Our three favorite hockey teams

Our fourth favorite team lost the gold medal game on Thursday but yesterday our top three all won significant games.

In the order in which they occurred, Class A state high school tournament championship game:

Warroad 3
Breck 1

The Gopher women played the longest game in the history of the program with the winning goal scored at 1:16 of the third overtime (101 minutes and 16 seconds of hockey):

Minnesota 4
Minnesota State-Mankato 3

And in the evening finale, the Class AA state high school tournament championship game:

Roseville 4
Edina 0

Fairly obviously, I suppose, the high school season is over but the Gophers move on to next week's conference Final Four Faceoff. There is still some hockey in our plans.

Another video

I found this one in an on-line discussion of the Winter Olympics Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.

As recommended this evening on CNBC

More curling rock, this time of a slightly heavier metal nature, this time featuring the Swedish women's team and the Swedish power metal band, Hammerfall.

It seems worth noting that the scoreboard visible in the video shows that the Swedish women are posting 8 enders in every one of the first eight ends. That would make 64-0 with two ends remaining but Hammerfall would, of course, have the hammer.

Near the end of the video Hammerfall, playing the black (??) rocks, attempts the desperation face down final rock and draws successfully to the button to apparently avoid yet another 8 ender. Team Sweden follows with a bump out and stay to score a final 8. Team Sweden then takes over and performs as the band.

I love Sweden.

Are we having fun yet?

More curling

Lyrics to "Tournament of Hearts" by the Weakerthans (yesterday's video):

(copyright The Weakerthans)

Now the lounge is full of farmers
For the 7:30 draw
Teammates all left before they had to buy a round

When they pull the 50/50
And I've lost again I'll go
Maybe have one more brown one for the snowy road

All the championship banners
Going yellow on the wall
And my name when it gets closer to last call

So Elvira brings my bottle
Hold it up and let it bend
Figures of two rinks battling an extra end

And I'm peeling off the label
As they peel a corner guard
Dance down the sheet to the tune of "Hurry, Hurry Hard"

And my popcorn squeaks with the question
Wonders why I'm not at home
Where you wait beside a silent telephone
Doodle circles within circles all alone
Have to stop myself from climbing
On the table full of empties to yell:

"Why?"
"Why can't I draw right up to what I want to say?"
"Why can't I ever stop where I want to stay?"
I slide right through the days
I'm always throwing hack weight

Right off, no never never ever ever
Right off, no never never ever never
Right off, no never never never ever
Right off, no never ever never ever

Now the senior bonspiel winners
Circa 1963
Are all staring, glaring disapprovingly
From their frame in that old photograph at me
And I know you're out there waiting
For an answer I can't give you so tell me,

"Why?
"Why can't I draw right up to what I want to say?"
"Why can't I ever stop when I want to stay?"

We roll right through our years
We drift right through our months
We slide right through our days
I'm always throwing hack weight

Right off, no never never ever ever
Right off, no never never ever never
Right off, no never ever never ever
Right off

Songwriters: Stephen Carroll, John Samson, Greg Smith, and Jason Tait.

The Weakerthans are an award-winning four-piece (and sometimes six-piece) Canadian indie rock band that blends punk rock with folk rock. The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

For assistance with the curling references here is a link to the Wikipedia Glossary of Curling.

I'm always throwing hack weight

I was just sitting here watching the Winter Olympics when Wireless called to be sure that I was aware that she had sent me Ten Great Songs About Curling.

This is number 8, my favorite. You might want to give it a listen as a break from "peeling a corner guard."

By the way, for those who might not know, the post title (a line from the song) is a curler's lament, something you might say after being part of "two rinks battling an extra end", and after spending an evening "danc(ing) down the sheet to the tune of 'Hurry! Hurry Hard!'"

Probably no further explanation required

And I don't intend to provide any.Except to say it is good to be home.

There's no place like home.

Boca Grande

The rain blew through here and behind it is the cool, clear high pressure system. It wasn't warm today for Florida but it still felt pretty OK to me. The flow led to Gasparilla Island and the tiny town of Boca Grande.

This is the always popular Banyan Street.Banyan trees and only banyan trees on both sides of the street for an entire block.

This is the actual ocean (not the Charlotte Harbor) as viewed from a street end in Boca Grande.I admit that there are probably purists who would insist that it is only the Gulf of Mexico. It looks like the ocean to me.

We ventured down to the end of the island to the state park. This is the Gasparilla Island light house.And this is the Rear Range light.Apparently this one is not really a light house because that other thing is the light house. It looks like a light house to me but I live about as far from the ocean as a human being can live and still live on this planet. I am going to go ahead and accept that it is the rear range light.

