#the daughters of Ardmore hall

[weirdlookindog]

Harry Barton - The Daughter of Ardmore Hall, 1976

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Baby Trap Chapter 5

Yandere! Recom Miles Quaritch x Female Human Reader

You huffed in annoyance as you walked down the cold frigid halls of the head base of Bridgehead City.

 You averted your eyes from the other staff walking around. You knew you were rather popular.

 The wife of the Colonel, the first woman who gave birth to half breed Navis. Half Humans who looked like full Navi children with no traces of physical human traits. 

(The Sully kids had a quarter of human blood and human traits in their physical forms. Since Jake mated with Neytiri when he was in his Avatar Na'vi body.)

But, most of all, the worst reason. The most beautiful lady ever existed sucked a Na'vi's penis in front of multiple men. 

You gently knocked on the door of General Ardmore and you heard a mumbled affirmation to step in. You breathed in. Let's get this over with. 

Back in Hell's Gate Base, you remembered with painful memories of going to the Human Quaritch's office. The first time was to "ask" him to convince Selfridge to not cancel the Avatar Research Program. 

Then after that, having sex in his office whenever he called for you. As if you were on speed dial. And you bitterly remembered when someone almost walked in on you two years ago. 

The damn General was typing on her hologram computer. She looked to see you and she sneered before beckoning to sit you on the seat in front of you. 

You sat and she stared at you for a while before opening that vile mouth of hers. By her cold blue eyes. She obviously hated you. She reminded you a lot of Maria Walker. 

Luckily, Walker died again by Neytiri. From what you heard. You hid your glee from the Colonel. You didn't want to see her ugly face ever again. As a human at the old base, she would mock and jeer whenever the Colonel was not looking. 

Not to mention, you hated Walker even more despite being dead for almost a year. Why? Jealousy. 

Remember how your husband said he wished he was married to Walker, Zdinarsik or this bitch Ardmore because of your 'wrong' views?

Ditto. Your life would have been easy if you were married to a scientist who respected Navis. Hell, maybe even Lyle. Lyle might change sides for you. Like how Jake did for Neytiri. 

The unattractive masculine deep voice distracted you from your thoughts. "It's a shame we never spoke before. Despite you living here for almost a year." The General's smile was mocking you. 

You smiled. "I have been so busy lately."

General Ardmore nodded. "Yes, raising four kids (remember Spider is with Jake now.) and a husband must be time consuming…." Her cold blue eyes stared at your flat stomach. "And another on the way."

You gasped. How did she know? Besides, just hearing an extra heart beat is not enough to be sure you were pregnant. 

"I am not."

The General scoffed. She leaned in on her desk. "I am not stupid. The cameras showed me the pregnancy tests you bought and threw away in the trash."

Shit. 

"Did you tell your husband yet?"

You shook your head no. She raised a brow. "I also heard some yelling the other night. Lovers' quarrels?" She chuckled. 

If you weren't weaker than her, you would have slapped her ugly face. She found your annoyed expression amusing. Sadistic bitch. 

"And the Colonel's new squad. You gave them quite a show at the gym. I heard some men were jealous and wished they saw it too."

You felt your face turn red. This hag was pushing your limits. You stood up in defiance and she glared. You left and ignored her orders to stay. 

That's it. You had it! Fuck this diplomacy shit. You will run away. Or die trying. You don't care if you get caught again and get fucked in public by your husband. 

No. To hell with him. You will divorce him. Just because he is handsome and charming is not enough. You may love his qualities but you refuse to ruin your kids' life. Especially your daughter. If she stays here, she might be forced to be in a relationship with other men like you were due to her beauty when she grows up.

As usual, caught people staring at you with desire. Luck for you, they knew you belonged to the damn Colonel, they left you alone. 

Sadly, Isabella Maria was sadly noticed by the staff, soldiers, contractors and others. You had a feeling, if you or your husband weren't careful. Someone might commit pedophilia.

There was a space shuttle coming to Pandora again to pick up the Pro Navi helpers. Like you. They were sponsored by the United Nations. They would come a few times a year.

You have to find Miles/ Spider and send him a long with other two human kids back to Earth. You felt like a shitty mother. It was mistake coming to Pandora for vacation. This was the least you can do for them. 

[the-blue-alien-simp]

❥ Yuanfen ❥

I haven't written in ages so please be kind lmao

yuanfen -> a relationship by fate or destiny; the binding force between two people. Note: I will probably change the name.

First and foremost I want to make it clear this is not a Romantic and/or sexual story in the slightest.

Description~

Miles Quaritch becomes the main caregiver of three kids, who prove to be important if he wants to complete his mission of killing Jake sully.

Tags~

Father figure miles quaritch

Father x daughter relationship

Chapter One

He knew this was coming, it was inevitable that Ardmore would want to speak to him after what happened with Sully he’d had weeks to prepare himself, but as his feet carried him swiftly through the base anxiety gripped his heart in a stone cold vice. She was gonna be pissed, if not seething with anger, he would be lucky if he left her office with his throat intact. As his body mindlessly walked the well known route to the lions den his mind travelled back to a mere month ago.

After the shit that went down with the Metkayina clans and Jake, Quaritch was surprised to come back to all of his men walking around as if they hadn't just died brutal deaths, he had seen with his own two eyes that z dog be shot down by Sully's woman, yet there she was in front of him as soon as he arrived back at bridgehead. In hindsight why would he be surprised? All of the Recoms were RDA property, of course they would have a backup plan, this wasn't the RDA’s first rodeo after all. He’d made it back to Bridgehead alive albeit worse for wear but still he had been the only recom to survive, a slight grimace graced his face at the thought. He shouldn't have though, if Spider had not pulled him out of the wreck he’d be lying on the bottom of the ocean floor still or this current version of himself would be at least. He faltered slightly at the thought of his son, the kid had saved him and yet as he begged the young boy to come with him he still chose the Sullys, he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt knowing his own child had chosen the traitor over him. Was Sully looking after him? His eyebrows scrunched together slightly with the thought, he hoped the kid was okay.

