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:
-
Celebrating Charles Darwin
-
International Day of Friendship
-
It’s Siblings Day!
-
Festivus
-
World Population Day
-
International Museum Day
-
A peek behind the royal curtain
-
Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
-
Glowworm caves in Australia
-
Fall comes to Pando
-
International Museum Day
-
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
-
A ‘city’ within Valencia
-
Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
-
A Carpathian Christmas celebration
-
It s Australia Day
-
Where the bearded reedling sings
-
J.R.R. Tolkien Day
-
Misool Island, Indonesia
-
Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
-
Ponta Delgada
-
Happy trails for the 21st century
-
It s time for spring
-
Harvest season begins
-
Seven Magic Mountains art installation, Jean Dry Lake, Nevada
-
Don t forget—it’s World Elephant Day
-
White trilliums blooming in Ontario, Canada
-
Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau
-
Presidents hear the echo of history
-
Native American Heritage Month