October 24

Barcelona

[After lunch at Xalet de Montjuïc, we walked “next door” to the 1992 Olympic games diving venue.  Bill vividly remembered the TV coverage with the spectacular views of Barcelona as a back drop!]

[Then again afoot, heading toward our final destination Barcelona . . . ]

[Park Guell . . . ]

[It was on a side street – and straight up hill.  This was just a place to stop and catch our breaths . . . ]

[A nice little plaza area about halfway up the hill . . . ]

[A religious icon, I assume . . . ]

[Good ole Villa Carmen . . . ]

[Looking back down at whence we came.  The little plaza area is just there on the right . . . ]

[The street just getting to the stairway was pretty steep . . . ]

[We’re almost there . . . ]

[And “there” . . . ]

[OK, let’s go in . . . ]

[You are here . . . ]

[And now walking in the park . . . ]

[Vegetation . . . ]

[The Super sits to determine our track . . . ]

[A “holey” tree . . . ]

[Looking back in the direction of the city . . . ]

[This is where we would return at dusk for a tour of the Gaudi Museum . . . ]

[Beautiful city vistas . . . ]

[Gaudi had his fingers in everything, so to speak . . . ]

[Oh no, it was decided we had to climb even higher (did I mention it was warm?) . . ]

[And from a higher perch . . . ]

[With the Sagrada Familia on the left side . . . ]

[Anne agrees about the warm climb, but at least it was mostly shady . . . ]

[Casa Trias e Domenech designed by Gaudi . . . ]

[Master of all he surveys . . . ]

[The Gaudi Museum on the right . . . ]

[And Casa Trias e Domenech closer upper . . . ]

[Evening the retaining walls were works of art . . . ]

[A rather unique columned walkway as we’re trending back down . . . ]

[I’m gonna guess a spire?  Yup, for the museum . . . ]

[The walkway from below . . . ]

[Colorful vegetation . . . ]

[Colorful vegetation, part 2 . . . ]

[The Gaudi House . . . ]

[Designed by Gaudi – so students could cheat off their partner’s desk?]

[In the living quarters . . . ]

[The House’s garden . . . ]

[And exiting . . . ]

[It’s dusking – you had assigned times to be able to venture out here for the view . . . ]

[We made it!]

[This sitting area was all about the tiles . . . ]

[(Four tile photos by the Super)]

[Now we’re working our way all the way down where we encountered Captain American and his significant other . . . ]

[A whole bunch of columns which I suppose support everything above them . . . ]

[Approaching the park exit . . . ]

[(From the Super)]

[Fairytale Gaudi contructions at park exit . . . ]

[An iguana and the Super . . . ]

[With a gift shop in here . . . ]

[Here comes Bill as we rounding up everybody for the trip back . . . ]

[As I recall these represented a dragon’s spine, or some such . . . ]

[A final look around . . . ]

[Then from here it was a walk back up the hill to catch a bus . . . ]

[Last day in Barcelona.  Anne said we covered 5.7 miles with 46 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS! I’m getting too old for this! Off to Madrid in the morning . . . ]

[(A final three from the Super)]

[DYK, obert in Catalan means open?  I had no idea!  We kept seeing obert signs all over Barcelona . . . ]

[But now adios to obert as we would be leaving Catalonia . . . ]

[Adios, Barcelona!]

Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.  ~  Susan Sontag

Up Next:  Moving on in Spain

January 19

Bemidji came to town with a 9 – 0 record; they left town with a 9 – 1 record.  Our Cards have now won 3 in a row and are 7 – 6.

[The action was fast and furious in the JV game . . . ]

[Our Cards pulled away at the end for a nice win . . . ]

[Then the varsity claimed the floor . . . ]

[And then the opening tip . . . ]

[Something you don’t see often in Minnesota high school basketball . . . ]

[The Lumberjacks have a 6’9″ senior center; the Cards countered with a 6’11” sophomore center, Treyton Thompson (42) . . . ]

[And as so often happens, neither got the tip . . . ]

[Cardinal guards sophomore Colton Roderick (35) and junior Carrson Jones (11) on defense . . . ]

[The Cards jumped out to a quick early lead and maintained it throughout the game.  Here Colton is joined by the game’s leading scorer, senior forward Anders Hedstrom (22) . . . ]

[Treyton is a very good shooter and likely canned both here . . . ]

[But he and senior guard Trey Hoepner (0) each picked up 2 early fouls and sat out most of the first half.  Nevertheless, the team held on to the early lead . . . ]

[Treyton didn’t have a big scoring game, but he dominated with blocked shots and rebounds . . . ]

[Anders is just a solid, non-flashy player who does well in all facets . . . ]

[Inbounding over Treyton has got to be fun?]

