Welcome to a pretty good Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is March 7th. Seven is considered a pretty lucky number so let's feel lucky today.
We had another adventurous week at our house. Although, really, with a family of seven, when do we not? Robotics competition went pretty well for Wannaska's teams across the region last weekend.
The Polar Rams landed 41st out of 60 teams with a 3-5-1 record. They have some new mentoring leadership this year and I look forward to seeing this team strengthen and grow in the next few years.
And the Badger Gators had a strong showing, coming in 5th out of the qualifying rounds with 8-1-0. They were captain of Alliance 5 in the advanced rounds, but unfortunately were eliminated in the quarterfinals. They received the Quality Award.
F.R.E.D., my home team, finished 8th in the qualifying round, with a record of 7-2-0, and gave up their Alliance 8 captain spot to accept first pick of the 4th Alliance which made it to the semi-finals, ultimately losing to Alliance 1 which included the Greenbush Gators. F.R.E.D. came home with one award for Gracious Professionalism and while they didn't receive the Chairman's Award, still represented their team and community very, very well.
The Greenbush Gators had a bit of a rocky start with some wonky losses in the qualifying rounds, ultimately putting them in 12th place with a 6-3-0. However, their strong robot did not go unnoticed and they were the first pick for Alliance 1 in the advanced rounds. Alliance 1 made it all the way to the finals before facing a disappointing defeat to an impressive alliance led by the Up-A-Creek Robotics coming all the way from Longmont, Colorado. Engineer Hubby explained that this team had a carousel design for sucking up the sticky balls that "was a real game changer." They won the Autonomous Award and Greenbush Gators received an Industrial Design Award.
All of our Wannaska teams look forward to competing at the end of the month in Minneapolis at either the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional or Minnesota North Star Regional, both held at the University of Minnesota. (Note: Badger Gators will be in Cedar Falls, Iowa). Both Gator teams and F.R.E.D. will be looking to clinch the win for a follow-up appearance at the FIRST Championship in Detroit in April. All three teams made an appearance in 2019 and both Gator teams are aiming to make their third appearance. (I just asked my kids to verify this. They say probably. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.)
We also had a Twin Cities friend visiting us this past week. She flew up on a Marvin plane, which is heaven if you ever have the chance. Seriously, driving just seems ridiculous once you experience the ease of a Marvin flight (if you can get on one.)
It was fun to show her around and she marveled at the small town chit chat at the grocery store, the restaurant, and the gas station. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the new Algoma Eatery & Tavern and our friend just whee'ed with delight at the vastness of Lake of the Woods on ice under brilliant blue sky. She insisted we actually had "lots to do" up here in the north country. And since she's from the Cities, she probably knows what she's talking about.
I took her to Manitoba for a quick day trip. The first stop was the Bothwell Cheese Factory. If you've never been, this is a must.
While you can find Bothwell Cheese in grocery stores across Canada, this is the factory itself located in the (very) little village of New Bothwell on Road 216, just a mile or so south of Provincial Road 311, west of Steinbach. The adorable red and gray industrial building reminds me of Warroad's Lake of the Woods Brewery. While the factory is not open to public tours, the little shop is charming and efficient. If you're looking to try lots of new things, check out the refrigerate case of "ugly bits" that apparently aren't pretty enough to be sold in regular grocery shops but can be packaged and sold here. I came home with Black Truffle, Smoked Gouda, Horseradish Cheddar, and Red Hot Chili Pepper Jack.
Next, we headed up to the Forks in Winnipeg. It's probably been ten years since I was there last. We enjoyed all the unique shops and yes, I even spent $2.25 CAD on a single peach fuzz macaron by Jenna Rae Cakes which was absolutely worth it.
It started to snow, but we could still make out the skating path and circular rink. My favorite part of the Forks visit was the Warming Huts exhibit.
"Started in 2009, Warming Huts: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice has been melding world-class design and art with Winnipeg’s famous winters. The competition has seen entries from across the globe and caught the attention of international architecture publications and awards, as well as admiration from newspapers such as the New York Times." (Source)
This year garnered almost 200 entries from across the globe with the winning entries hailing from Japan, France, and Calgary. (Source if you want to read more about the winners and more explanation on the design concepts.)
