gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time (Wikipedia).]

[Looking back at the Old Town Hall . . . ]

[The Super and her roses below the Royal Observatory . . . ]

[Looking between the domes of the Old Royal Naval College, across the Thames to the city on the far side . . . ]

[Amid the colonnades of Queen’s House . . . ]

[Walking toward the college and the river . . . ]

[Then looking back at Queen’s House, a former royal residence built between 1616 and 1635 in Greenwich, a few miles down-river from the then City of London and now a London Borough.  Its architect was Inigo Jones, for whom it was a crucial early commission, for Anne of Denmark, the queen of King James I.  Queen’s House is one of the most important buildings in British architectual history, being the first consciously classical building to have been constructed in the country.  Today the building is both a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument, a status that includes the 115-foot-wide (35 m), axial vista to the River Thames.  The house now forms part of the National Maritime Museum and is used to display parts of their substantial collection of maritime paintings and portraits.  It was used as a VIP centre during the 2012 Olympic Games (Wikipedia).]

[Walking back parallel to the colonnades on the left . . . ]

[The Royal Observatory beyond the colonnades . . . ]

[With Bill leading, trending toward . . . ]

[The National Maritime Museum was opened to the public on 27 April 1937 by King George VI.  The museum building began life in 1807 as a school for the children of seafarers.  The museum includes a gallery of special exhibitions, including a permanent gallery “Voyagers” which introduces the story of Britain and the sea.  The museum was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 (www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/greenwich-park/).]

[I think the best I’m going to do here . . . ]

[Is to say these are the buildings and mall of the naval college looking down toward the Thames . . . ]

[Obviously, with an open mall this large music events are a natural . . . ]

[We went through this building and . . . ]

[Came out here.  Were we in Rome?]

[This was a really cool place, whatever it is . . . ]

[But there are the twin domes above us . . . ]

[Bill notices a photo op . . . ]

[We’re almost to the river and here’s looking back at Queen’s House.  We’ll pick it up from here on the next post . . . ]

England swings like a pendulum do, bobbies on bicycles, two by two, Westminster Abbey, the Tower Big Ben, the rosy red cheeks of the little children.  ~  Roger Miller

Up Next:  Next Part . . .

January 24

Girls Basketball:  Fergus Falls – 51, Alexandria – 43

Well, we’re more than half way through the winter sports season – my favorite season.  The Cardinal girls hockey team only has one game left in the regular season.  On Thursday night, they defeated River Lakes, 5 – 1; on Friday night, they defeated Hibbing, 5 – 2, and Saturday afternoon . . . you have to read the “story” following that for the girls basketball game against Fergus Falls from Friday night . . . 

[I arrived in time for the entire 2nd half of the JV game.  I thought there was a scoreboard malfunction when it showed the Otters with a 29 – 13 (as I recall?) lead at the half . . . ]

[Here’s Maggie Anderson (45), 6’1′ sophomore, at the line late in the game . . . ]

[She made at least one of the free throws (again, as I recall) . . . ]

[As the Cards played pressure Wendy-ball the whole half, gradually reeled in the Otters, and then – won it!]

[It would be tougher for the varsity game.  The Otters were riding a 14-game winning streak and had beaten the Cardinals earlier in the year at their place . . . ]

[If it was the normal pre-game discussion, it was likely about post-game dining . . . ]

[Other fans included Chuck (front row left, back cap) . . . ]

[And Goldy (standing, white cap), who are regular gym rats with us in the mornings . . . ]

[A little warm-up, matching the outdoor temperature which finally produced some dry pavement for the walk in from the parking lot . . . ]

[The Cardinal brain trust . . . ]

[The starters:  Jaya Hatlestad (3) . . . ]

[Mia McGrane (5) . . . ]

[Ella Grove (11) . . . ]

[Myah Kremer (15) . . . ]

[Mataya Hoelscher (23) . . . ]

[Ella jumped center . . . ]

[And got the tap . . . ]

[The Otters jumped out to an early 13 – 4 lead . . . ]