[Cards looking for a break out with Carrson on the far wing, freshman Kristen Hoskins (21) in the middle, and junior Cody Branson (3) on the left . . . ]

[The chaos clears – Kristen walks it up . . . ]

[There it goes . . . ]

[Colton under intense defensive scrutiny.  The Lumberjacks are a junior-senior team and used their strength to advantage in a physical game . . . ]

[Bodes well for the future when your guards are a freshman and a sophomore . . . ]

[Photo-bombed by the ref . . . ]

[At the half, the Cards were impressive . . . ]

[And Carrson, another starting guard, will also be back next year . . . ]

[Ready to inbound to Colton . . . ]

[Treyton can put the ball on the floor and drive . . . ]

[The collective fan brain trust . . . ]

[Colton with freebies . . . ]

[The bigs underneath.  The ‘Jacks kept going to their center to see if he could draw fouls from Treyton.  Treyton did a good job avoiding them . . . ]

[Kristen and Carrson with high defense . . . ]

[Can’t remember if it was a block or a foul, but Treyton kept out of foul trouble . . . ]

[Does this look 3D to you?]

[Trey pushes hard with Anders . . . ]

[Excellent win.  There were concerns about Colton and Carrson who both had to be helped off the court in the 2nd half.  I haven’t heard the extent of their injuries.]

[Good for us!!]

Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer.  ~  Shaquille O’Neal

Up Next:  Continuing with the sports/Spain conundrum.

January 15

I spent the early minutes of the hockey game listening to the Cardinal girls basketball game on the radio.  We lost on the road 45 – 44 to an also highly ranked Willmar Cardinals team.  Our Cardinals, ranked No. 1, were the last class AAA team to lose a game this season.  We will be back!  In other basketball news, I discovered today, while still “moving into” our new home, that I have been to 24 Final Fours (the last in 2010) . . . 

 

[The Cardinals were already ahead 3 – 0 when I arrived in the RCC about halfway through the 1st period.  Here our goalie, Hailee Bailey (35), attempts to keep herself occupied when most of the action is at the other end of the ice . . . ]

[Then the Cardinals scored goal No. 4, Alexis Heckert (20), from Anna Doherty (7) and Marki Oberg (10) . . . ]

[Here’s Mayson Toft (14), who always seems to be stationed in the same part of the building I’m in . . . ]

[Helping to keep Hailee safe from harm . . . ]

[With additional help from Hadlee Hansen (18) . . . ]

[Mayson, with Erin O’Kane (26) in the background . . . ]

[Ali Castle (22) on the defense . . . ]

[Opposition goal prevented . . . ]

[Ali is one of the large group of freshmen and sophomores who are fleet askate . . . ]

[Head manning the puck to center ice . . . ]

[And the Cards get goal No. 5, McKenna Ellingson (24), from Mayson . . . ]

[Total dominance by the Cards through the 1st period . . . ]

[And here comes “Mr. National Anthem” . . . ]

[Roger Riley, also an original Super Fan, has been singing the Anthem at girls’ games for many years now.  His winning percentage is about .95 . . . ]

[The varsity stays on the ice between periods so Cardinals-of-the-future can get in some ice time . . . ]

[The start of the 2nd period.  Then I was a victim of a photographer’s faux pas – a dead camera battery with no spare.  I was dead in the water.  As noted in the title, however, the Cards had a easy road to victory.  We led 11 – 0 at the end of the 2nd, when I left because the game was no longer in doubt, obviously.  The team now goes on the road for their final four regular season games.  They certainly appear to be peaking at just the right time . . . ]

I never thought I’d lose, I only thought I’d win.  ~  Elton John song

Up Next:  Better be Spain

January 10

Girls Hockey – 5, Willmar – 0

For the third time in a week, I followed a two-hour class at Senior College by going immediately to back-to-back high school sporting events.  I ain’t getting any younger.  I don’t know how much longer I can continue this pace.  What?  Sid Hartman did this into his mid-90’s?  Never mind . . .

 

[I was tardy arriving at the girls’ game, but I didn’t want to skip out of class early . . . ]

[As with the previous game, the first Cardinal to appear in the view finder was Mayson Toft (14) . . . ]

[And here she whaps a slap shot from the blue line with sophomore back line mate Ali Castle (22) in the foreground . . . ]

[These teams played earlier in the season at Willmar where our Cards (Willmar is also the Cardinals) put 68 shots-on-goal for a weirdly close 2 – 1 win . . . [

[Then our Cards opened the scoring with the first varsity goal by Micah Summer (8).]