Much to his dismay Quaritch arrived at the Generals office, the heavy steel door looking less inviting than a gator's open jaw. He exhaled the breath he hadn't realised he was even holding as he gingerly knocked on the door, the sound reverberating through the silent hall “ come in” her voice sounded muffled through the thick metal, could he use this as an excuse to delay the harsh lecture waiting for him? He thought for a moment, no, he shook his head as he stepped through the door somewhat disappointed in his pathetic demeanour, he had gone soft.

Ardmore sat straight as a rod in her chair, her rectangle frame glasses sitting low on her nose as she read the holo pad in front of her , a tell-tale sign of her age. “Ah colonel, took your time” her face morphed into disapproval “apologies ma’am” his voice was cold as he spoke she hummed in response barely sparing him a glance. “So?” her eyes finally met his expectation clear in her features as she raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him “We underestimated how-” her sharp glare cut him off after a moment she spoke “if I remember correctly you promised me his scalp Colonel, do you not have it?” she relaxed into her chair clasping her fingers in front of herself. He held back a snarl, she was humiliating him, purposefully coaxing him into admitting he had failed for a second time to kill Jake Sully “no ma’am” his ears slicked back against his skull his reply was curt as he did his best to bite back any anger that could possibly be heard in his tone. Her tongue kissed her teeth in response, it was silent for a moment before she rose to her feet barely reaching his navel “come with me” Quaritch’s ears perked up confusion clear in his eyes, the General offered him no explanation as she walked past him.

After what felt like ages the general finally stopped in a control room of a holding cell, he halted behind her awaiting an explanation. Ardmore turned to face the two way mirror waiting expectantly for him to do the same, he hunched over leaning a heavy bicep against the upper frame of the mirror so he could get a clear look inside the room. His face contorted at what he saw, three kids stood in the room; they were in na’vi bodies but not like any he had seen before. If he hadn't known any better he’d have thought they were real na’vi from the feral look that burned in the oldest of the three’s eyes as she stood protectively in front of the other two but she held the same five fingered hand as him although hers were balled into fists rhythmically clenching and unclenching. Turning his head he looked to the general confusion apparent on his face, she refrained from looking away from the kids “turns out Sully's brother had kids back on Earth, after Jake went rogue the RDA chose to take them into custody as a sort of plan C, you being our plan B that is” he held back a scoff at the low dig barely registering what she had said prior to that, she glanced at him before turning back to the room. Once it had registered in his mind his eyebrows shot up, a rare expression of surprise dancing over his usually stoic features before returning to his usual hard stare “with all due respect Ma’am, why?” he was apprehensive of this entire thing, what in the absolute fuck was happening? The stout woman nods her head, ready for the question “they've been in cryo for years, with your recent failure” his ears pulled back harshly laying flat against his shaved head as he winced at her harsh tone “We’ve decided to give this ago, see if his long lost niece and nephews can persuade him to hand himself in” he nodded, it could work but what does it have to do with him? “Although you failed to complete your mission last time, you're still one hell of a soldier so i'm going to give you one more chance to redeem yourself, so you’ll be in charge of the kids- do whatever is necessary to complete the mission, pretend to love em or hate em I don’t care just get. It . Done”

Before he even had the chance to reply a chair came flying at the mirror, he flinched back as the sound of the impact reverberated through both rooms. Turning his eyes back to the room he watched as the oldest approached where they stood only now noticing the scuff marks and scratches that adorned the glass. Did she know they were there? No, how could she, the rooms were soundproof. Her lip was curled back into a harsh snarl, eyes hard looking dead set where the general stood as she approached the mirror ready to tear something or someone apart. She halted in front of the general, looking straightforward, with the control room being raised above the cell her eyes were positioned directly on Ardmores. Quaritch watched silently as the young girls lips pulled even further back exposing her large canines, The blonde woman beside him looked unphased but his well trained eyes could see that she had shifted her weight backwards slightly leaning away from the mirror “as you can see they aren't very fond of us” disdain was evident in her tone, her lips pulled into a tight line. He attempted to respond but was again interrupted by a heavy pounding, the kid had gotten impossibly closer to the mirror, her breath fogging up parts of it as she heaved. Again she raised her fist before bringing it down harshly right next where the generals head was then a third and a fourth, each hit becoming more powerful. A snarl ripped through the room loud enough to make both himself and the general bristle “you fucking bitch, let me out of here! I'll rip you all to shreds” she finished her threat in another language he wasn't sure what it was but whatever she said it was certainly not friendly. For what seemed to be the first time today the General's eyes met his completely “you have your work cut out for you Colonel” her tone was void of any emotion as she spoke, she turned to leave but stopped at the doorway “do not disappoint me again” with that he was left alone on the other side of the two way mirror.

Once again he looked towards the kid, she was still heaving nostrils flared angrily he did indeed have his work cut out for him he shook his head gaze falling to the ground with the thought, pivoting on his heels he attempted to leave the room but as he lifted his head his eyes met hers. She was staring straight at him, a fire raging in the black of her pupils, it unsettled him in a way he was not pleased about in the slightest something oddly familiar about her scorching stare. He found himself quickly stepping backwards trying desperately to fight off the uneasiness that had settled itself in his stomach.

A/N- sorry for the awful formatting :/

Idk if anyone will actually read this but oh well I enjoyed writing it :) also this is a realllly rough draft so please be kind but I am open to constructive criticism, that’s all love ya <3

[honeybeeshepherd]

Cover illustration for The Daughters of Ardmore Hall by Harry Barton, 1976

[inthedarktrees]

Dorothy Eden’s The Daughters of Ardmore Hall. Paperback cover art by Harry Barton, 1976.

[krispyweiss]

Streaming Show Review: Huffamoose WXPN “Free At Noon,” Philadelphia, Nov. 23, 2018

By the third song - a lovely ballad titled “Restaurant Manager” - Huffamoose were locked in after a shaky start.

The recently reunited quartet from Philadelphia was playing WXPN’s “Free At Noon” concert series in celebration of their terrific new LP ... and that’s when the golf ball hit me in the head and as a warm up for their also terrific album-release show the following evening at Ardmore Music Hall.

Long-time fans of the band virtually no one knows, Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites made the journey from Columbus, Ohio, to Philly for the Ardmore show, but missed this freebie. So the stream is like a combined Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Christmas gift, even if the opening “Enigmatic” and “Send Out Your New Song” were a tad wobbly as the band steadied itself.

