North Pole Weather 2/24/14

The sun will rise at 8:17 this morning, and set 9 hours 35 minutes later at 5:52 this evening. Sunset was still a little early for me to take in the symphony concert, though I didn’t have to worry about leaving the writers’ group early.

It’s still been on the chilly side this past week, with lows well below zero and highs skirting right around zero – about ten degrees below normal for this time of year. Mostly clear skies, which with the snow on the ground and the sun 16° above the horizon means really bright. It might warm up next week, though “warming up” this time of year means highs in the 20’s and lows around zero.

Ice Alaska is due to open today. I’ll go by and get my season ticket, and try to take some videos. I’m taking a class in March on using iMovie, and I need some footage to play with. They’ll just be starting the single-block carving, but the slides, maze and climb-on sculptures should be ready. Might get some pictures to post tomorrow. Meanwhile, here’s the official forecast.

World Ice Art Chapionships Multi-block 2

Here are the sixth through the tenth placings in the 2012 World Ice Art Championships, along with a few shots of the general layout of the competition site.

Sixth place went to “Geoflames,” sculpted by a USA team.

Seventh place was “Playin’ in the Garden,” again by a team from the USA. This one had a “viewing window” (actually three atop each other) to indicate the best place to see the sculpture. This photo was taken through that window, also carved from ice.

Eighth place went to “The Super Raven Guide.” The two carvers were from Russia, and it took me a while to see the raven’s head. I was trying to make it an aurora, and it may have been intended to evoke one. Most of the sculptures were done by teams of four. This and the fourth place “The Land Calls” a couple of days ago were carved by 2-person teams.

Ninth place and Artist Choice was “Spring.” I’ve used this one before, but it’s worth using again. The artists on this one were from China.

Tenth Place and Governor’s Award was “Olde #7 On The Bridge To Nowhere.” The artists were from the USA.

The ice as cut from the pond has a layer of cloudy ice  near the surface, where snow and ice intermingle. Although most sculptors cut this off, it can be used with interesting effect, as on this pedestal.

Finally a wider view of part of the competition area. Snow is being blown off  “Mother” in this picture. I’ll have at least one more blog on the kids’ area of the ice park by daylight, and I might get to see it at night, lit up, next week. If I do, I’ll get some pictures. The sculptures are incredible bathed in colored lights in the dark. If you’d like to see a particular piece under the colored lights, leave a comment. No promises, but I’ll try.

Multi-Block Ice Sculpture 1

My internet access is via a phone line (DSL) so I am well aware that pages with lots of photos tend to load slowly. This is one reason I’ve broken the World Ice Art Championships into several blogs. (The other is that the awards for Tourist Trap are keeping me pretty busy marketing, and several short blogs are easier than one long one.) Beside, who wants to look at that many photos at once?

First place in the multi-block competition was “Prickly Reception,” by a team from Japan. Don’t ask me how they managed the porcupine. I did find out how they achieved the leopard’s frosty spots: shave out the ice, saving the shavings. Then pack the shavings back into the hollows and heat.

Second place was entitled “Rebirth of Elements.” Three of the carvers were from Russia; the fourth was from Monaco.

Third place went to “Tiger Marriage Desire.” One of the carvers was from the USA, and the other three were from China.

Fourth Place was “The Land Calls.” Both sculptors were from Russia.

Fifth Place (and one of my favorites) was “The Gallery.” One of the carvers was from the Phillipines; the other 3 were from the USA.

One question I’ve had was answered yesterday. We’ve had over a foot of snow since the carving started — why don’t the sculptures all have snow caps? The answer? Leaf blowers!

Ice Sculpture: Single Block by Daylight 2

Single block 2? Well, I couldn’t get them all in one post, so I split them up. Some of these were taken from the train (which bounced badly, so I hope they aren’t too blurred.) I’m going to use larger photos this time, in hopes they won’t change places!

This was 7^th place, “Giving Thanks to the Great Spirit.”

8^th place was “Dragontango.”

9^th place was “Spirits of our Ancestors. The shoulder and beard at the far left belong to the train driver.