[With goals come hugs . . . ]

[I’ve heard hugs are good . . . ]

[And here McKenna Ellingson (24) skates in on a breakaway . . . ]

[I suppose goalies look forward to this as a challenge, but I don’t think I’d care to have a hard rubber disc shot at me from point blank range . . . ]

[The shot . . . ]

[And she made the save.  In the two games against Alex the Willmar goalie faced 112 shots-on-goal and only gave up 7 goals.  Our Cards were more efficient in this game.]

[Kaci Trosvig (25) and Hanley Block (28), both freshmen, join the chase for the elusive puck . . . ]

[And here come our Cards with McKenna again . . . ]

[The goalie appears to have corralled the puck . . . ]

[But then Erin O’Kane (26) scored . . . ]

[More hugs . . . ]

[A dominating period but the Willmar goalie was keeping it close . . . ]

[Period 2, Hadlee Hansen (18) circles in the corner . . . ]

[Help arrives in the form of Erin, Makenna Aure (17) (another freshman), and Olivia Kopp (13) . . . ]

[Micah, Olivia, and Hadlee in our defensive zone . . . ]

[This looks like Micah from point blank range . . . ]

[And McKenna in again . . . ]

[But the puck escapes out the back door . . . ]

[Here’s Anna Doherty (7) with a backhander with fellow sophomore Marki Oberg (10) . . . ]

[With Alexis Heckert (20) also in the fray . . . ]

[And Anna scored!]

[Solid after 2 periods . . . ]

[And then in the final period, McKenna scored . . . ]

[And Hadlee scored to complete the scoring . . . ]

[Freshman Jordan O’Kane (1) started in goal and got her first career shutout.]

[Celebrate a convincing victory.]

Boys Hockey – 11, Willmar – 1

[Then the boys game . . . ]

[We had won earlier at Willmar 8 – 0, so this similarly did not appear to be a competitive game . . . ]

[After the opening face-off, Zack Wosepka (20) sprints into the offensive zone . . . ]

[Seniors Jack Westlund (10) and Ben Doherty (7) have been playing on the same line since they were freshmen . . . ]

[Ben excels in the face-off circle . . . ]

[Matthew Carlsen (26) on the point with Caleb Strong (3) in the Willmar zone . . . ]

[Matthew on a defenseman’s rush . . . ]

[With Caleb and Ben . . . ]

[Looks like the puck is in the air trending toward Willmar’s No. 24 . . . ]

[Jack circling back out . . . ]

[Ben . . . ]

[And Jack forechecking . . . ]

[And have recovered the puck . . . ]

[With that line in on goal . . . ]

[Aided by another Carlsen defenseman’s rush . . . ]

[A high shot . . . ]

[Then Caleb scored . . . ]

[And Alex Jost (29) scored to end the first period.  It had been a long day, so I departed here knowing the game was safely in hand.  The final score was 11 – 1, and our Cards had 63 shots on goal.  Some of the scoring highlights were a hat trick by Caleb and 6 points from Ben.  The team is now 11 – 4 overall and 7 – 1 in conference.]

When you win, nothing hurts.  ~  Joe Namath

Up Next:  Spain, again, is due . . .

October 24

Barcelona

[Our fourth and last day in Barcelona.  Strange how it’s taken me three months to blog four days?  Anyway, this is where we came out onto the street every morning from our hotel.  And every morning I would say I have to take this picture up (or was it down) the street.  But you had to take to take it from the middle of a very busy street, so this last morning I had to throw caution to the wind . . . ]

[And stop in the middle of the street for this shot!  At a height of 512 metres, Tibidabo [Magic Mountain] is the highest point of the Collserola sierra. It is popular because of its views of the city of Barcelona and its cultural and leisure facilities, which include Spain’s oldest amusement park, a neo-Gothic church, a modern communications tower, an astronomical observatory and, above all, magic! (http://www.barcelonabusturistic.ca)  We didn’t go there – time was of the essence.]

[This was a free day for us.  So, let’s take the subway somewhere . . . ]

[Waiting, then . . . ]

[Here comes our train . . . ]

[Aha, back to Parc Montjuic where we took the funicular (here) . . . ]

[Up to grab a cable car ride . . . ]

[And away we go for stunning views of the city . . . ]

[Gee, Bill!  I wish we had better weather for this??]