During the seven-song, 45-minute set, Huffamoose mixed greatest hits - a loose term where this band is concerned, although “Wait” from We’ve Been Had Again came close - and new tracks to give just a hint of what they’d offer the following evening. Vocalist/acoustic guitarist Craig Elkins teased “James” before leading the band into “Buy You a Ring,” which some folks might recognize from a J.C. Penney commercial, and vocalist/electric guitarist was joined by his young daughters - who also read emails on “New Song,” about marketing in the virtual era - on vocals for the calypso-flavored social commentary of “Don’t Look Now” from the new LP.

Huffamoose has released just four studio albums and golf ball is the first in nearly 20 years. Live recordings are even rarer than studio LPs, so this is a real treat, despite its flaws.

Grade card: Huffamoose WXPN “Free At Noon,” Philadelphia, Nov. 23, 2018 - B

12/20/18

[gothicpulp]

The Daughters of Ardmore Hall (originally published as The Schoolmaster's Daughters in 1946) by Dorothy Eden

1972 reprint by Ace Gothics  |  cover art by Harry Barton

[keijay-blog]

New Post has been published on https://cookingtipsandreviews.com/our-favorite-healthy-oatmeal-cookie-recipe/

Our Favorite Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

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Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

My mother insisted that my grandmother write down one recipe for her when she got married in 1942. That was a real effort because Grandma was a traditional pioneer-type cook who used “a little of this or that ’til it feels right.” This treasured recipe is the only one she ever wrote down! —Janet Hall, Clinton, Wisconsin

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Gran’s Apple Cake

My grandmother occasionally brought over this wonderful cake warm from the oven. The spicy apple flavor combined with the sweet cream cheese frosting made this dessert a treasured recipe. Even though I’ve lightened it up, it’s still a family favorite. —Lauris Conrad, Turlock, California

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Pina Colada Icebox Cake

This icebox cake has all of the flavors of a piña colada. It takes just one bite to escape to a tropical island! —Rachel Lewis, Danville, Virginia

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Caramel-Pecan Apple Pie

You’ll love the smell in your kitchen—and the smiles on everybody’s faces—when you make this scrumptious caramel apple pie recipe. It takes me back home to Virginia and being at my granny’s table. —Jean Castro, Phoenix, Arizona

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Grandma’s Carrot Cake

My Grandma was very special to me. She had a big country kitchen that was full of wonderful aromas anytime we visited. This was one of her prized cake recipes, which continues to be a favorite from generation to generation. —Denise Strasz, Detroit, Michigan

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

Years ago, I added some zucchini to a peanut butter bar I had created, and this time I wanted to try it with a cake. The zucchini makes it super moist, but doesn’t get int the way of the chocolate and peanut butter goodness. —Marilyn Blankschien, Clintonville, Wisconsin

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  Cherry Coconut Treats

My great-grandmother created this recipe more than 100 years ago, so it’s made many appearances at family parties. Make the treats even more fun for the holidays by using both red and green maraschino cherries. —Anne Mullen, Windsor, Ontario

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Nana’s Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Frosting

My Nana used to make these cupcakes at Christmas every year. Even though she is no longer with us, the cakes have special meaning and it brings me joy to bake them. For a more indulgent version, double the frosting and pile it high on top of each cupcake. —Chekota Hunter, Cassville, Missouri

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Apple Pie

I remember coming home sullen one day because we’d lost a softball game. Grandma, in her wisdom, suggested, “Maybe a slice of my homemade apple pie will make you feel better.” One bite, and Grandma was right. If you want to learn how to make homemade apple pie filling, this is really the only recipe you need. —Maggie Greene, Granite Falls, Washington

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Blackberry-Orange Cake

My grandmother made luscious fruit pies and cobblers using blackberries from her garden. I decided to follow her lead and create a blackberry cake that’s always lovely with a summer meal. —Lisa M. Varner, El Paso, Texas

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Fudge Nut Brownies

There’s no brownie recipe or mix I’ve ever tried that’s better than this! And it’s so easy—you can mix it in one bowl in just a few minutes. My husband’s grandmother passed the recipe on; now our son makes these brownies for after-school snacks. —Becky Albright, Norwalk, Ohio

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Carrot Cake

This wonderful recipe for carrot cake dates back to my great-grandmother! My family and I make sure to bake up a few of these carrot cakes for special occasions to make sure there’s enough to go around. You’ll love the texture this pretty, moist treat gets from pineapple, coconut and, of course, carrots! —Debbie Terenzini-Wilkerson, Lusby, Maryland

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Irresistible Coconut Cream Pie

My husband and I grow 500 acres of wheat on the farm his family homesteaded in 1889. I grind my own flour and love to use it in this recipe. The easy, pat-in crust has a rich grain flavor. It’s irresistible filled with old-fashioned coconut cream and topped with a fluffy meringue. —Roberta Foster, Kingfisher, Oklahoma

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Shoofly Cupcakes

These moist old-fashioned molasses cupcakes were my grandmother’s specialty. To keep them from disappearing too quickly, she used to store them out of sight. Somehow, we always figured out her hiding places! —Beth Adams, Jacksonville, Florida

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Cookie Jar Gingersnaps

My grandma kept two cookie jars in her pantry. One of the jars, which I now have, always had these crisp and chewy gingersnaps in it. They’re still my favorite cookie recipe. My daughter, Becky, used this recipe for a 4-H fair and won a blue ribbon. —Deb Handy, Pomona, Kansas

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Banana Bread Pudding

When I visited my grandmother in summer, I always looked forward to the comforting pudding she’d make. With its crusty golden top, custard-like inside and smooth vanilla sauce, this bread pudding is a real homespun dessert. Now I make it for my grandchildren. —Mary Detweiler, Middlefield, Ohio

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Sugar Cream Pie

I absolutely love Indiana sugar cream pie; especially the one that my grandma made for me. Here, we serve it warm or chilled and call it “Hoosier” sugar cream pie. —Laura Kipper, Westfield, Indiana

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7UP Pound Cake

My grandmother gave me this 7UP pound cake recipe. On top of being delicious, this 7UP cake represents family tradition, connection and love. —Marsha Davis, Desert Hot Springs, California

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Glazed Strawberry Cookies

I learned to bake with my grandmother and mother. I knew I was giving them a sweet new family tradition when I shared this recipe with them. —Andrea Zulauf, Livonia, New York