[And that proved to be too big to overcome.  Myah at the free throw line . . . ]

[Then Mia . . . ]

[Then Summer Gerhardt (35) . . . ]

[In basketball, there is just no substitute for tall guards.  The Cardinals last long run in the state tournament featured starting guards who were 5’8″ and 5’9″, very tall for the high school level.  And it was here the Otters had the advantage.  They similarly have guards who are 5’8″ and 5’9″, and though they are only sophomores they led the Otters to the state tournament last year as freshmen . . . ]

[Here Mia guards the Otters Ellie Colbeck (5), who at 5’9″ with a complete game, must be on the radar of Division 1 coaches . . . ]

[The first half, quite obviously, was a real defensive struggle . . . ]

[The starters came out for the 2nd half.  This is not the usual starting five, but it fluxuates.  But it’s amazing that only one of these players is taller than 5’8″ . . . ]

[But when you essentually have 10 starters, rotating 2 or 3 players with every stoppage of play, you can be very effective . . . ]

[Myah exits stage left, while Ella screens . . . ]

[Then breaks herself . . . ]

[The Cards were constantly having to break through tough Otter picks . . . ]

[Mia passes around Colbeck, as the No. 5’s cover each other . . . ]

[Myah drives while Ella fights for underneath position . . . ]

[And then shot free throws . . . ]

[Mataya tries her hand on Colbeck . . . ]

[And then Colbeck launched a 3, something at which she excels.  I think the final difference in the game was their ability to shoot over our guards, but our guards had trouble shooting over theirs . . . ]

[Ella on the free throw line . . . ]

[With Cate Bloom (21), one of the 10 starters, on the lane . . . ]

[Ella inbounds late . . . ]

[Later breaks for the basket . . . ]

[While Myah inbounds the ball . . . ]

[Jaya with the ball underneath, with an attempted block by the taller Otter (4) behind her.  The Otters opened up the final margin to 8 with free throws at the end.  They were the better team on this night.  On the 27th, the Cards traveled to Bemidji, won handily 60 – 39, improved their record to 15 – 5 with a chance at the No. 1 seed in the section . . . ]

January 25

Girls Hockey:  Alexandria – 1, Grand Rapids/Greenway – 0

[As the Cards prepared for their 3rd game in 42 hours, the JV played a game with a unique ending . . . ]

[The Cards led 1 – 0 when the Lightning pulled their goalie in an attempt to tie the game.  But the puck broke loose and a Cardinal got to it first with an empty goal in front of her.  She was tripped from behind.  In a normal situation, she would have been awarded a penalty shot.  But in an empty net situation, you are simply awarded the goal.  I did not know that.  Cards won 2 – 0 . . . ]

[The varsity came out looking surprisingly fresh.  Oh, to have young legs . . . ]

[At the opening jump ball, Ella Westlund (19) and Haney Block (28) bracketed . . . ]

[Center Marki Oberg (10) . . . ]

[Cards on the offense with Anna Doherty (7), with the puck, and Kaci Trosvig (25) . . . ]

[Kaci almost . . . ]

[Takes out the goalie . . . ]

[Alli Castle (22) on defense . . . ]

[Kaci in on goal again with Lauren Maras (27) . . . ]

[Anna on one side of the goal, Kaci on the other as the puck exits behind her . . . ]

[Marki fired a shot gloved by the Lightning goalie . . . ]

[But chases it down . . . ]

[Hanley fires a shot from the left circle . . . ]

[Ella and Marki . . . ]

[As you can see, though the Cards often pressured, the Lightning always had their entire team defending the goal . . . ]

[A good, fast paced, evenly played 1st period . . . ]

[Shortly into the 2nd, Kaci put the Cards on the board first with a wraparound backhander . . . ]

[Marki faces off in the Lightning zone . . . ]

[And directs the puck toward the net . . . ]

[Quoting the Dave Clark 5, here we come again, woo-oo-oo, with Makenna Aure (17) . . . ]

[Anna and Riley Nyberg (21) mix it up with the Lightning . . . ]

[Peyton Boesl (6) in the corner backed by Anna . . . ]

[Makenna awaiting the puck arrival at the point . . . ]

[And there’s a big mess in front of the goal . . . ]

[Big mess continued . . . ]

[Makenna made a couple of really nifty full ice rushes, a unique talent . . . ]

[After 2, still a really good game . . . ]

[Cards come out really nervous for the 3rd . . . oh, they’re laughing?]