[Yes, a perfect day . . . ]

[And, again, Sagrada Familia is mid photo . . . ]

[And we had a right angle turn here . . . ]

[Arriving at Montjuïc Castle, an old military fortress, with roots dating back from 1640, built on top of Montjuic hill.  It currently serves as a Barcelona municipal facility (Wikipedia).]

[With many views over the port and city . . . ]

[A big gun (not available for conceal and carry) . . . ]

[Every fortress should be spruced up with a garden (well, actually a parterre) . . . ]

[Entrance (oh, you could tell from all the clues?) . . . ]

[Generically described as . . . ]

[As a naked woman statue.  Duh . . . ]

[(From the Super)]

[Another big gun not suited for concealment . . . ]

[View of a major port . . . ]

[Where big cruise ships hang out.  This must be the place where the Super and I previously disembarked from such a ship for a plane ride home . . . ]

[The Super and Anne with the A-lister overlook position . . . ]

[Meanwhile, back inside the fortress walls . . . ]

[Yeah, it’s her again . . . ]

[Yes, it’s way more than just a cruise ship port . . . ]

[What good is a fortress without a dungeon?]

[And from a different perspective looking inland . . . ]

[The Drummer of El Bruc Timbaler del Bruc . . . ]

[(From the Super)]

[All about the castle . . . ]

[Trying to catch the Super with an unfurled Catalonian flag . . . ]

[THIS IS THE CITY . . . BARCELONA, SPAIN . . . ]

[Here is a panoramic video of said city . . . ]

[What’s over there?]

[With views available . . . ]

[In all directions . . . ]

[A little more of the fortress aspects of the castle . . . ]

[(Three from the Super)]

[Again, trying to catch the flags unfurled in the breeze . . . ]

[A vertical sundial . . . ]

[On the building . . . ]

[The city, with Magic Mountain on the mountain top in the background . . . ]

[Time for lunch, a slight wait while they were opening . . . ]

[Why yes, we were anticipating a table with a view . . . ]

[And here it is!  Xalet de Montjuïc, described as an elegant restaurant with the best skyline of Barcelona – and it was adjacent to the Olympic diving pools.]

[This place had average dining reviews – but at this table, who cares?]

[My tuna, as I recall . . . ]

[Bill had fish (forgot brand) and beans . . . ]

[The Super had . . . something?]

[A meat stew of some sort?]

[And did Anne have . . . ]

[Lamb?]

[Anyway, we all thought everything was quite good, no doubt enhanced by the ambience!]

He had occasional flashes of silence that made his conversation perfectly delightful.  ~  Sydney Smith

Up Next:  Part 2 (at some point)?

January 8

Hockey 6 – 0

Always begin with the previous day’s hoar frost . . .

[And then a hockey game followed by a basketball game . . . ]

 

[It was . . . ]

[Moms & daughters (on loan from the Cardinal Connection).  Yup, only four seniors so the team’s future, as some wag once said, is all in front of it . . . ]

[We were hosting the Prairie Center Blue Devils, a conglomerate comprised of Sauk Centre and surrounding communities.  Here’s senior forward McKenna Ellingson (24) in warm-ups . . . ]

[Junior defense Mayson Toft (14) . . . ]

[Freshman defense Makenna Aure (17) . . . ]

[Sophomore forward Marki Oberg (10) . . . ]

[Senior forward Alexis Heckert (20) . . . ]

[Each of the seniors honored with their parents – Alexis first . . . ]

[All captured by the Amazing Mark Ripley . . . ]

[He who gives we amateurs white lens envy . . . ]

[McKenna . . . ]

[Olivia Kopp (13), defense . . . ]

[Erin O’Kane (26), forward . . . ]

[Let’s begin . . . ]

[The Cards line up in random numbers that would make a solid password . . . ]

[Hooray for us!]

[We’re ready!  Bring on the Blue Devils!]

[Sophomore defense Ali Castle (22) and Makenna in a shift change with Olivia coming off . . . ]

[GOOOAAAAALLLL!  By Marki!]