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Grandma’s Tandy Kake

My grandmother made this for all our family gatherings. Everyone loves it now I make it for every party we attend or host. —John Morgan III, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

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Italian Lemon Cookies

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without my grandmother’s cookies. A plate full of these light and zesty cookies is divine!—Elisabeth Miller, Broadview Heights, Ohio

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Buttermilk Pecan Pie

This is the treasured “Golden Oldie” that my grandmother made so often whenever we’d come to visit. Grandma grew her own pecans, and we never tired of cracking them and picking out the meat when we knew we’d be treated to her special pie! —Mildred Sherrer, Fort Worth, Texas

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Chocolate Cupcake Cones

I experimented with these cupcakes when my girls were young. Now, I’m a grandmother of nine, and these are still our favorites. They’re a great treat for kids to bring to school.—Betty Anderson, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

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Banana Skillet Upside-Down Cake

My grandmother gave me my first cast iron skillet, and I’ve been cooking and baking with it ever since. Sometimes I add drained maraschino cherries to this banana skillet dessert and serve it with a ice cream. —Terri Merritts, Nashville, Tennessee

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Iced Orange Cookies

I usually make these bite-size cookies at Christmastime, when oranges in Florida are plentiful. Every time I sniff their wonderful aroma, I remember my grandmother, who shared the recipe. —Lori DiPietro, New Port Richey, Florida

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Apple Roly-Poly

Apple Roly-Poly isn’t very fancy, but it’s genuine Down East fare. It came from my grandmother. With 13 children plus the men at Grandpa’s sawmill, she had to do lots of cooking each day! —Megan Newcombe, Cookstown, Ontario

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Pinwheel Mints

Both my grandmother and my mom used to make these eye-catching confections as a replacement for ordinary mints. When I offer them at parties, guests tell me the candies are wonderful, and then ask how I created the pretty swirl pattern. —Marilou Roth, Milford, Nebraska

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Crisp Sugar Cookies

My grandmother always had sugar cookies in her pantry, and we grandchildren would empty that big jar quickly because they were the best! I now regularly bake these wonderful cookies to share with friends. —Evelyn Poteet, Hancock, Maryland

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Moist Chocolate Cake

This cake reminds me of my grandmother because it was one of her specialties. I bake it often for family parties, and it always brings back fond memories. The cake is light and airy with a delicious chocolate taste. This recipe is a keeper! —Patricia Kreitz, Richland, Pennsylvania

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Martha Washington Candy

Passed down by my grandmother and mother, this recipe is a cherished family tradition. We’ve even had each grandchild and great-grandchild take a turn stirring the candy mixture! —Cindi Boger, Ardmore, Alabama

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Lemon Custard Cake

This custard cake recipe comes from my grandma and is nice to whip up when unexpected company stops in. It’s a cool, creamy dessert that tastes like you fussed. —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

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Caramel-Apple Skillet Buckle

My grandma used to make a version of this for me when I was a little girl. She would make it using fresh apples from her tree in the back yard. I’ve adapted her recipe because I love the combination of apple, pecans, and caramel. —Emily Hobbs, Springfield, Missouri

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German Black Forest Cake

As far as I know, this cake recipe can be traced back to my German great-grandma. When I got married, my mother gave me a copy and I hope to someday pass it down to my children. —Stephanie Travis, Fallon, Nevada

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Date Swirl Cookies

My granddaughter nicknamed my mother Cookie Grandma because she made wonderful cookie—including these crisp and chewy treats. —Donna Grace, Clancy, Montana

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Winnie’s Mini Rhubarb & Strawberry Pies

Every spring, we had strawberries and rhubarb on our farm outside Seattle. These fruity hand pies remind me of those times and of Grandma Winnie’s baking. —Shawn Carleton, San Diego, California

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Grossmutter’s Peppernuts

Before Christmas, my grandmother would bake peppernuts and store them until the big day. When we came home from school, the whole house would smell like anise and we knew the holiday season was about to begin. —Marilyn Kutzli, Clinton, Iowa

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Apple Cornbread Crisp

With its hearty ingredients and quick prep time, this warm apple crisp makes a smart dessert for any fall night. It reminds me of the recipe my grandmother would serve after our big family seafood dinners. It’s absolutely wonderful topped with ice cream. —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland

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Pennsylvania Dutch Funny Cake

I can still remember my grandma serving this delicious cake on the big wooden table in her farm kitchen. Every time I bake this unusual cake, it takes me back to those special days at Grandma’s. —Diane Ganssle, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Upside-Down Apple Cake

Baked in a bundt pan and drizzled with icing, this breakfast cake will be a highlight of your holiday menu. I adapted the recipe from one of my grandmother’s. —Shaunda Wenger, Nibley, Utah

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Peppermint Brownies

My grandmother encouraged me to enter these mint brownies in the county fair many years ago—and they earned top honors! They’re a chewy treat to serve during the holidays. —Marcy Greenblatt, Redding, California

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Oma’s Apfelkuchen (Grandma’s Apple Cake)

My husband’s German family calls this Oma’s apfelkuchen,, which translates to “Grandma’s apple cake.” They’ve been sharing the recipe for more than 150 years. I use Granny Smith apples, but any variety works. —Amy Kirchen, Loveland, Ohio

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Coconut Creme Chocolates

I’m a proud wife, mom of three and grandma of many. I’ve cooked many things over the years, including these marshmallowy chocolates. —Dolores Wilder, Texas City, Texas

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Apricot Pinwheel Cookies

My grandmother always made these cookies for the holidays. The recipe has been passed down through generations to me, and now from me to you. — Robert Logan, Clayton, California

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Nanny’s Fruitcake Cookies

My grandmother always made a holiday fruitcake. I turned her recipe into cookies that are perfect any time, especially with a cup of tea. —Amanda Digges, South Windsor, Connecticut

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Chocolate Pear Hazelnut Tart

As a teenage foreign exchange student in the south of France, I was horribly homesick. Then my host family’s grandmother Miette arrived and asked if I’d like to help her bake this nutty tart from scratch. It turned my trip around and inspired my lifelong passion for baking. Weighing ingredients, roasting nuts, kneading dough…the art of baking transcends language. —Lexi McKeown, Los Angeles, California

