Sunday, January 15, 2012

Ice Art

Saturday brought a few changes in plans for us. After it stopped snowing Jack went up to the woods to bring down some wood he had cut last week and I went and helped...well, I think you could call it help. When we finished Jack knew I had mentioned that I would like to go down to Loudonville to see the ice sculpture contest. Since we weren't totally frozen yet, he said "let's go!" They have this every January and I'm sure the town was a bit worried when the temps were in the 40's...until Thursday when all snow broke loose and the temps fell dramatically. It made for perfect ice art! This is a pic of downtown Loudonville. It looks very similar to many of the small downtown areas around here. They survive on tourism during the summer months since they are right in the heart of "Mohican Country"...Mohican National State Forest where camping, fishing, and the biggie..canoeing are the bread and butter of their economy. They have a few other events that are held during the Winter months that bring people out. There are a few really cute restaurants and shops but I noticed empty buildings too. I saw a sign in one that said "Wal-Mart..destroying a small town near you"...sad but true. I do like this little town and enjoy coming here even if it's cold out!
This was one way of seeing the sculptures and the town.
These pics are just a few of my favorites. The sculptures were sponsored by various businesses and sat outside on the sidewalks and also in the town square.
Don't you just love the one with color in it?
We made it to the square and were going to watch a demo on how they sculpt these lovelies...but after a day spent mostly outdoors and snuggling up to blocks of ice, we decided to head home to a warm fire and dinner.
Squeak had the right idea...snuggle up to a warm bed...not a block of ice! She just has no appreciation of the fine arts.

13 comments:

Donna said...

We were going to go Friday night and take Bryden...they had horse drawn carriage rides, kids movies, etc, but it was so bitterly cold, we just holed up! Looks like it was a great day to go! Glad you had a good time!!

Bonnie said...

These ice sculptures are really pretty and intricate. I have never actually seen any in person -- unless I have forgotten, but I kind of doubt that. It certainly was the perfect weather for this event!

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PoetessWug said...

Ha! Ha! I'm with Squeak! Snuggling up in a warm better is much better than a block of ice! ^_^ Thanks for sharing the nice ice sculptures. Too bad you didn't get to see the demonstration though. Maybe next year...but this time go BEFORE you wander around in the woods. ^_^

Christina said...

Oh man! I wish I knew about that when we lived there. That looks awesome. I think I've only been to downtown Loudonville once. Sad! But glad you guys had fun. :)

Stacy said...

Those are neat. I never knew they did this. The one with color is really cool!

Susan Anderson said...

What a fun thing to see. Really creative! They kind of remind me of those big ice sculptures that you see on cruises.

=)

CHERI said...

My hubby loves to watch those folks carve the ice...on TV only as we've never seen it in person. But I agree with Kitty Cat...I just purr when curled up in front of a nice warm fire all wrapped up in my favorite "blankie" and reading my blogs or a good book:)

acorn hollow said...

the ice art is wonderful and you all bundled up looks like fun.
Cathy

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Jilda said...

I have always wanted to see ice sculptures like those.
What a great cold weather day!

Darlene said...

I'm so glad you got to see them. I wouldn't even think about going out on such a cold cold day. I am so interested to know how they do that and make it look so smooth. Also, it would be fun to see how they make the colored ones. It really is ART. Next time, go to see how they are made and take pics, if you can.

Vicki Boster said...

Oh I love this sweet kitty!

These ice sculptures are "way cool!!". Yes- this looks like such a fun day! Your pictures are fantastic! I think you made the best choice-- a warm cozy dinner at home is the perfect ending to a fun day--
Love
Vicki

Hilary said...

These are wonderful. The one with pink looks like an old fashioned candy. And your Squeak looks just like my Zephyr.