[Fist bump, fist bump, fist bump . . . ]

[Marki’s line with sophomore Anna Doherty (7) . . . ]

[GOOOAAAAALLLL!  Freshman forward Kaci Trosvig (25), shorthanded, from fellow freshmen Hanley Block (28) and Riley Nyberg (21) . . . ]

[Freshman goalie Hailee Bailey (35) skates out for the fist bumps . . . ]

[And here they come . . . ]

[After one, yup, a distinct advantage in shots-on-goal . . . ]

[I was with partner in crime, Bradley.  We would stay until we were sure the game was well in hand before heading to the high school for the basketball game . . . ]

[Here’s Erin . . . ]

[Back to Marki’s line . . . ]

[Marki’s one on five . . . ]

[Here’s Alexis . . . ]

[Then McKenna . . . ]

[McKenna circles from behind . . . ]

[Alexis is in with appears to be Anna . . . ]

[Arghhh, it got away . . . ]

[Marki with Anna . . . ]

[Both now in their 3rd varsity years as sophomores . . . ]

[And they’re taking a run at it . . . ]

[GOOOAAAALLLL!  McKenna from Hanley and Olivia . . . ]

[We did good!]

[Brad and I figured the game was in hand and could move on.  Riley scored later in the period from Kaci; and in the 3rd, McKenna got her 2nd goal, from Mayson, and Kaci got her 2nd goal, from Alexis.  The final score was 6 – 0, with a rather disparate shots-on-goal advantage of 55 – 4 . . . ]

Basketball 71 – 41

[The game had started by the time we arrived.  We were up 5 – 0, and heard the JV had won to move their record to 10 – 1.  Here our Emily Jones (33), senior, has the Detroit Lakes center trapped in the corner . . . ]

[In the offensive zone, senior guard Kaye Paschka (3) whips a pass to the wing, with junior guard running mate Mia McGrane (5) and senior center McKenzie Duwenhoegger (35).  If you look close, junior Ella Grove (11) is hiding behind the 6’2″ Laker center (though she seemed taller!) . . . ]

[Ella comes out from hiding to join the offense . . . ]

[Kaye launches a 3.  The one part of the game that soured a bit.  I remember Jonesie hitting two 3’s early, and sophomore Jaya Hatlestad hit two late in the game.  Oh, and Ella got one late as well, but it seemed for the full body of the game we missed a lot of them . . . ]

[McKenzie at the line.  The free throw shooting was good, which will be a real plus for the long haul . . . ]

[Kaye on the Lakers point guard No. 1.  That was a battle all game long . . . ]

[As she (No. 1) was really aggressive . . . ]

[Look!  Over there!  Do you see her?]

[I think it’s Kim Kardashian!]

[The horrors that confront the opposition just trying to inbound the ball after a Cardinal made basket . . . ]

[Give me the ball!!]

[It’s mine, I tell you!]

[It’s been rather amazing recently that the Cards have been able to apply this much pressure without getting into much foul trouble . . . ]

[Ella’s been on a run recently where her foul shots don’t even graze the rim . . . ]

[What???]

[Kim Kardashian’s over on that side now?]

[Lest you were wondering why the Cardinals have been ranked No. 1 this year (so far), this photo sequence pretty much ‘splains it.  Our guards, Mia and Kaye, just get out and go – whether after a steal or the bigs rebounding and outlet passing.  They’re both fast, can handle the ball at speed, and finish.]

[I have no idea why I took this shot?]

[Why, yes, Kaye is also a hurdler . . . ]

[She will be hurdling and triple jumping in college next year . . . ]

[Cards apply pressure out to the center line . . . ]

[And with Ella at the point of the defense, she is often the recipient of the break out passes . . . ]

[Jonesie and Mac working the inbounds defense . . . ]

[And those two have also been known to take the ball the length of the court themselves . . . . ]

[The ball is up there.  I don’t know who dunnit?]

[Bradley pointed out we had a “straight” from the starters, with 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 points, respectively . . . ]

[One last shot of the defense . . . ]

[But seriously, we’re No. 1 because of this. These are the late in the game scoring for the 5 starters. Who do you guard?  It was also double doubles for Mac and Ella who both hit double digits in rebounds and Mia added 10 assists . . . ]

[Another big win to go 12 – 0.]

Our biggest concern this season will be diaper rash.  ~  George MacIntyre, Vanderbilt football coach surveying the team roster that included 26 freshmen and 25 sophomores

Up Next:  Likely hockey . . .

January 4

Yes, Virginia, boys play hockey too . . . 

[I was at the gym (honestly) . . . ]

[So, the Super snapped up my camera . . . ]

[And captured the sunrise . . . ]

[Such a big game against a big Lake Conference foe that friend John (retired administrator, teacher, and coach in that conference) came down all the way from Ashby to catch this game.  We saw the end of the competitive JV game . . . ]

[Junior defense Andrew Revering (2) after an official meeting with the officials at the official red line face-off circle . . . ]

[The Cardinals’ player introductions via disco . . . ]

[Go Cards!]