Knowing well what Manitoba winters can bring - Hello! We're Minnesota! - I was especially curious to see how people can create warming spaces and even got a photo inside the 1st place entry, Forest Village, by Japanese firm Ashida Architect & Associates Co.
We then headed to Stella's Cafe on the Pembina Highway. I enjoyed carrot and coriander soup and jumbalaya while relishing good conversation and watching fat snowflakes drift lazily through the traffic, collecting into happy wet clumps of white. My admiration of the aesthetic aspect of this little wintry storm diminished once I had to drive in it. You know how that goes.
And, of course, what would a trip to Canada be without a stop at Timmie's? Our guest splurged and bought a 50 Timbit Box of goodies to take home to the crew.
Winter is rounding out but, folks, honestly, I'm still loving all my cold weather adventures.
Kim
We had another adventurous week at our house. Although, really, with a family of seven, when do we not? Robotics competition went pretty well for Wannaska's teams across the region last weekend.
The Polar Rams landed 41st out of 60 teams with a 3-5-1 record. They have some new mentoring leadership this year and I look forward to seeing this team strengthen and grow in the next few years.
And the Badger Gators had a strong showing, coming in 5th out of the qualifying rounds with 8-1-0. They were captain of Alliance 5 in the advanced rounds, but unfortunately were eliminated in the quarterfinals. They received the Quality Award.
F.R.E.D., my home team, finished 8th in the qualifying round, with a record of 7-2-0, and gave up their Alliance 8 captain spot to accept first pick of the 4th Alliance which made it to the semi-finals, ultimately losing to Alliance 1 which included the Greenbush Gators. F.R.E.D. came home with one award for Gracious Professionalism and while they didn't receive the Chairman's Award, still represented their team and community very, very well.
The Greenbush Gators had a bit of a rocky start with some wonky losses in the qualifying rounds, ultimately putting them in 12th place with a 6-3-0. However, their strong robot did not go unnoticed and they were the first pick for Alliance 1 in the advanced rounds. Alliance 1 made it all the way to the finals before facing a disappointing defeat to an impressive alliance led by the Up-A-Creek Robotics coming all the way from Longmont, Colorado. Engineer Hubby explained that this team had a carousel design for sucking up the sticky balls that "was a real game changer." They won the Autonomous Award and Greenbush Gators received an Industrial Design Award.
All of our Wannaska teams look forward to competing at the end of the month in Minneapolis at either the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional or Minnesota North Star Regional, both held at the University of Minnesota. (Note: Badger Gators will be in Cedar Falls, Iowa). Both Gator teams and F.R.E.D. will be looking to clinch the win for a follow-up appearance at the FIRST Championship in Detroit in April. All three teams made an appearance in 2019 and both Gator teams are aiming to make their third appearance. (I just asked my kids to verify this. They say probably. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.)
We also had a Twin Cities friend visiting us this past week. She flew up on a Marvin plane, which is heaven if you ever have the chance. Seriously, driving just seems ridiculous once you experience the ease of a Marvin flight (if you can get on one.)
It was fun to show her around and she marveled at the small town chit chat at the grocery store, the restaurant, and the gas station. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the new Algoma Eatery & Tavern and our friend just whee'ed with delight at the vastness of Lake of the Woods on ice under brilliant blue sky. She insisted we actually had "lots to do" up here in the north country. And since she's from the Cities, she probably knows what she's talking about.
I took her to Manitoba for a quick day trip. The first stop was the Bothwell Cheese Factory. If you've never been, this is a must.
While you can find Bothwell Cheese in grocery stores across Canada, this is the factory itself located in the (very) little village of New Bothwell on Road 216, just a mile or so south of Provincial Road 311, west of Steinbach. The adorable red and gray industrial building reminds me of Warroad's Lake of the Woods Brewery. While the factory is not open to public tours, the little shop is charming and efficient. If you're looking to try lots of new things, check out the refrigerate case of "ugly bits" that apparently aren't pretty enough to be sold in regular grocery shops but can be packaged and sold here. I came home with Black Truffle, Smoked Gouda, Horseradish Cheddar, and Red Hot Chili Pepper Jack.
Next, we headed up to the Forks in Winnipeg. It's probably been ten years since I was there last. We enjoyed all the unique shops and yes, I even spent $2.25 CAD on a single peach fuzz macaron by Jenna Rae Cakes which was absolutely worth it.
