Warmth, Death & the First Sochi Gold Medal

What a difference a day makes!  I'm sitting at my desk wearing a pair of slacks and a T-shirt!  Boulder hit the upper 30s yesterday, and might reach 50 today... The sun is shining, and I'm about to go out and clear my patio.  As I have a metal snow shovel, I'm trying to wait until a decent hour before making the grating sounds that will ricochet back from the fence and disturb most folks.  I have ice dancing on the television - NBC Sports network is showing the Olympics this morning.
  I was upset to read this morning that Chriselliam, the winner of the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf race, and champion 2-year-old filly in Europe, is dead.  Not quite yet (in actual time) a three-year-old, the filly was put down at Newmarket yesterday.  She had an infection in the frog of her right hind hoof in January; two weeks ago, the infection was announced to be "under control."  But the infection spread into her pedal bone, and she could not support any weight on that leg.  She is a loss to racing and breeding.
  While the US Team did not qualify for the new Slopestyle Snowboarding contest at Sochi, individuals did.  And the USA won the first gold medal awarded at Sochi - Sage Kotsenburg, 20, of Couer d'Alene, Idaho won the gold with a score of 93.7; Norway won the Silver and Canada, the Bronze.  ....  Alpine downhill skier Bode Miller, 36, had the fastest time in practice runs yesterday, but also said that this course "is a killer" and that if any skier loses his or her concentration for a second, they probably won't finish the course.  Ten of 55 starters didn't finish the training run yesterday, including an athlete from Slovakia, who landed on his face and seemed to have broken his nose.

Cold Colorado and Sochi

Having slipped and fallen on the ice under the snow every day for the four days, I very stupidly ventured out this morning to remove trash and recyclables from my apartment.  I did not fall, for once.  But it is miserably cold outside - currently, a little after 9 a.m., the temperature is -4, with a wind chill of -25.  We're hoping to reach a high of 2 degrees today.  Luckily I'm stocked up on cat food, kitty litter, toilet paper, and food for me.  I also have extra nuts and seed for the squirrels and birds.  A solitary squirrel has been here and eaten a large number of peanuts and pecans so far; and there have been multiple juncos, chickadees, and starlings here as well.   Nedi and Lovey are curled up in the sunshine spilling through the window and patio door, lying so they can just open their eyes to see what's happening, if a commotion occurs outside.  Lovey refused to step out onto the patio this morning, while Nedi ran to the patios on either side of us.  I guess he decided it wasn't any warmer at either place, because he came right back inside with me, after I had fed the birds and squirrels.
   In Sochi, Russia, Shaun White has withdrawn from competing in the new Slopestyle snowboarding contest, and will concentrate on getting his third gold medal in the Halfpipe.  He practiced on the Slopestyle course yesterday, falling hard and jamming a wrist.  Several other competitors also fell and injured themselves yesterday.  The Slopestyle course is being modified today to make it safer.  ....  The Jamaican Bobsled team has arrived in Sochi - but their sled hasn't.  Here's hoping their equipment will show up quickly, so the guys can make a training test run on the course.  ....  Hacking into electronics is a way of life in Russia - if you go, please be prepared to have your smart phone and any other device hacked into. Protect your bank accounts and pass words by not taking all that information with you - get a pre-paid phone and remove all financial data from your other items before you land in Russia.  Richard Engles, the correspondent for NBC News, took two smart phones and two lap top computers with him to Sochi (this was set up as a test) - as soon as he used one of the phones in Sochi, it was hacked. Within 4 hours, all of his electronic devices had been hacked.  Be careful, please.

Sochi Winter Olympics TV Coverage

Considering the time and climate differences, the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia has a lot to handle.  As I've written before, there will be two separate venue compounds and multiple "Athlete Viillages" close to both compounds.  The indoor events will be held at the Sochi Olympic Park, also known as the Coastal Cluster, in the southern part of Sochi, the Adlersky City District, which is 2.5 miles from the border with Georgia.  Outdoor events will be held in the mountains at the Mountain Cluster, or Krasnaya Polyana, up in the ski resort of Roza Khutor.

The Olympic Village at the Coastal Cluster, under construction in 2013

  If you live in the United States, you have two choices on watching the Winter Olympics.  NBC has the broadcasting rights, and will show the events and Ceremonies during prime-time week nights, and scattered through the weekends.  The Games will actually begin Thursday, 6 February, with contests in three different venues.  NBC will begin airing these contests that evening.  The Opening Ceremonies will be televised Friday night, while actually starting at 11 a.m. (EDT).  Or, one can watch a lot of the Olympics in real-time by watching live streaming broadcasts on your PC, laptop, or personal video device - if you are connected to certain systems.  I can watch the streaming video, as I use DirecTV, as it happens.  (Or, if you live near the Canadian border, and can receive CBC, they have a good schedule, also.)

  Please double check your local listings to be certain when to watch - if you want to...   I am watching for several appearances by athletes that I've had the luck to meet here in Boulder, Denver, and Nederland. While I'd like for the United States to take all the gold medals (all of which will contain a fragment of the meteorite that landed in Russia last year), I know that won't happen.