[LET’S PLAY HOCKEY!!]

[Our Cards, of course, are coming off a runner-up finish in the state tournament last year and have been a top 10 class A team all year.  Wayzata, which could put the entire student body of AAHS into one class of its 4,000 high school enrollment, is thusly class AA . . . ]

[And the Cards strike first!  Senior forward Jack Westlund (10) from junior forward Caleb Strong (3) and senior forward Ben Doherty (7) . . . ]

[And thus endth the 1st period . . . ]

[The Cards are buzzing in period 2 . . . ]

[With senior forward Ben Jenson (9) and sophomore forward Joe Westlund (10).  It looks like Caleb in deep . . . ]

[Senior forwards Alex Jost (29) and Zach Wosepka (20) are in deep . . . ]

[Andrew and junior forward Derek Pesta (5) join the fray . . . ]

[Looks like Joe in the corner . . . ]

[GOOOAAALLLLLL!  Ben from Jack . . . ]

[Celebrate!]

[GOOOAAALLLL!  Alex from freshman forward Josiah Gronholz (4) and Zach . . . ]

[Really good game, particularly since are Cards were winning!]

[I got caught up in the game and forgot the camera.  Wayzata obviously put a lot of pressure on to catch up, the Cards took a late penalty, and I think Wayzata kept it in our zone for well over a minute after they pulled their goalie.  The shot totals were a tad misleading in that regard.  John, who played college hockey at St. Cloud State, kept saying Alex was playing great defense – they weren’t letting the Trojans get the puck in the middle of the rink.  Coach Resch said after the game that’s exactly what they were trying to do . . . ]

[Obviously a big time win against a big time power school!]

Ice hockey is a form of disorderly conduct in which the score is kept.  ~  Doug Larson

Up Next:  For the foreseeable future, Spain or sports.

As a necessary prelude, I must report that I, as an older person, on this day did not go home, or collect $200, while consecutively going to the opening session of Senior College at ATCC, then to the girls hockey game v. Bemidji at RCC, then to the girls basketball game v. Fergus Falls at AAHS, without once stopping to pass water or take on sustenance over a period of seven hours.  This involved driving from the north side of town, to the near south side of town, back to the near north side of town, back to the far south side of town, back to the north side of town and home – I did have to stop twice for gas . . . 

January 3

[Arrived at the RCC from Senior College just in time . . . ]

[This was the first of a girl-boy hockey doubleheader (though the boys would be playing Sartell?), but since I planned on leaving after the 2nd period for the girls basketball game I sat closer to the ice for a fast getaway.  Here’s freshman goalie Hailee Bailey (35) . . . ]

[From my new perch, I would oft be up close and personal with right side defense, junior Mayson Toft (14) . . . ]

[The Boys (and girls) on the Rail, along with the amazing Mark Ripley on camera . . . ]

[The young Cards have struggled offensively this year though they usually outshoot their opponents . . . ]

[Thus, it was a nice surprise when freshman Kaci Trosvig (25) scored early . . . ]

[Mayson, again . . . ]

[Junior Meg Shercliffe (5) follows a teammate into the offensive zone . . . ]

[And Mayson, with teammates freshman defense Riley Nyberg (21) and Kaci . . . ]

[Riley and Mayson are back on the points as freshman center Hanley Block (28) moves in with her linemates . . . ]

[Head coach Molly Arola and the bench . . . ]

[Hailee was never too busy . . . ]

[GOOOAAALLLL!  By Mayson!]

[Kaci, Hanley, with senior defense Olivia Kopp (13) . . . ]

[Cards are buzzing, the object of their attention appears to have fled to the right corner . . . ]

[GOOOAAAALLLL!  By Hanley . . . ]

[Another GOOAAALLLL!  By sophomore Anna Doherty (7) . . . ]

[An unbelievable 1st period scoring explosion . . . ]

[Four times doing skate-by bench fist bumps . . . ]

[Mayson behind Anna, sophomore defense Ali Castle (22), and senior forward Alexis Heckert (20) . . . ]

[Would take that after the 1st period every time . . . ]

[Looks like Hanley starting the 2nd period . . . ]

[Sophomore forward Marki Oberg (10) taking the draw with Ali behind . . . ]

[Two Cards chasing down a Lumberjack . . . ]

[Hanley . . . ]

[And again, with senior forward McKenna Ellingson (24) . . . ]

[Somebody with a blonde ponytail (boy, that narrows it down) . . . ]

[Hanley and Ali – have you noticed the plethora of underclassmen?]