It started to snow, but we could still make out the skating path and circular rink. My favorite part of the Forks visit was the Warming Huts exhibit.
"Started in 2009, Warming Huts: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice has been melding world-class design and art with Winnipeg’s famous winters. The competition has seen entries from across the globe and caught the attention of international architecture publications and awards, as well as admiration from newspapers such as the New York Times." (Source)
This year garnered almost 200 entries from across the globe with the winning entries hailing from Japan, France, and Calgary. (Source if you want to read more about the winners and more explanation on the design concepts.)
Knowing well what Manitoba winters can bring - Hello! We're Minnesota! - I was especially curious to see how people can create warming spaces and even got a photo inside the 1st place entry, Forest Village, by Japanese firm Ashida Architect & Associates Co.
We then headed to Stella's Cafe on the Pembina Highway. I enjoyed carrot and coriander soup and jumbalaya while relishing good conversation and watching fat snowflakes drift lazily through the traffic, collecting into happy wet clumps of white. My admiration of the aesthetic aspect of this little wintry storm diminished once I had to drive in it. You know how that goes.
And, of course, what would a trip to Canada be without a stop at Timmie's? Our guest splurged and bought a 50 Timbit Box of goodies to take home to the crew.
Winter is rounding out but, folks, honestly, I'm still loving all my cold weather adventures.
 |
| Warming Hut 2020 Winner, Forest Village |
On This Day
Historic Highlights (credits)
1971 - A speech by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman helps spark the Bangladesh war of independence
Bangladesh's founding leader made his historical speech at a time of mounting tensions between East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh, and West Pakistan, which became present-day Pakistan.
1965 - Police brutally attack civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama
Scores of demonstrators were injured, and the day entered history books as Bloody Sunday. The event helped to shift public opinion in favor of the Civil Rights movement.
1945 - U.S. troops capture the Ludendorff Bridge and cross the Rhine at Remagen
The legendary capture yielded little strategic advantage but it elevated the morale of the U.S. troops in pursuit of retreating German fighters.
1926 - The first two-way transatlantic telephone takes place
The conversation between the post office in London and Bell Laboratories in New York was established using a short-wave radio signal.
1900 - The SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore
The German transatlantic liner was fitted with wireless communication by its owner, Norddeutscher Lloyd, in order to outdo its rival Hamburg America Line.
Bangladesh's founding leader made his historical speech at a time of mounting tensions between East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh, and West Pakistan, which became present-day Pakistan.
1965 - Police brutally attack civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama
Scores of demonstrators were injured, and the day entered history books as Bloody Sunday. The event helped to shift public opinion in favor of the Civil Rights movement.
1945 - U.S. troops capture the Ludendorff Bridge and cross the Rhine at Remagen
The legendary capture yielded little strategic advantage but it elevated the morale of the U.S. troops in pursuit of retreating German fighters.
1926 - The first two-way transatlantic telephone takes place
The conversation between the post office in London and Bell Laboratories in New York was established using a short-wave radio signal.
1900 - The SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore
The German transatlantic liner was fitted with wireless communication by its owner, Norddeutscher Lloyd, in order to outdo its rival Hamburg America Line.
Happy Birthday to You!🎶
1970 - Rachel Weisz, English actress
1960 - Ivan Lendl, Czech tennis player
1944 - Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist
1902 - Heinz Rühmann, German actor
1875 - Maurice Ravel, French composer
1960 - Ivan Lendl, Czech tennis player
1944 - Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist
1902 - Heinz Rühmann, German actor
1875 - Maurice Ravel, French composer
Remembering You
2006 - Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer-songwriter, guitarist
1999 - Stanley Kubrick, American director
1975 - Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher
1952 - Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru
1274 - Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian priest, philosopher
1999 - Stanley Kubrick, American director
1975 - Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher
1952 - Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru
1274 - Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian priest, philosopher
Don't forget to set your clocks ahead, keep having winter adventures, and make it a great Saturday!
Kim
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| Felted Fiber Art Love at the Forks Trading Company in Winnipeg |
That warming hut does not look very warm, but maybe things are different for a Canadian. We Minnesotans can't really consider ourselves living "Up there" when there's a world renowned ballet company 100 miles north of us.
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