  I send my best wishes out to all athletes and coaches who are participating in this year's Winter Olympics!  May the best man, woman, pair, or team win!

Sochi, Russia

Sochi lies in the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia, and the region embraces terrain from the islands and beaches of the Black Sea up to the tops of the Caucasus Mountains.  About two million people visit Greater Sochi each summer, when the city is home to the annual film festival "Kinotavr", and is considered a getaway for Russia's elite.  Besides the main city area of Sochi, divided into four distinct cities, there are also 79 rural regions. Inside Sochi itself, there are many beautiful places to visit:  The Riviera Park was established by Vasily Alexeyevich Khludov in 1883; the park is popular with both residents and tourists, having a variety of attractions, including groupings of funny statues and a "glade of friendship" where magnolia trees were planted by every Soviet cosmonaut.  Also to be seen is the Tree of Friendship, a lemon tree planted in 1934 by Otto Schmidt; multiple cultivars from foreign countries have been grafted onto this tree as a token of friendship, and the associated museum contains over 20,000 gifts from around the world.  Among the natural wonders of the district is the Akhshtyr Gorge with a 160-meter long cave that contains traces of human habitation from about 30,000 years ago.  There are innumerable things to see and experience in and around Sochi.
  The outside, snow events for the Olympics will occur on Rosa Khutor, in the Krasnaya Polyana - the Mountain Cluster.  Besides the Rosa Khutor Plateau Olympic Village,where the athletes will stay, there are five other parts of Krasnaya Polyana: the Laura Biathlon and Ski Complex; the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park; the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort; the Sliding Center Sanki; and the RusSki Gorki Jumping Center.
   There are three mascots for the Sochi Olympics - the Amur Leopard; Zaya, the European Hare; and the Polar Bear.  Russia has already issued stamps with the three mascots' imprints; and they have also released a commemorative 100 ruble note, depicting snowboarding.
   After the Winter Olympics and the Paralympics, these venues will be used by the citizens of Russia.  Plans have been made for Formula One racing through Sochi from 2014 through 2020; and the Fisht Olympic Stadium will be used to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup....
  Here's wishing all athletes good luck in Sochi!

Looking Forward

I awoke this morning, dreaming that a hot comb was being pressed into my scalp.  It wasn't a comb - it was Oly's teeth.  She had gotten in bed with me and was grooming my hair.  I've been licked by large dogs many times in the past - but this was the first time I've had one groom me.  I had put the kids in the doggie room last night, which has a pocket door; I guess I didn't close it completely, because when I awoke, Oly was in bed with me and Annie and Bentley were on either side of the bed.  Their owner said they like to lay on the velvet sofa when they are unsupervised, but I think they were looking for company and know that I'm a "soft touch."
  Yesterday, as I was packing to leave, Lovey saw me put my alarm clock in the bag, and immediately came and sat on my left shoulder, talking away about how I shouldn't leave her.  It was a little difficult to grab and pack the other items I needed, but I managed to accomplish it, without making Lovey dismount.  When I got home this morning, both Nedi and Lovey greeted me at the door, ate like they were starved, and then went out to play.  It's not yet above freezing, but the sun is shining, and we're expecting snow again either Sunday or Monday evening - depending on how fast a front moves.
  I was very happy to read that Allegiant Airlines is now flying a direct route between Orlando, Florida, and Salisbury, Maryland now.  It only flies twice a week, currently, but it's nice to know there's now a direct flight to Salisbury (it's the closest airport to Chincoteague Island - other than the NOAA station at Wallops and the old NAS Chincoteague airstrip).   ....  And I was sorry to read that Dutch Prince Johan Friso (the second son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands) was caught in an avalanche in Austria, and is now in stable, but critical, condition in a nearby hospital.  The Prince was buried by the snow, and was resuscitated by rescuers.  Johan Friso is not in line for the Dutch throne.
  The 2012 Summer Olympics are in London, England this year, and the Opening Night Ceremony will be shown live on Friday, July 27.  The equestrian events will be held at Greenwich Park, almost 200 acres of green space in southeast London.  One has fine views of the River Thames, the Isle of Dogs, and the City of London from higher points in the park. The park stretches along a hillside and is on two levels. The lower level (closest to the Museum, Queen's House and, beyond them, the Thames) lies to the north; after a steep walk uphill, there is a flat expanse that is, essentially, an enclosed extension of the plateau of Blackheath.  Roughly in the centre, on the top of the hill, is the Royal Observatory, where Greenwich Mean Time is measured. To the north is the National Maritime Museum and Queen's House, and beyond those Greenwich Hospital. To the east is Vanbrugh Castle. To the south is Blackheath and in the south western corner is the Ranger's House, looking out over the heath.  (And, yes, I've been there.)
  The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia, on the Black Sea.  The citizens voted for a total of three mascots, one associated with each type of medal; they are the polar bear, the winter hare, and the snow leopard.  One will probably also see a snowflake and a golden ray of light used in association with the Winter Games.  I have made a new friend, who grew up in Sochi, and I look forward to hearing more about this city and it's people.