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Buttery Orange Sugar Cookies

My husband’s grandmother made a variety of cookies every year for her grandkids at Christmastime. She would box them up and give each child his or her own box. This crisp, orange flavored cookie is one of my favorites from her collection.—Heather McKillip, Aurora, Illinois

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Caramel Rhubarb Cobbler

I came up with this recipe after hearing a friend fondly recall his grandmother’s rhubarb dumplings. My son especially likes rhubarb, and this old-fashioned dessert lets those special stalks star. -Beverly Shebs, Pinehurst, North Carolina

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Mint Chocolate Wafers

My grandmother gave me a cookbook stuffed with recipes. This is a slight twist on one of the first—and best—recipes I made from the book. It’s best to store these in the refrigerator. —Mary Murphy, Evansville, Indiana

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Icebox Cookies

This cookie recipe from my 91-year-old grandmother was my grandfather’s favorite. She still makes them and sends us home with the dough so that we can make more whenever we want, I love to make a fresh batch when company drops in. —Chris Paulsen, Glendale, Arizona

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Apple Crumble Pie

The crumb topping of this apple crumb pie recipe is awesome, which may explain why dessert always disappears fast. Or maybe it’s the chunky apple filling. Either way, it’s a family tradition. —Vera Brouwer, Maurice, Iowa

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Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Baking a fun treat is a must when my four grandchildren come for “Grandma Camp.” This year I’ll recruit the oldest, Henry, to help pipe the cake batter. —Linda Schend, Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Cranberry-Almond Apple Pie

My grandmother made this treat every year for Christmas. It’s much better than everyday apple pie. The recipe is a family treasure. —Maxine Theriauit, Nashua, New Hampshire

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Red Velvet Marble Cake

I watched my grandma prepare her red velvet showstopper many times for family get-togethers. The fluffy butter frosting perfectly complements the flavor of this gorgeous cake.—Jodi Anderson, Overbrook, Kansas

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Meringue Snowballs In Custard

My family has passed down this elegant dessert generation by generation. It started with my Russian great-grandmother, who traveled to America more than 100 years ago. I love continuing the tradition with her recipe. —Tonya Burkhard, Palm Coast, Florida

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Lime & Spice Peach Cobbler

This was my grandmother’s favorite recipe to make when they had bushels of peaches. Now I love to bake it whenever I can for my family and friends. —Mary Ann Dell of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

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Gingerbread Meringue Bars

The best of both worlds, I combined my grandmother’s gingerbread recipe with my aunt’s special brown sugar meringue to make these lovable bars. —Eden Dranger, Los Angeles, California

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Granny’s Spice Cookies

Granny always had a batch of these delicious, crispy cookies waiting for us at her house. When I miss her more than usual, I make these cookies and let the aroma fill my house and heart. —Valerie Hudson, Mason City, Iowa

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Lebkuchen

It’s tradition for my family to make these German treats together. The recipe came from my great-grandmother’s cookbook, and judging from the amount of requests I get, it has certainly stood the test of time.—Esther Kempker, Jefferson City, Missouri

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Triple Ginger Cookies

My dad loved ginger cookies. I’ve tinkered with the recipe my grandma handed down by using fresh, ground and crystallized ginger for more pizzazz. —Trisha Kruse, Eagle, Idaho

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Six-Layer Coconut Cake with Lemon Filling

I found this recipe when going through my grandmother’s old files. It was originally made with an orange filling, but using lemon pudding in the filling makes it easier to prepare. It is simply the best. —Angela Leinenbach, Mechanicsvlle, Virginia

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Minty Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars

I always looked forward to my grandma’s gooey bars when I was growing up. This chocolate version includes mint, which is one of my favorite flavor add-ins. —Jill Lutz, Baldwin, Wisconsin

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Italian Pineapple Trifle

My grandmother made this rich, tempting trifle every year for our family’s Christmas Eve celebrations. Now I make it to carry on her special tradition. It’s an easy, delicious no-bake dessert everyone will love. —Ann-Marie Milano, Milton, Massachusetts

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Gingersnap Crumb Pear Pie

This basic recipe was one my grandmother used for making crumble pies from fresh fruit. She simply substituted oats, gingersnaps or vanilla wafers depending on the fruit. Pear was always my favorite. I added the ginger and caramel to give it a new twist. —Fay Moreland, Wichita Falls, Texas

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Banana Butter Pecan Kabobs

Desserts with bananas remind me of Grandma. She and my mom taught me to cook. I rarely measure. For this dish, I set out pecans and butterscotch with kabobs so everyone can customize. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado

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Lemon Slice Sugar Cookies

Here’s a refreshing variation of my grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe. Lemon pudding mix and icing add a subtle tartness that tingles your taste buds. —Melissa Turkington, Camano Island, Washington

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Pumpkin Chip Cake with Walnuts

My grandmother gave me this family recipe. After a few changes, I made the treat even healthier and tastier. Holidays wouldn’t be the same without it!—Amy Bridgewater, Aztec, New Mexico

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Zucchini Cupcakes

I asked my grandmother for this recipe after trying these irresistible spice cupcakes at her home. I love their creamy caramel frosting. They’re such a scrumptious dessert you actually forget you’re eating your vegetables, too! —Virginia Lapierre, Greensboro Bend, Vermont

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Frosted Spice Cookies

This recipe has been handed down through many generations of my husband’s family. The cookies were always in his grandmother’s cookie jar when he’d visit. Today, he enjoys them more than ever—and so I do. —Debbie Hurlbert, Howard, Ohio

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Cherry Nut Cake

My grandmother made up this recipe for her children. Using Ozark-grown cherries and walnuts, she invented one they all liked. Granny always used cream from the dairy farm near her home, but the half-and half works well and is easier to find. —Diana Jennings, Lebanon, Missouri

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Mexican Chocolate Sugar Crisps

My grandma loved these so much, she would hide them from my grandpa! I think of her every time I make a batch. Like Mexican spice? Try stirring in a little chili powder. —Michele Lovio, Thousand Oaks, California

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Triple Berry Shortcake

My great-great grandmother handed down her shortcake recipe. I’m sharing it because it’s way too fabulous to keep it a secret! —Sara Kingsmore, Vadnais Heights, Minnesota