[Kaci faced off . . . ]

[Lauren’s the first one in . . . ]

[Kaci is fended off by the Lightning goalie – both goalies, Jordan O’Kane (1) for us and Makenzie Cole (31) for them had really solid games . . . ]

[Cardinals swarm again . . . ]

[Lightning fend us off again . . . ]

[Kaci, a final attempt . . . ]

[Not quite . . . ]

[Though Anne and Lauren contested it . . . ]

[Best game I’ve seen in a long time.  The Cards were really flying against a good Lightning team.  The Cards now head into their final regular season game with a solid 15-6-3 season.]

They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.  ~  Wilt Chamberlain

Up Next: London?

July 4

At Sea

We’re steaming toward our final destination, England, on the 4th of July.  That’s either ironic . . . or a coincidence . . . 

[So, what do you do when you’re stuck on a boat . . . ]

[Enjoy morning photo ops . . . ]

[And if it’s chilly, take them from inside . . . ]

[And you may get stuck in a Star Wars movie . . . ]

[Looks ominous . . . ]

[The boat is making a run for it . . . ]

[Obviously, something nefarious is going on . . . ]

[And then the creature’s cousin joined the fray . . . ]

[Well, enough of all that.  How about a par-tay?]

[If it’s too crowded, go outside for some fresh air . . . ]

[Then back in for all the goodies.  This is something cruise ships do very well . . . ]

[What’s a swimming pool without surrounding melon tables?]

[As I recall, we had great difficulty finding a table for the four of us.  These people must have staked out their seating in the wee small hours of the morning . . . ]

[We even tried other rooms . . . ]

[Well, enough of the hubbub – find a room with a view . . . ]

[More “aliens” on the horizon . . . ]

[How to do a straight line . . . ]

[The Super with her impression of Leonardo DiCaprio . . . ]

[I’m queen of the world . . . ]

[Where we were, where we are, and where we’re going . . . ]

[This was great.  We haven’t that many cruises where you could comfortably sit on deck and read a book . . . ]

[Back in the theater to learn about our final stop . . . ]

[On the Waves of Love, 1986, Edvard Munch (1863-1944), Lithographic crayon and tusche]

[Lofotpils Pilsner, Norway, likely within the last year . . . ]

[At the theater . . . ]

[Pre-dinner . . . ]

[Dinner . . . ]

[Anne had her fish de-boned.  I don’t know if it was an option, they just did it . . . ]

[As I recall, it was trout . . . ]

[No thanks, I’ll have the prime rib . . . ]

[I joined Anne with the de-boned fish.  Then we were done, and would awaken in London in the morning . . . ]

[And to think I always thought it was just a cliche . . . ]

[Two ships passing in the night . . . ]

 

 

 

July 3

Edinburgh, Scotland

Completing our day in Edinburgh . . . 

[Leaving Edinburgh Castle, the Super called to check on our dinner reservations back aboard our ship . . . ]

[Although we are now going down, Castlehill is the steep hill leading up to Edinburgh Castle.  Area can be very congested at times with hoards of tourists making their way up to the castle along with taxis; buses; etc.  There are a couple of cafes/restaurant on the way along with Camera Obscura; Scotch Whiskey Experience; Tartan Weaving Mill, and if you are lucky, William Wallace might be hanging around with his sword & shield (great photo opportunity) collecting for a worthy charity (www.tripadvisor.com/) . . .

