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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Take the Stairs Day
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Lunar eclipse
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Storm rolls over the grasslands
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Blackbird in Essex, England
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Monarch butterflies migrate south
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A star blows a bubble
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Sibiu Christmas market, Romania
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Iceland awaits the Yule Lads
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St. Patrick s Day
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Struck by Southwestern beauty
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The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
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Frankenstein Friday
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In memory of those lost
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The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
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An inland ocean
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Happy 50th for the National Trails System!
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Hemingway’s Keys
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World Water Day
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Engineering an artificial harbor in Normandy
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Kawachi Fuji Garden
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Tracking ships on the Day of the Seafarer
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Misool Island, Indonesia
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The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt
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Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau
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I ll call for pen and ink
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It’s oh so quiet
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Across the great plains of Africa
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Happy International Beaver Day!
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World Laughter Day—it s a hoot
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High seas commerce
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