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Honey-Lime Almond Cookies

Decades ago my grandmother passed this buttery lime cookie recipe to me. Through years of baking, our cookie memories keep the family connected, although we’re miles apart. —Paula Marchesi, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania

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Dipped Chocolate Logs

When my sister and I were little, we used to beg my mother and grandmother to make these buttery chocolate cookies during the holidays. Now, as moms ourselves, we get together every year to make Christmas cookies and the chocolate logs are always on the top of our list.—Deanna Markkos, Western Springs, Illinois

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Anise & Wine Cookies

My grandmother did not speak English very well, but she knew the language of great food. These wine cookies are crisp and best eaten after being dunked in even more wine.—Julia Meyers, Scottsdale, Arizona

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Raisin Pecan Pie

I remember my Grandmother Voltie and Great-Aunt Ophelia making this southern-style pie for Thanksgiving. It was always one of the many cakes and pies lined up for dessert. —Angie Price, Bradford, Tennessee

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Grandma’s Pecan Rum Bars

My grandmother handed down the recipe for these gooey bars, which we all love. The candied cherries are a must. —Deborah Pennington, Decatur, Alabama

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[mastcomm]

Kobe Bryant’s Brilliant and Complicated Legacy

Kobe Bryant, who made the leap directly from high school to a glittering 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers that established him as one of basketball’s all-time greats, was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday north of Los Angeles. Bryant was 41.

The crash also killed Gianna Bryant, 13, the second oldest of Kobe Bryant’s four daughters with his wife, Vanessa. They were traveling from the family’s base in Orange County, Calif., to Thousand Oaks, 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. A budding star herself, Gianna was scheduled to play an afternoon game with her travel team, coached by her father, at Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy.

News of Bryant’s death predictably rocked the N.B.A., which is filled with players who grew up watching Bryant as he won five championships with the Lakers and scored 81 points in a single game. Fueled by a seemingly endless reservoir of self-confidence, Bryant was an mammoth figure almost from the moment he arrived, at age 17, as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 N.B.A. draft.

The son of the former N.B.A. player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on behalf of the Lakers and did not try — at all — to hide his ambition to surpass the accomplishments of the legendary Michael Jordan. Charlotte had agreed going into the draft to trade Bryant’s rights to Los Angeles in exchange for the veteran center Vlade Divac.

Over the next 20 seasons, Bryant earned 18 All-Star selections, a regular-season Most Valuable Player Award in 2008 and two N.B.A. finals M.V.P. awards to go with his five championship rings. Amid all of that, a sexual assault allegation against him in 2003 would change how many people saw Bryant, though he remained hugely popular among N.B.A. fans and especially Angelenos, for whom he increasingly became synonymous with the Lakers — the only team, despite a trade demand in 2007, that Bryant ever played for.

The trade that made Bryant a Laker was engineered by the team’s general manager at the time, Jerry West, who was instantly smitten by Bryant’s fearlessness and prodigious talent. A standout at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., outside Philadelphia, Bryant had auditioned for the Lakers in a predraft workout featuring a series of one-on-one drills against the former Lakers defensive ace Michael Cooper, then a 40-year-old assistant coach.

Only a few high schoolers had gone straight to the N.B.A. at that point — and Bryant would be the first guard to do so. But West left the workout early, declaring that he had seen enough. “He’s better than anybody on our team right now,” West famously told fellow Lakers staffers of Bryant’s performance.

As West envisioned, Bryant indeed helped restore the Lakers to glory — albeit with no shortage of turmoil along the way. He did so first alongside the Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal for three consecutive drama-filled N.B.A. championships in the 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, then as the team’s unquestioned fulcrum for two more titles in 2008-09 and 2009-10. With a drive to rival Jordan’s and an ability to tune out critics who at times assailed his ball dominance and shot selection, Bryant was the central and enduring figure in one of the most gripping soap operas in modern professional team sports.

By the time he walked away from the N.B.A. in April 2016, after an unforgettable 60-point farewell game against the Utah Jazz, Bryant had built an unmatched legacy that persuaded the Lakers to retire both jersey numbers he wore over two 10-season stretches: No. 8 and No. 24. In perhaps the ultimate Bryant flourish, that 60-point game on the final day of the 2015-16 regular season — in which he hoisted 50 shots — upstaged the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who had defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on the same night to secure the best single-season record in league history, 73-9.

Bryant is widely expected to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in late August, the first time he is eligible. He led the league in scoring twice and finished his career with 33,643 points in the regular season, which put him at No. 3 among N.B.A.’s scoring leaders, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) until the Lakers’ LeBron James passed Bryant on Saturday night in Philadelphia.

Bryant tweeted his congratulations to James on Saturday night, some 15 hours before the crash, writing: “Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother.”

As Bryant began his climb up the scoring charts, O’Neal nicknamed the brash teenager “Showboat,” but the term was not meant to flatter. Veterans on that Lakers team tried in vain to keep Bryant’s rookie ambitions modest — with O’Neal particularly determined to make it clear that he was the team’s true alpha.

But Bryant could not be harnessed. After some notable playoff failures, Bryant broke through as a champion in his fourth season, forming a devastating partnership with O’Neal under the coaching tutelage of Phil Jackson.

“Kobe didn’t care about night life or anything else,” Del Harris, who coached Bryant for his first two N.B.A. seasons and the start of his third, told The New York Times in December 2017. “He only had one interest. His only focus was to be the best that he could be. And in his mind that meant challenging Michael Jordan.”

“People can argue,” Harris continued, “how close he actually came, but there’s no question that he fulfilled pretty much all of his dreams.”

Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006 to register the second-highest scoring output in league history, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. But Bryant’s reputation was more complicated than all his accolades would suggest.

He was charged with felony sexual assault in 2003 stemming from an incident at a Colorado hotel in which Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman who worked at the property as a front-desk clerk. Prosecutors eventually dropped the case when the woman told them she was unwilling to testify. Bryant later issued an apology, saying he understood that the woman, unlike himself, did not view their encounter as consensual. A lawsuit the woman brought against Bryant was later settled out of court.

In the closing stages of Bryant’s career, well beyond the days of “Showboat,” Bryant began giving himself nicknames, such as “Black Mamba” and, later, “Vino.” The frequent helicopter rides he took to games at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles — to avoid traffic and maximize time at home — only added to his mystique.