[The Royal Mile is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh.  The term was first used descriptively in W M Gilbert’s ‘Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century’ (1901), “…with its Castle and Palace and the royal mile between”, and was further popularised as the title of a guidebook, published in 1920.  From the Castle gates to the Palace gates the street is almost exactly a mile (1.6 km) long and runs downhill between two significant locations in the royal history of Scotland, namely Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, hence its name. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is the busiest tourist street in the Old Town, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town (Wikipedia).]

[Hardly anybody in town . . . ]

[The Super did do some shopping along here – possibly in the House of Cashmere . . . ]

[Oor Wullie . . . ]

[Strikes again . . . ]

[The National Museum of Scotland . . . ]

[William Henry Playfair, famous 19th century architect . . . ]

[May be just an old building?]

[I’ll go with the sign: The Queen’s Gallery . . . ]

[We then drove by a major happening.  The Queen of England was hosting and investiture at Holyroodhouse Palace, a garden party for 8000 guests.  We were not among the guests, but those that were were walking along the sidewalk in all their finery to the palace . . . ]

[For the past few days, Queen Elizabeth has been up in Scotland for her annual “Holyrood Week”—or as it’s known in the region, “Royal Week”—and today, she celebrates one of the tradition’s highlights. The Queen is hosting her fourth and final Garden Party for the summer at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarchy’s official resident in Scotland.  As with her other Garden Parties, the Queen has invited local community leaders in order to commemorate their achievements (www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition) . . . ]

[The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council.  The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland.  It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primaries in the north-west of the city (Wikipedia).]

[Nelson Monument on Calton Hill, once more . . . ]

[And a couple closer-upper shots . . . ]

[Housed in a gorgeous Georgian building, ‘Howies Waterloo Place’ is located at the foot of Calton Hill in the East End of Edinburgh.  This place is stunning, a real head turner, where natural light floods the building showcasing original period features and contemporary Scottish style (Howie’s website).]

[Where we lunched . . . ]

[The Statue of William Pitt the younger, stands at the junction of George Street and Frederick Street.  He was Britian’s youngest Prime Minister from 1783 until 1801 during King George III’s reign (http://www.edinburgh-newtown.com/).  It must be a national law that a gull must be placed on the head of all statues . . . ]

[Former home of Robert Louis Stevenson . . . ]

[Well, hello there!]

[17 Heriot Row . . . ]

[A clock tower of limited stature . . . ]

[We appear to making our way back to our boat . . . ]

[Yup, there’s our tender . . . ]

[Well-organized, well-behaved line of American tourists boarding the tender . . . ]

[The Super led my way . . . ]

[Toodle-oo, Edinburgh . . . ]

[Dessert, or a late night evening treat . . . ]

[We would now have a day at sea . . . ]

[While heading to London, our final destination . . . ]

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?  Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne!  For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.  We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne.  ~
Robert Burns

Up Next:  At Sea

July 3

Edinburgh, Scotland

Leaving the yacht, heading for the castle – can it get any more royal than that?

[So, just hop on the bus, Gus . . . ]

[Grab a taste of Poland . . . ]

[Pilrig St. Paul’s Church of Scotland . . . ]

[I don’t know where Muirhouse 14 goes . . . ]

[And for lovers of under the sea seafood . . . ]

[St. Paul’s and St. George’s Church . . . ]

[We saw this place already outbound . . . ]

[David Livingstone, as in “Dr. Livingstone, I presume” (from Henry Morgan Stanley, November 10, 1871) . . . ]

[Scott Monument (for author Sir Walter Scott) . . . ]

[Cityscape . . . ]

[Balmoral Hotel . . . ]

[ . . . with ties to Harry Potter . . . ]

[A very Edinburgh-looking street . . . ]

[Calton Hill in the background (where the headquarters of the Scottish government is located) with The Nelson Monument (commemorative tower in honour of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson) . . . ]

[Lunched here . . . ]

[And looking back at whence we came, the Balmoral clocktower in the background . . . ]

[Let’s eat . . . ]

[And we thought a surprisingly good, pre-arranged hotel lunch for our group . . . ]