Perception

Here's what yesterday's snow storm in Minnesota looks like this afternoon in Florida.

More stuff that we don't have where I live

Here is my picture from yesterday of a bald eagle and its nest at the Punta Gorda History Park.This is a great blue heron taking in the sights on the Port Charlotte side.The banyan tree in Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda.Just some miscellaneous shade trees along the street in Punta Gorda.This could be the Fountain of Youth as that's old Ponce de Leon himself. The average age of the people seen in proximity to Ponce leads to the conclusion that it is not said Fountain.It was chilly overnight but it warmed into the upper 60s for this afternoon's trip to the park. Sunny skies, pleasant breezes, a pretty nice day in the sub tropics.

Super Sunday

Here's something you never see where I live.Possibility number 1: We don't need them.

Possibility number 2: Regional spelling differences.

Snow emergency route

It is pretty windy today, the local TV reports 5 to 7 foot waves off shore and describes inland waters as choppy. This doesn't bother me much as I don't do boat. The temperature has risen to 70ish and this afternoon at least is mostly sunny.

I have heard rumors (actually I went to the WCCO weather page) of impending snow. Here is the snow or possibly some other kind of emergency route in Punta Gorda.Not much text today, mostly pictures. Anyone feel like a little sea cow pizza?It was my impression that those things are sort of protected but I could be wrong. That restaurant is also in Punta Gorda.

And here's one for Tennis Toucan.

A good day for sailing?

It is actually a pretty nice day here today, temperatures into the 70s with the sun making at least a couple of token appearances. However, it IS windy. We observed la regle d'Auckland and rode over to the beach. There were several catamarans preparing to launch and I thought to myself that it was probably a good day for that. But maybe not, when we arrived back at the compound the Weather Channel was reporting a small craft advisory.We rode past this interesting hedge on both the outward and inward legs of the journey. I like orange, there are not enough orange flowers.The recent record setting cold spell here did more than just raise the price of oranges and tomatoes in the northern states. Lots of people with tropical yard plantings of the more delicate variety have lost shrubbery. This one is called "sea grape" by the hostess.Here is something to really like about Florida. Winter in Minnesota can make a person feel more than a little aged and infirm. But when one comes to Florida and spends a little time around the truly aged and truly infirm one quickly realizes that there is still a loooooong ways to go on the slide down the age and infirmity scorecard. It is an interesting paradigm shift to suddenly find oneself to be among the quite young and healthy again.

Arizona?

I am experiencing disorientation because of the climate shift but even so I am a little surprised that I didn't notice that I have apparenttly been transported to the desert. The new park down at the end of the street has some excellent succulents, this among them.An afternoon excursion took us to the spring training home of the Tampa Bay Rays and the summer home of the Charlotte Sand Crabs. It was a beautiful day today for a ball game, if Ernie Banks had been there he would have suggested playing two.Pitchers and catchers report in about two weeks but the field looks already completely ready to go. The complex features this stadium field, four full size practice fields and and a fifth mini-field that has only an infield and a fence right behind where the shortstop would stand.

The whole sand crab episode reassured me that I am still where I think I am. I just have never heard very much about sea crustaceans out there in the Southwest.

Adventures in Geezerland.

This morning we headed over to Punta Gorda to check on a farmers' market. The location of the market was deep inside the mall/tourist trap known as Fisherman's Village. This location is patronized by lots and lots of old people. Here's one of the ways you can tell that is true without having to visit and take a look around for yourself. There are handrails on the handrails.We had a little extra time so I quickly chartered a fishing cruise and we swung out into the Gulf. Fishing was good as I was able to hook and land this dandy speciman.I reeled him on a fly rod with 8 pound test line using a small dog for bait.

We headed back to the compound where we discovered that Charlie was visiting again and that this time he had brought the whole family. A couple of them entertained by doing that stand on one leg thing.This afternoon we achieved shorts, temperatures in the upper 60s and a little bicycling broke out.

Who would have believed that oranges grow on trees? I thought they came from Cub.Furthermore who would have thought that some people have these trees right in their backyards?

Punxsutawney Phil

The news from Gobbler's Knob is that Phil spotted his shadow this morning and we should expect 6 more weeks of winter. Where I LIVE 6 more weeks of winter would qualify as good news.

Where I actually AM there is no winter so Phil's story is a non-starter.

There was light intermittent rain when I arrived yesterday and a bit more this morning. Port Charlotte Charlie the Ibis was not deterred.A couple of his other buddies similarly did not consider the slight wetness to be a setback.The sun is making an appearance now and it promises to be sunny and in the 70s by later on this afternoon.

More news as it happens.