’Chess on ice’ May 8, 2019

’Chess on ice’

Today our photo comes from Naseby, on New Zealand’s South Island. Winter in New Zealand begins on June 1—in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are inverted from our own. Soon, the lakes in Naseby will freeze over, creating 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—with the fourth leg of the months-long event beginning today in Beijing, China. This ultimate bonspiel unites teams from around the globe, and on May 12, 2019, we’ll know which nation swept the competition. (Curling joke!)

© David Wall/Danita Delimont

palette

Today in History

May 8, 2018Raise your hand for Teacher Appreciation Day
May 8, 2020Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
May 8, 2021World Migratory Bird Day
May 8, 2022Mother s Day
May 8, 2023Arches National Park, Utah
May 8, 2024Marseille welcomes the Olympic torch
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 16, 2023Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Oct 3, 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
Jan 6, 2023Black Fell in England s Lake District
Jul 29, 2020Góða ólavsøku, from the Faroes!
Jul 21, 2025Coral Reef Awareness Week
Apr 23, 2018National Park Week: Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii
Nov 22, 2021Irohazaka road
Feb 24, 2021Getting to the bottom of the underwater waterfall
Jul 28, 2023San Blas Islands, Panama
Oct 2, 2019Wild scene on the Merced River
Mar 31, 2018Cherry blossoms at the National Mall, Washington, DC
Mar 6, 2025Desert bighorn sheep in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
May 12, 2024Happy Mothers Day!
Oct 14, 2024Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
May 14, 2018Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
May 2, 2022Pamukkale, Turkey
Jan 14, 2023Feast of the Donkey
May 16, 2025Endangered Species Day
Jul 21, 2023Storseisundet Bridge, Norway
Nov 23, 2024Fibonacci Day
Apr 15, 2021Jackie Robinson Day
Aug 14, 2021When Death Valley blew its top
May 1, 2023Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jun 3, 2025World Bicycle Day
Apr 8, 2022Ponta Delgada
Feb 16, 2018Dragon dance performed in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China
Dec 11, 2023International Mountain Day
Feb 14, 2018Aerial view of a heart-shaped field in Trittau, Germany
Jul 16, 2023Bear Hole Brook, Catskill Mountains, New York
Mar 14, 2019Rocky mountain pi