In addition to making his name as one of the sport’s most relentless competitors, Bryant was known for a special ability to play through injuries.

The one that managed to stop him was a torn left Achilles’ tendon late in the 2012-13 season. Of course, stubborn as he was, Bryant did not want to accept the on-court diagnosis he received from Gary Vitti, the longtime Lakers athletic trainer.

“I told him it’s ruptured and he’s done,” Vitti told The Times in December 2017. “He said, ‘Can’t you just tape it up?’”

Given the intense focus that governed Bryant’s playing career, many league observers questioned how he would cope outside the game, without an outlet for his uber-competitiveness. But Bryant was flourishing in retirement, entering the world of storytelling and winning an Academy Award by transforming a poem to announce his retirement into an animated short film (“Dear Basketball”) that he wrote and narrated.

He had also been drawn back to the N.B.A. by his daughter Gianna’s love for it. On Dec. 29, Bryant sat with her courtside at Staples Center to watch the Lakers play the Dallas Mavericks and take pictures afterward with Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ young Slovenian star.

“My friend, a legend, husband, father, son, brother, Oscar winner and greatest Laker of all-time is gone,” Magic Johnson, the Hall of Fame Lakers guard and Bryant’s boyhood hero, wrote on Twitter. “It’s hard to accept.”

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[soccernetghana]

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant killed along with daughter in helicopter crash

[caption id="attachment_768865" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Kobe Bryant poses for a portrait inside of his office in Costa Mesa, California. Bryant, one of the greatest NBA players in history, is building an impressive resume in his post-basketball career, including winning an Academy Award.[/caption]

Kobe Bryant, one of basketball’s greatest players and masterful scorers of all-time, died along with his daughter and three others in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

Bryant’s 13-year old daughter Gianna was on board the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California sending the entire global sports fraternity into a state of mourning.

He was 41 years old.

The county Sheriff's Department said all five people aboard were killed and that the investigation was continuing. Firefighters doused a quarter-acre brush fire, said fire Capt. Tony Imbrenda.

"The wreckage is still pretty hot up there," Imbrenda. "We still have some fire activity on the hill."

The crash took place in Calabasas, a city of about 25,000 people in the Santa Monica Mountains about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Art Marrujo, a dispatch supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said firefighters quickly doused the blaze.

Bryant retired in 2016 as a five-time NBA champion, 11-time All-NBA first-team selection, 2008 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star and four-time All-Star MVP who spent his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

After the 2015-16 season, Bryant was the third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 33,643 points, but on Saturday in Philadelphia, Lakers star LeBron James scored 29 points and passed Bryant on the scoring list.

After the game, James spoke fondly of his admiration for Bryant.

“I’m happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe “Bean” Bryant, one of the all-time greatest players, one of the all-time greatest Lakers,” James said. “The man has two jerseys hanging up in Staples Center. It’s just crazy.”

Bryant tweeted, “Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect to my brother #33644”

Bryant settled into post-basketball life with a variety of projects. He won an Oscar in 2018 for his animated short film "Dear Basketball," opened the Mamba Sports Academy training facility to help athletes improve and oversees a series of sports fantasy children’s books.

“You got to do what you love to do,” Bryant recently told USA TODAY Sports. “I love telling stories. I love inspiring kids or providing them with tools that are going to help them.”

Born in Philadelphia on Aug. 23, 1978, Bryant was a high phenom at Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pennsylvania) and in 1996, he was named USA TODAY’s boys high school player of the year.

Instead of college, Bryant entered the NBA draft and was selected by Charlotte then traded to the Lakers in 1996. It was the beginning of a Hall of Fame career, and in all likelihood, he will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year in his first year of eligibility.

Bryant had a high-flying game and was a gifted offensive player with an array of moves and shots that made him one of the toughest players to defend.

“He has zero flaws offensively, zero,” James said. “You backed off of him, he could shoot the three. You body him up a little bit, he can go around you. He could shoot the mid-range. He could post. He could make free throws. That’s something I admired as well, just being at a point where the defense would always be at bay where they couldn’t guard you at all, where you just felt you were immortal offensively because of your skillset and your work ethic.”

Bryant had a normal start to his NBA career, coming off the bench and starting in just six games while averaging 7.6 points. By his third season, he was averaging 19.9 points and was on his way to becoming one of the league’s best scoring guards.

He had 25 50-point games and scored 81 points – the closest anyone has come to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game – against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. Bryant once told USA TODAY Sports he never watched a replay of that game.

"There's nothing I could have learned from that game," he says. "It was just pure fluke, a freak of nature-type thing. “"If I did watch it, it would only (upset me) if I saw I really could have had 100.”

With teammate Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers had formed one of the great teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning three consecutive championships with Phil Jackson coaching. The Bryant-O’Neal relationship wasn’t always smooth and eventually forced the Lakers to trade O’Neal.

The Lakers had some down year following O’Neal’s departure but emerged again as a championship contenders in the late 2000s. Los Angeles lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Finals but won consecutive titles in 2009 and 2010 against Orlando and Boston. Bryant was named Finals MVP after those series.

He never reached the Finals again and was slowed by injuries, including a torn Achilles, late in his career.

source: https://ghanasoccernet.com/

[nutmeg555666]

tonight I had plans to cosplay as Jareth and head over to the Ardmore Music Hall for "A Night of Bowie" tribute concert. However Angie's cold turned into body aches and a fever so I am unable to go. As much as I bitch about Facebook I was able to find another local Bowie fan to take my ticket and sent it to her via messenger as a PDF. Technology is sometimes a good thing. Later I may work on my Ballroom Jareth cosplay. If I'm feeling ambitious enough and get it finished, and if my daughter isn't as sick, maybe I'll make it out to Voltage for the Labyrinth dance party tomorrow night after all. We'll see #davidbowie #labyrinth #jareth #goblinking #masquerade #cosplay #bowieforever

[gothicpulp]

The Daughters of Ardmore Hall (1972 reprint) by Dorothy Eden

(original title: The Schoolmaster's Daughters, published 1946)

Cover art by Harry Barton

[mastcomm]

Kobe Bryant’s Brilliant and Complicated Legacy

Kobe Bryant, who made the leap directly from high school to a glittering 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers that established him as one of basketball’s all-time greats, was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday north of Los Angeles. Bryant was 41.

