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Fantastic Moth
I found this moth clinging to the base of a trashcan outside Target yesterday. It was beautiful and one of the largest I'd seen in ages. Based on what I can find online it is probably a Cecropia Moth, in the silkmoth family.
My Night at Livestrong Sporting Park
Last night there were two CONCACAF Gold Cup first rounds games here in Kansas City. The first game featured Canada versus Panana. The second game was the primary attraction as the U.S. Men's national team played Guadeloupe. I received tickets to the Member's Club which allowed me to get a front row seat near the pitch. Following are a few photos I took of my first visit to the new Livestrong Sporting Park. (Click on any photo for a larger view in the browser.)
Prior to the start of the Canada-Panama game flags of both countries were brought onto the field prior to the teams emerging from the tunnel for the national anthems.
An unstiched panaramic of the new Livestrong Sporting Park during the Canada-Panama game.
Alberto Quintero had an early corner kick for Panama.
Canada celebrates their goal which gave them a 1-0 lead. Panama tied the game in the 91st minute, eliminating Canada from moving on in the Gold Cup competition.
Finally it was time for the headline attraction! The U.S. applied pressure from the start. Early in the match Landon Donovan prepared for a corner kick near our seats.
Three minutes later Jozy Altidore scored to give the U.S. fans something to celebrate. The 1-0 lead proved enough for the U.S. team to win, but both teams wasted numerous chances to score.
All in all it was a great experience. Feedback about the new Livestrong Sporting Park and the fan environment has been deservedly positive. It's a great venue for a soccer game and gives the Kansas City area another reason to be proud.
Royals Opening Day
Another Opening Day has come and gone for the Kansas City Royals baseball team. While they did lose to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-2 yesterday it was another fun, though chilly, day at the ballpark.
The Opening Day banner posted on the giant scoreboard.
The presentation of the colors included unfurling a huge flag.
Mike Sweeney signed a one-day contract with the Royals in order to retire as a Royal, the team with which he had his greatest success. Sweeney threw out the first pitch yesterday with George Brett catching.
The scoreboard displays a ton of information about Peter Bourjos as earns a hit in the game.
Fans love watching themselves on the screen between innings.
Melky Cabrera finally got the first hit of the season for the Royals in the bottom of the fourth inning.
However, Torii Hunter provided the power to defeat the Royals, including an impression 446-foot home run.
Even though Royals fans were left unsatisfied it was fun to be back inside Kauffman Stadium. There are still three games to go in this Royals-Angels series. Perhaps the hometown boys will earn a win along the way.
The Blizzard's Aftermath
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday's blizzard is gone, the sun is shining, and Kansas City is digging out. It is still frigid however, and the temperature is predicted to dip to -10°F (-23°C) tonight.
Driving around downtown this morning is much easier than it was yesterday afternoon. Here are a few photos of conditions this morning.
The thermometer on this building couldn't be more wrong, though we may wish it was 74° as displayed! (Click on the photo for a larger view.)
Blizzard in Downtown Kansas City
The last photo is among the most striking to me. One Kansas City Place is the tallest building in downtown Kansas City. Even though it is less than three blocks east of where I took the photo it is completely invisible due to the blowing snow. It will be a few days before Kansas City digs out if we get close to the 12" of snow predicted for the area.
A short, rather poor video of downtown:
Snowy Kansas City
It has been a relatively mild winter with regard to snow in Kansas City. Some of the area's meteorologists actually predicted a slow snow season after last year's 41" of snow; the predictions are accurate so far. However, the past two days have delivered the first significant snowfall we've seen this winter. Now that the snow has stopped we can prepare for Arctic air with highs in the teens and wind chills below -10°F. At least it's sunny outside.
These photos were taken while driving snowy roads downtown the past two mornings.
Pumpkin Spice Egg Nog?! Excellent!
An Unexpected Late Season Visitor
While preparing to powerwash the deck this morning, I noticed a recently bloomed Purple Coneflower in the butterfly garden. It's unusual to have new coneflower blooms this late in the year but there it was along with other new buds.
A butterfly that looks to me as a variety of skipper (I could be wrong) landed and began feeding while I inspected the plant. I was somewhat surprised to see it considering Kansas City reached the freezing mark for the first time yesterday but this little guy was working away. The skipper fed long enough to allow me to run into the house and grab my Droid X for a few photos.
While watching the butterfly feed, a second skipper came to the coneflower. It did not stay quite as long.
I decided to test the macro feature of the Droid X. I was pleased to be able to zoom in so far with a phone, and pleasantly surprised to be able to see individual hairs on the skipper upon magnification. This far surpassed my expectations of what a smartphone could do.
Not to be outdone, a bumblebee of some variety visited the coneflower and fed for a few seconds. Both the butterfly and bee left soon after I snapped this, but each helped me appreciate being outside on a sunny, cool morning.
