Officially, summer began on December 1 here in New Zealand (where the first days of March, June, September, and December respectively are considered the start of autumn, winter, spring, and summer). But this icy view of Naseby, on New Zealand’s South Island, shows that harsh winters here offer great conditions for outdoor curling, or what competitors call ‘chess on ice.’ And when there’s a multi-game tournament going on, that’s a ‘bonspiel’ in curling lingo. This year marks the first ever Curling World Cup. The second leg of the four-leg event brings the curlers to Omaha, Nebraska, today through December 9. Canada’s teams won the first leg, in Suzhou, China. Will they face stiffer competition in the Cornhusker State?
’Chess on ice’
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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The buzz about bees
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Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
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They’re grrrape!
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Road to Sa Calobra, Majorca, Spain
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All eyes on moths
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Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
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Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
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Mercury in retrograde
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Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
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World Theatre Day
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Seventeen arches at sunset
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Cosplay strongly encouraged
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National Napping Day
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Indigenous Peoples Day
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Uredd Rest Area, Norway
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Pollinators: not to be sneezed at
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The Feathers at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage, Washington
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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
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Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
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Black Fell in England s Lake District
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Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
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Red-necked grebes during breeding season
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On the wings of the Wright brothers
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Cherry blossoms spring to life
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Turning darkness into light
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Composite image of a lunar eclipse
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Cecil Brewer Staircase, London
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Where the glow of the holidays lingers
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International Day of Color
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World Water Day