[On the road again, overseen by the Calton Hill monuments . . . ]

[Edinburgh City Chambers fronted by Alexander & Buceophalus by John Steel, modelled 1832, cast in bronze 1883 . . . ]

[Classic building with a white thing on top . . . ]

[The Scott Monument in its entirety . . . ]

[Edinburgh City Centre featuring the Bank of Scotland . . . ]

[We began the long climb up Castle Hill to Edinburgh Castle . . . ]

[A pointy-topped building not discovered under that description . . . ]

[A gourmet tea and coffee house . . . ]

[But I didn’t see a single elephant . . . ]

[A pub of spooky origins . . . ]

[Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar is located in the heart of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh in Candlemaker Row.  As one of the most photographed pubs in Scotland, you’ll find us within a short stroll of Chambers Street, Grassmarket and George IV Bridge.  Our pub is inspired by the tale of Edinburgh’s most famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby, so it’s no surprise that we love dogs and we’re proud to be a dog-friendly pub (www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/) . . .

[Street scenes along the way . . . ]

[Again . . . ]

[Ditto . . . ]

[And there’s our destination . . . ]

[Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of Edinburgh from its position on the Castle Rock.  Archaeologists have established human occupation of the rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd century AD), although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of  David I in the 12th century, and the site continued at times to be a royal residence until 1633.  From the 15th century the castle’s residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as military barracks with a large garrison.  Its importance as a part of Scotland’s national heritage was recognised increasingly from the early 19th century onwards, and various restoration programmes have been carried out over the past century and a half. As one of the most important strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle was involved in many historical conflicts from the Wars  of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745.  Research undertaken in 2014 identified 26 sieges in its 1100-year-old history, giving it a claim to having been “the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world” (Wikipedia) . . . 

[Hiking up the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle entry . . . ]

[Welcome . . . ]

[A look back down the street . . . ]

[Heading to the main gate, on each side the Edinburgh Military Tattoo grandstand . . . ]

[Gathering along the grandstand . . . ]

[For final game plans from our guide . . . ]

[I had a hard time keeping up with her on the march up the hill . . . ]

[And we’re in, looking back down on great views of the city . . . ]

[The Super dials in . . . ]

[Then continued our trudge up the hill . . . ]

[Tourists and more tourists.  Because we were among the afternoon tours, buses were parked everywhere and we had to park well down the hill making our trip up that much longer . . . ]

[Direction signs within the castle . . . ]

[Typical tourist here, body flushed with cameras . . . ]

[Oh, that’s me . . . ]

[Next, follow the signs . . . ]

[We’re off to the museum . . . ]

[Scottish National War Memorial . . . ]

[A lovely place to sit to review place maps . . . ]

[They’re everywhere; they’re everywhere; and going in all directions . . . ]

[Clock tower and Crown Jewels Museum . . . ]

[Our guide offered options here . . . ]

[Crown Jewels first . . . ]

[No photos allowed so you’ll just have to believe they were there . . . ]

[So, next . . . ]

[Photo ops were available here . . . ]

[Early rugby uniforms . . . ]

[Possibly models for the rugby uniforms?]

[This is the Super’s, but I’m not sure what it is – a waiting room?]

[Back out in Crown Square . . . ]

[Looking out a cannon sight, the Military Tattoo grandstand below right . . . ]

[High caliber tourist and cannon . . . ]

[An early weapon of mass destruction . . . ]

[I wonder if there were ever any treaties to limit the spread of Mons Megs?]

[Edinburgh, O’, Edinburgh . . . ]

[Self-explanatory . . . ]

[Panoramic shots ahead . . . ]

[I think that’s our ship, but it’s moved in closer from where we tendered . . . ]

[See!  That’s Edinburgh!]