The crash also killed Gianna Bryant, 13, the second oldest of Kobe Bryant’s four daughters with his wife, Vanessa. They were traveling from the family’s base in Orange County, Calif., to Thousand Oaks, 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. A budding star herself, Gianna was scheduled to play an afternoon game with her travel team, coached by her father, at Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy.

News of Bryant’s death predictably rocked the N.B.A., which is filled with players who grew up watching Bryant as he won five championships with the Lakers and scored 81 points in a single game. Fueled by a seemingly endless reservoir of self-confidence, Bryant was an mammoth figure almost from the moment he arrived, at age 17, as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 N.B.A. draft.

The son of the former N.B.A. player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on behalf of the Lakers and did not try — at all — to hide his ambition to surpass the accomplishments of the legendary Michael Jordan. Charlotte had agreed going into the draft to trade Bryant’s rights to Los Angeles in exchange for the veteran center Vlade Divac.

Over the next 20 seasons, Bryant earned 18 All-Star selections, a regular-season Most Valuable Player Award in 2008 and two N.B.A. finals M.V.P. awards to go with his five championship rings. Amid all of that, a sexual assault allegation against him in 2003 would change how many people saw Bryant, though he remained hugely popular among N.B.A. fans and especially Angelenos, for whom he increasingly became synonymous with the Lakers — the only team, despite a trade demand in 2007, that Bryant ever played for.

The trade that made Bryant a Laker was engineered by the team’s general manager at the time, Jerry West, who was instantly smitten by Bryant’s fearlessness and prodigious talent. A standout at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., outside Philadelphia, Bryant had auditioned for the Lakers in a predraft workout featuring a series of one-on-one drills against the former Lakers defensive ace Michael Cooper, then a 40-year-old assistant coach.

Only a few high schoolers had gone straight to the N.B.A. at that point — and Bryant would be the first guard to do so. But West left the workout early, declaring that he had seen enough. “He’s better than anybody on our team right now,” West famously told fellow Lakers staffers of Bryant’s performance.

As West envisioned, Bryant indeed helped restore the Lakers to glory — albeit with no shortage of turmoil along the way. He did so first alongside the Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal for three consecutive drama-filled N.B.A. championships in the 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, then as the team’s unquestioned fulcrum for two more titles in 2008-09 and 2009-10. With a drive to rival Jordan’s and an ability to tune out critics who at times assailed his ball dominance and shot selection, Bryant was the central and enduring figure in one of the most gripping soap operas in modern professional team sports.

By the time he walked away from the N.B.A. in April 2016, after an unforgettable 60-point farewell game against the Utah Jazz, Bryant had built an unmatched legacy that persuaded the Lakers to retire both jersey numbers he wore over two 10-season stretches: No. 8 and No. 24. In perhaps the ultimate Bryant flourish, that 60-point game on the final day of the 2015-16 regular season — in which he hoisted 50 shots — upstaged the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who had defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on the same night to secure the best single-season record in league history, 73-9.

Bryant is widely expected to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in late August, the first time he is eligible. He led the league in scoring twice and finished his career with 33,643 points in the regular season, which put him at No. 3 among N.B.A.’s scoring leaders, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) until the Lakers’ LeBron James passed Bryant on Saturday night in Philadelphia.

Bryant tweeted his congratulations to James on Saturday night, some 15 hours before the crash, writing: “Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother.”

As Bryant began his climb up the scoring charts, O’Neal nicknamed the brash teenager “Showboat,” but the term was not meant to flatter. Veterans on that Lakers team tried in vain to keep Bryant’s rookie ambitions modest — with O’Neal particularly determined to make it clear that he was the team’s true alpha.

But Bryant could not be harnessed. After some notable playoff failures, Bryant broke through as a champion in his fourth season, forming a devastating partnership with O’Neal under the coaching tutelage of Phil Jackson.

“Kobe didn’t care about night life or anything else,” Del Harris, who coached Bryant for his first two N.B.A. seasons and the start of his third, told The New York Times in December 2017. “He only had one interest. His only focus was to be the best that he could be. And in his mind that meant challenging Michael Jordan.”

“People can argue,” Harris continued, “how close he actually came, but there’s no question that he fulfilled pretty much all of his dreams.”

Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006 to register the second-highest scoring output in league history, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. But Bryant’s reputation was more complicated than all his accolades would suggest.

He was charged with felony sexual assault in 2003 stemming from an incident at a Colorado hotel in which Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman who worked at the property as a front-desk clerk. Prosecutors eventually dropped the case when the woman told them she was unwilling to testify. Bryant later issued an apology, saying he understood that the woman, unlike himself, did not view their encounter as consensual. A lawsuit the woman brought against Bryant was later settled out of court.

In the closing stages of Bryant’s career, well beyond the days of “Showboat,” Bryant began giving himself nicknames, such as “Black Mamba” and, later, “Vino.” The frequent helicopter rides he took to games at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles — to avoid traffic and maximize time at home — only added to his mystique.

In addition to making his name as one of the sport’s most relentless competitors, Bryant was known for a special ability to play through injuries.

The one that managed to stop him was a torn left Achilles’ tendon late in the 2012-13 season. Of course, stubborn as he was, Bryant did not want to accept the on-court diagnosis he received from Gary Vitti, the longtime Lakers athletic trainer.

“I told him it’s ruptured and he’s done,” Vitti told The Times in December 2017. “He said, ‘Can’t you just tape it up?’”

Given the intense focus that governed Bryant’s playing career, many league observers questioned how he would cope outside the game, without an outlet for his uber-competitiveness. But Bryant was flourishing in retirement, entering the world of storytelling and winning an Academy Award by transforming a poem to announce his retirement into an animated short film (“Dear Basketball”) that he wrote and narrated.

He had also been drawn back to the N.B.A. by his daughter Gianna’s love for it. On Dec. 29, Bryant sat with her courtside at Staples Center to watch the Lakers play the Dallas Mavericks and take pictures afterward with Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ young Slovenian star.

“My friend, a legend, husband, father, son, brother, Oscar winner and greatest Laker of all-time is gone,” Magic Johnson, the Hall of Fame Lakers guard and Bryant’s boyhood hero, wrote on Twitter. “It’s hard to accept.”

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