[McKenna and Hanley both looking into the upper reaches . . . ]

[Not another much forgotten Kim Kardashian sighting?]

[Hanley point blank again . . . ]

[With freshman defense Makenna Aure (17) . . . ]

[McKenna and Kaci . . . ]

[And the attempted shot by Kaci . . . ]

[More pressure from Kaci and Hanley . . .  ]

[And from Alexis and Meg . . . ]

[With Anna joining in . . . ]

[Junior forward Micah Summer (8) . . . ]

[McKenna right on . . . ]

[Awww, not quite . . . ]

[%^#$@ post, but that’s Marki behind it . . . ]

[And Hanley again . . . ]

[She always seems to be around the net . . . ]

[Anna . . . ]

[Her older brother would have a big game on the following night . . . ]

[Mayson’s in deep from her defensive position . . . ]

[I see the puck . . . ]

[I would have to leave now, but the Cards had the game under control.  Hanley (her 2nd of the game) and Olivia would score in the 3rd period for a 6 – 0 win!]

[At the high school, the JV game was concluding.  The Cards were making a little comeback that I believe closed the score to 3  . . . ]

[The varsity was in the background cheering their efforts . . . ]

[Go Cards!]

[But not to be.  That may have been the JV’s first loss?]

[In recent years, the Cards and the Otters have been battling for the conference and section titles . . . ]

[Hi!  Do you remember me?]

[I play quarterback (intramural) at Notre Dame . . . ]

[And I was a 3-sport star for the Cardinals . . . ]

[The Cards came into this game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state class AAA rankings.  The Otters lost their first game of the year but have been on a 8-game winning streak since.  It was a big game, as they say in these parts . . . ]

[A full contingent of cheerleaders were on hand . . . ]

[Senior center McKenzie Duwenhoegger (35) on the opening jump . . . ]

[The biggest crowd of the year was on hand . . . ]

[Otter fans even filled up a section . . . ]

[It’s still in the air, ladies . . . ]

[A tale of two halves.  Here the Otters freshman guard, Ellie Colbeck, had a terrific 1st half . . . ]

[But the Cards senior guard, Kaye Paschka (3), turned the tables on her in the 2nd half . . . ]

[Until this game, the Cards just overwhelmed all their opponents with full court pressure, size, depth, and athleticism . . . ]

[Against the Otters, the Cards just played straight half court man-to-man defense, recognizing the Otters’ abilities to handle the ball and run plays . . . ]

[The Otters run a lot of weave, cut, and pass offense.  Here all 5 Cards are deep to cut off any passing lanes – junior guard Mia McGrane (3), junior guard Ella Grove (11), Kaye, McKenzie, and senior forward Emily Jones (33) . . . ]

[Ella starts a drive . . . ]

[A shot goes up, or a rebound comes down?]

[The Otters have it . . . ]

[The Otters had a little run at the end of the half to take a 22 – 19 lead.  The Cards seemed a bit out of sync, particularly with their shooting.  Ella made a 3 to start the 2nd half, and we were off and rolling.  Here Jonesie passes over the defense . . . ]

[Mia back peddled on defense as Colbeck brings the ball up . . . ]

[Kaye, McKenzie, and Jonesie aligned as the Cards played great 2nd half defense . . . ]

[Ella passes to Mia, though the camera focused on the ref’s part line . . . ]

[I was so into the game I forgot about the camera.  Here Kaye dribbles out the clock as the Cards finished a near perfect half of basketball . . . ]

[We out scored the Otters 34 – 17 in the 2nd half.  There were few turnovers by either team, as both teams handled the ball well against good defenses.  But the Cards I believe shot over 70 per cent in the half, and made 4 of 6 3’s, one each by all the starters except McKenzie, who just missed one.]

[With a blowout win against Little Falls the next night, the Cards are now 11 – 0 and looking very good . . . ]

[The coaches shortened the bench for this game.  There were no mass substitutions, as we’ve done all year,  just an individual or two at a time.  I’m sure everybody got plenty of playing time again in the following Little Falls game . . . ]

I’m a woman.  Phenomenally.  Phenomenal woman, That’s me.  ~  Maya Angelou

Up Next:  Boys hockey?

January 1

(* ‘Super,’ of course, is a relative term . . . )

[For days in advance, the weather outside was or was looking frightful.  No specific celebratory plans were made.  We wanted to remain fluid, to act on the moment.  The moment came when our usual wining and dining venue advertised they were open and to come on down for a Bloody Mary or a mimosa.  I was thinking mid-afternoon, but by the time the Super stopped receiving phoned birthday wishes the afternoon light had waned.  Dinner, too?  We drove downtown all the while thinking it’s a holiday night, few if any places were going to be open.  It wasn’t.  Thus, for the ride home, the last night to see the city’s decorations before they’re taken down . . . ]

[At Big Ole Park, above and below, it appears The Depot may have been open?]