[A lovely day for panoramas . . . ]

[A heavy influx of cranes that appears to be a single project . . . ]

[Calton Hill in mid-photo, the Balmoral in left-center . . . ]

[The Super ducks (right) out of an artsy photo attempt . . . ]

[Again, the Scottish National War Memorial . . . ]

[Ditto . . . ]

[I found one more set of stairs to climb . . . ]

[Where I discovered the Military Tattoo grandstand and the Spire of the Hub . . . ]

[Leaving the Castle, we’ll finish events in Edinburgh in Part 3 . . . ]

Kilt, n. – a costume sometimes worn by Scotsmen in America and Americans in Scotland.  ~  Ambrose Bierce

Up Next:  Finish Edinburgh

January 14

‘Twas another day of multiple home games: a girl/boy basketball doubleheader versus Moorhead, and a girls hockey game versus Fergus Falls.  I began with the idea of going first to the girls basketball game and then catch as much as of the hockey game as I could . . .

Basketball:  Moorhead – 55, Alexandria – 48

[The pre-game meeting with referees and team captains, to include occasional hair maintenance.  As sometimes happens, a technical glitch led to a solo performance of the National Anthem by the ref on the left.  He was excellent . . . ]

[The Cardinal braintrust of Wendy and Julie . . . ]

[Partners for more years than they likely want to think about – but somewhere around 620 wins . . . ]

[I sat on the teams’ side of the court this time.  JV games were taking place on the court usually covered by the west bleachers . . . ]

[Pre-game discussions, not to include shoe contracts . . . ]

[And introductions with Mia McGrane (5) heading out to meet . . . ]

[The already introduced Jaya Hatlestad (3) . . . ]

[Ella Grove (11) . . . ]

[Alayna Strand (25) . . . ]

[Lilly Horn (33) . . . ]

[Alayna jumped center . . . ]

[A Cardinal shot went up . . . ]

[And off.  This was a game in which the Cards got off to a bad start that got worse.  There are times for all teams when they can’t throw the ball in the ocean while standing on the beach.  This was one of those games.  Leading scorer Ella got two early fouls and sat out most of the half.  The Spuds tall guards gave us problems, leading to many pass deflections and turnovers.  The Cards made no 3-point shots in the half (as I recall), the Spuds made 5.  The Spuds led 28 – 13 at the half.  I made a management decision to leave then to catch the entire hockey game . . . ]

[A real plus for the Cardinals, however, was the play of Summer Gerhardt (35).  She’s has not played a lot this year because of an injury that until this game required she wear a big leg brace that limited her mobility.  She came in off the bench and started the Cardinal scoring.  She is strong enough to mix it up and score inside (she is also a shot putter and discus thrower).  I think her inside strength and athleticism, and senior leadership (with Mia and Ella) will be key as to how far this team can go . . . ]

[Mia battled here, with Summer underneath.  The team played much better in the 2nd half and made a ran at it . . . ]

Hockey:  Alexandria – 5, Fergus Falls – 2

So, next I crossed town to the RCC . . . 

[The Boys on the Rail.  They stand through the whole game.  I guess it’s a form of exercise . . . ]

[I usually reside with them, but I was looking for a different angle.  I did join the boys, and photographer Mark Ripley (on the right), for the 3rd period . . . ]

[The Cards were hoping to duplicate their earlier 5 – 0 victory at Fergus.  Here’s Kaci Trosvig (25) who played a major role in making that happen (you may recall her sister Kristin was twice (I believe) named to the state all-tournament team) . . . ]

[While Kaci seems like an “old” veteran (she’s a sophomore), she’s joined by freshman Lauren Maras (27) . . . ]

[And junior Anna Doherty (7) . . . ]

[And another freshman Ella Westlund (19), who has two older brothers who played and play . . . ]

[Someone or something tickled Lauren’s funny bone . . . ]

[Sophomore Makenna Aure (17) . . . ]

[And sophomore Hailee Bailey (35) makes a junior, three sophomores, and two freshmen meaning unless they turn pro they’ll all be back next year . . . ]

[And we’re off with Riley Nyberg (21) looking to feed Kaci . . . ]

[Ali Castle (22), Ella Westlund, and Marki Oberg (10) battle in center ice . . ]

