This evening, I went to see the ice sculptures since our local credit union was paying for admission (if you are 55 or older). I didn't write down the names of the carvings nor the awards won. I hadn't been to the ice festival in probably ten years but since the price was right....
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We also just picked up a replacement for our Toyota Sienna AWD minivan. This doesn't have AWD but hopefully it still will manage to get up our driveway...
Impressive carvings. Especially considering they are outdioors and not melted.
ReplyDelete"Cool" sculptures Richard....was the second one a ship's superstructure?
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Redleg's Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Wow, there are a lot of talented people carving ice. Really neat.
ReplyDeleteNice car too. What model of Toyota is it?
I love the ice sculptures. Here there was/is an event called Fire and Ice. They have the ice sculptures, but then have a big bonfire and melt it all, which doesn't usually take long since we don't have the temperatures you do to hold them. I think they have even stopped having the event. I haven't heard of it for a while. Probably just as well. I think having ice festival in your neck of the woods makes much more sense.
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The first carving is a Viking ship, the second is a steam locomotive, the third is a slide and the last two I'm not sure but they won awards.
ReplyDeleteThe car is a Toyota Prius v, a station wagon version with a lot more room.
These are beautiful! Very elegant. I bet they're something to see in real life. Congrats on the new car. Hope it works well for you! :)
ReplyDeleteHa, nice non sequitur. Ice sculpture, ice sculpture... van.
ReplyDeleteWhile I've never understood the people who make fleeting ice art (snowmen aside) they do produce some striking work. Very cool.
Enjoying the sun?
Brady
Behind bars
The ice carvings are part of the 2012 World Ice Art Championships as part of Ice Alaska. They do last a long time around here and if I was truly dedicated, I would've stuck around until dark to see them a lit up.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sculptures but the Prius shines brightest. You are brave abandoning AWD in "snow city". How does the hybrid handle the extreme cold?
ReplyDeleteI saw some exquisite ice sculptures during winterfest in Ottawa, ON. CA (February) but they had to be hidden from the sun under tarps, kind of a thankless art medium.
The ice sculptures last a long time around here. They generally start in the middle of January and they last until around the end of March.
DeleteNo AWD but did get studded snow tires. We'll see how it goes once breakup starts.
When did they actually carve the sculptures? Seems to be that it would be nicer to have carved them early in the season, to enjoy all winter. But there is probably some upkeep requird after snows. Kinda like trimming the hedges. Hehe
ReplyDeleteMany of them have been around for a while. You see them popping up around town before Christmas but most of these were done as part of a competition in February. They do stick around for a while. When I was there there was still carving going on.
DeleteBeautiful carvings and such talent, they would look pretty cool lit up at night.
ReplyDeleteNice car, glad they made a wagon, I see you got the plug in model ;) Block heaters confuse people around here as they can't quite figure out what or why you are plugging your car in. I too have to ask how do the batteries hold up in the cold?
Too much daylight these days to see them at night. The website has quite a few night time pictures and they do look a lot more dramatic when lit.
DeleteI like the station wagon version much better than the hatchback. It feels much larger inside and the seating position is more SUV like. The cord hanging out is for the block heater/oil pan heater/battery trickle charger. The Plug-in Prius model is only available as a hatchback and only in some states. With our electricity cost I'm not sure it would be worth it. So far, we're pretty happy with the car. Over double the mileage of the minivan and a whole lot quieter.