[The car’s entertainment center (mostly totally beyond my comprehension) notes that we were listening to Gladys Knight on Siriusly Sinatra at 5:38 pm with a temperature of minus 7 . . . ]

[One last swing by Ole (the new and permanent water closets on the right)  . . . ]

[As we drove away we thought we heard Ole murmur something about having to wear a miniskirt in these subzero temperatures . . . ]

[The holiday lights of Broadway will light no more until the day after the next Thanksgiving . . . ]

[The Legacy of the Lakes museum was looking festive . . . ]

[Icicles were on display . . . ]

[And the lights were on in the “new” museum building . . . ]

[Back home for the two-person party . . . ]

[Her annual birthday present of a fine champagne . . . ]

[Woo-woo!  She was just happy to be dressed up . . . ]

[Warm up a little shepherd’s pie with a dinner salad and we were good to go . . . ]

[Happy Birthday and Happy New Year, my dear!  (Different style glasses so we’d know whose was whose.]

They tell you that you’ll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don’t tell you is that you won’t miss it very much.  ~  Malcolm Cowley

Up Next:  There’s some sports ahead . . .

October 23

Barcelona

By now, of course, you all recognize a Gaudi?

[Picking up where we left off in Part 1, this is the last of the four featured houses on the Block of Discord – Casa Batllo Passeig de Gracia 43 designed by Antoni Gaudi . . . ]

[And the view from the other side of Passeig de Gracia Avenue . . . ]

[Reminding that Gaudi is totally unique . . . ]

[And another look back down the block of Illa de la Discordia (Block of Discord) . . .

[And this is where we’ll spend the rest of the day.  The informational pamphlet for La Pedrera was posted in Part 1 . . . ]

[Casa Milà, popularly known as ‘La Pedrera’ or “The stone quarry”, a reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, is a modernist building.  It was the last private residence designed by architect Antoni Gaudi and was built between 1906 and 1912.  The building was commissioned in 1906.  At the time, it was controversial because of its undulating stone facade, twisting wrought iron balconies.  Several structural innovations include a self-supporting stone façade, and a free-plan floor, underground garage and the spectacular terrace on the roof.  In 1984, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (Wikipedia).]

[Patricio!  Our Sandemans tour guide who’s led us since lunch . . . ]

Patrick

[He grew up in Chicago but has now lived in Barcelona for 8 years.  As noted, he came here to play basketball.  I should have got his last name – he’s 6’4″ and must be a player of some note?]

[Enthusiastic and good tour guide – his English is obviously bueno . . . ]

[First, you cross the street to enter the building . . . ]

[Go immediately to the elevators for a trip to the roof . . . ]

[As you can see, the rooftop is quite a place.  The Super pauses to take it all in . . . ]

[It’s almost like an obstacle course to traverse for all the views . . . ]

[But that’s the fun of it all . . . ]

[And of course everybody’s doing the same thing – stopping, posing, shooting pictures, blocking all avenues of egress . . . ]

[Ye old shooting pictures of people shooting pictures . . . ]

[The Super, trying to figure out where to pose next . . . ]

[Up and down and over and around . . . ]

[As I recall, we were six stories up . . . ]

[Hey, there’s the Sagrada Familia . . . ]

[Yup, still there with my eyes open . . . ]

[A photo op paradise . . . ]

[So let’s get Bill and Anne . . . ]

[Despite what it appears here, they do limit the number of people up on the roof at any one time . . . ]

[A panoramic view of the city . . . ]

[And the Block of Discord . . . ]

[A 3D roof map . . . ]

[One day later I would not be able to lift my left arm this high . . . ]

[Looks like a DQ swirl with something on top . . . ]

[Now we go inside, this top floor (the attic?) is where the action is . . . ]

[A 7th inning sit . . . ]

[La Pedrera model . . . ]

[This was an interesting place . . . ]

[Both in terms of the floor’s architecture . . . ]

[And the displays . . . ]

[The Super and her reflection . . . ]

[And the one photo I took on a lower floor that was a residence . . . ]

[A final adios from La Pedrera.  The next day would be our last in Barcelona.]

Two great talkers will not travel far together.  ~  Spanish Proverb

Up Next:  Likely basketball?