[Riley, Kaci, and likely Lauren on attack . . . ]

[The puck dribbled by the goal . . . ]

[The Cardinals scored first on this foray when the puck came out to senior Mayson Toft (14) who scored on a strong shot from the point . . . ]

[So hugs all around . . . ]

[The Otters scored on a power play.  And then this may have been the start of a series from Kaci . . . ]

[Who started a rush from her own zone . . . ]

[Went the length of the ice . . . ]

[And scored with less than a minute left in the period . . . ]

[But the scoreboard was not indicative play.  The Otters dominated the period and actually had a 12 – 4 shot advantage.  It was not unlike the 1st half the basketball team had – I wondered whether there was a bad lunch at school or something?  Radio announcer DMac even asked a player after the game if Coach Molly was perturbed (paraphrased) after that lackluster first period . . . ]

[The 2nd period started and the Cardinals picked it up a bit – Ella Westlund (we also have an Ella Johnston), Marki, and Hanley, front to back . . . ]

[Marki and Ella stood over the fallen Otter goalie . . . ]

[But no goal . . . ]

[Here’s Kaci again . . . ]

[And Ella again, chasing . . . ]

[From behind the Otter goal . . . ]

[Sophomore Peyton Boesl (6) . . . ]

[Kaci in a face off battle with Lauren on her wing and Makenna on point . . . ]

[Cut her off, Lauren . . . ]

[Kaci still in the offensive zone . . . ]

[And then she shot . . . the game winning, yet most bizarre goal . . . ]

[The Cardinals began the group skate toward the bench for the goal following fist bumps, but in the background an Otter skated down ice . . . ]

[Before most were aware the Otters were in our zone with only our goalie back on defense.  We all wondered how could they do that without an after goal face off?  Well, apparently the refs never called a goal, which led to a bit of discussion with both benches before the goal was called good . . . ]

[The Cards were in on goal again . . . ]

[Makenna Aure on a defense rush . . . ]

[Then Lauren launched a shot . . . ]

[Otters turn for the puck – no goal though . . . ]

[Then Kaci in the zone . . . ]

[With Makenna on point . . . ]

[Ooops, excuse me . . . ]

[Marki circled in the offensive zone . . . ]

[Hanley fired a shot – the puck is heading my way . . . ]

[Aaackkkk, it’s coming right at me!]

[Up close and personal with Lauren in the corner . . . ]

[Another assault on the Otter goalie . . . ]

[Anna lingered nearby . . . ]

[Upclose and personal with Peyton . . . ]

[The Otter goalie dove after the puck, but it’s in the goal – by Lauren . . . ]

[And coming again . . . ]

[Though still behind in shots, after two periods we had taken control of the game . . . ]

[For the 3rd period, I joined The Boys on the Rail.  Here Meg Shercliffe (5) and Ella Johnston (11) join Peyton on the Otter door step . . . ]

[The Otters scored a goal early in the period.  The Cardinals, however, spent more and more time in the Otter zone as the game waned, likely a result of our overall speed and depth . . . ]

[Lauren chased the puck to the goal . . . ]

[And the goalie held on . . . ]

[Mayson on a defense rush behind the goal with Peyton out front . . . ]

[Mindful that back in the days of my misspent youth, girl basketball players were considered so fragile that crossing midcourt was considered overly rigorous.  Now days the action in front of a hockey goal is the physical equivalent of a WWF match . . . ]

[The puck’s still there on Ella’s stick – aacckkkk!  That’s Micah Summer (8) and Marki in the vicinity as well . . . ]

[Kaci chased after the puck escaping stage right . . . ]

[The Otter goalie made a great stretch . . . ]

[But a  beautiful shot by Anna hit the upper right corner . . . ]

[There was no more scoring . . . ]

[But the Cards continued pressure . . . ]

[To the end of the game . . . ]

[The Cards are now on a 5-game winning streak . . . ]

[And 4 of the final 5 games are at home!]

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.  ~ Emo Philips

Up Next:  Scotland?