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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Of Shards and Dragons

While in London a couple of weeks ago I was marveling and the variations in architecture. Everything from medieval to modern with all the stuff in between. There is a tall glass spire known as the Shard which is completely out of place near Parliament and the Tower of London. It is interesting in its own right as a glass spire rising over 1000 feet (300+ meters) in the midst of the city.



I looked more closely at it a bit later and saw this.

Click on the pic and you will see that there is a person on the side. Doing what I'll never know, but I hope not washing windows.

We've had some strange weather lately with a bit of a chill in the air. It was not enough to dampen the spirits of the annual Dragon Boat Festival and its participants. The crowd was a little thinner due to temperatures in 50's, but it is a fun thing for everyone who does show up. I think this guy is wearing his long johns on the outside. Didn't Madonna make that popular a while back?
Stitch got to steer the boats for the two teams she was on. The names of the teams were something like Women on the Edge and Women over the Edge. I just figured they were edgy women and gave them a wide berth although they seemed friendly enough. They must be a pretty tough bunch braving the cold air and possibly colder water, although this time of year the ice chunks are usually gone. They certainly seem happy about the whole thing.
Why two teams want her to drive is beyond me. They have obviously never been with her in a motor vehicle. Just kidding! (I hope she doesn't read this or I am toast!)




9 comments:

  1. More great pictures! The guy hanging off the building in London was scary. We're going there later this year--won't be trying that though.

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  2. Oh my...that person on the side of the building does look like he (she?) is washing windows. I hope this is a well-paid job!

    Women on the Edge and Women over the Edge are great names for an all-female rowing team. That festival looks like fun!

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  3. I can't decide if the guy in the red and black is fun or just warm. Maybe both. :-)

    Pearl

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  4. My youngest lives in London. Never mentioned the Shard. Maybe she hopes it will go away if she ignores it.

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  5. Someone has come up with the idea of doing Dragon Boat races down here in Baja Georgia. Sounds like fun except for where they want to do them is right downtown where the river currents are fierce. Somehow, I can see one of the boats capsizing and it and all of it's passengers being swept away, unharmed of course.

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  6. DB, Thanks! I had forgotten how much there is to do in a city of ten million!
    PP, One would need the skill and nerve of a Sherpa to do that and I can't believe it pays well enough.
    Pearl, I'm thinking both.
    TBF, I have to assume your daughter has good taste in architecture.
    Mr.C, Participation is half the fun. The other half is partying.

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  7. Good lord, you could not pay me enough to hang off a building like that! Holy moly!

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  8. You've reminded me, a window cleaner got stuck up there one day when the crane broke! Not sure if this link will work...

    http://www.tntmagazine.com/news/london/video-shard-window-cleaning-crane-malfunctions-72-storeys-high-leaving-worker-swinging-in-the-wind

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  9. Knatolee, Me either!

    Irbii, The link still works! You would think an automatic window washing system would be in order.

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