10^th place was “Pegasus in Sky.” This one was definitely taken from the train.

“Entertainment” took the Artists’ Choice award.

“Your Move” is a hero-and-dragon theme, always popular.

“Unrest” really showcases the ice.

“Feather” is another that caught my eye. Notice that all of the single-block sculptures are set among trees, for protection from the sun.

No, that’s not all of the photos I took. Next week I’ll show the progress of the multi-block sculptures, which are sculpted from up to 10 blocks of ice, each 6’ x 4’ by 3’. The judging was yesterday evening, when the sculptures were lighted. Will I have any photos of the lighted sculptures? Depends on whether I can hitch a ride after dark.

Ice Art Championships 1

The Ice Art Championships are underway! I’ll show some of the competition pieces next Saturday. But I did pick up a season pass and have a look at the kids’ park. If the weather cooperates, I hope to get some photos of more than just this bit close to the entrance.

This one's very interactive--kids (including some quite large ones) can get into the dish and be spun around.

For a while we were afraid we’d lose the World Ice Art Championships. They’ve been held for years on land owned by the Alaska Railroad. Something happened last year—I think the railroad raised the rent, but I’m not sure, and for a while the organizers were frantically hunting a new site. Well, they’ve found a permanent home and while it’s still rather raw, it promises to be as spectacular as the old one.

This one is actually a slide. Sorry there isn't more contrast with the sky.

As I said, I only got to see the kids’ park Saturday, but I did take a few photos. Even the slides and the sculptures to climb on are pretty neat. The train sounds like a good idea once I figure out where the station is. I went again on Monday, and got some more photos of the kids’ park, plus took enough more for several more posts. Watch for them.

Isn’t our Alaskan ice beautifully clear?

Note: you can click on any of the photos to see larger versions.

The sabertooth cat can be ridden, but you'd better have insulated pants!

This dragon is saddled and ready for kids to ride.

More slides

Guess who sponsored this one!

North Pole Weather 3/5/12

Ice bird carving in front of the hospital lab.

The sun rose at 7:43 this morning and will set at 6:22 for 10 hours 39 minutes of daylight. Spring may not be here officially, but sun on snow was almost too bright to look at Sunday. My snow stake agrees with the official snow depth: 20”. That’s actually not too bad for this time of year; not so much that it will take forever to melt, but enough to insulate the ground from getting any colder. Regretfully, I’ll be back to “sun will rise” next week—this post goes live at 8 am my time, and daylight savings will once again put sunrise before I get up. Only for the one week, though. We’re gaining 6 min 45 sec a day, and by March 19 I’ll again be getting up after sunrise.

It’s been on the cold side—temperatures above zero in the middle of the day but well below zero at night. No sign of melting yet, and I’m going to try to photograph the ice sculptures before they start thawing this year. (Watch for tomorrow’s post.) They are, however, beginning to accumulate snow. Never very much at a time, but we seem to get a fraction of an inch a day rather often this year.

The commonest real birds this time of year.

I ordered my bean and squash seeds yesterday. Rocdor (yellow) and Gina (Italian type), both of which I know do well up here, and are actually earlier than the regular green beans, are my bean varieties of choice; Gold Rush and Contender for zucchini. I enjoy visiting the local greenhouses too much to order seeds for herbs and flowers I know will be available as starts locally. Besides, I try to avoid pesticides indoors, and my seedlings almost always get bugs if I try to grow too many.

WriteMotivation:

My goals for March were:

1. Learn to use at least one legal method of getting images other than photos I’ve taken on my blog. (I’d love to have some shots of Africa on Jarn’s Journal, for instance.) Progress? Mostly looking up creative commons on Google, and finding a few pictures I’d like to use. I’ve also talked to a friend about using some of his African photos.

2. Continue to blog at least 5 days a week. (I’m doing 7 now, but I’ve signed up for a number of adult classes in March.) Progress? So far I’ve blogged every day and have posts lined up for 10 of the remaining 26 days.

3. Edit Chs 2 and 9 of my WIP to give more showing, less telling. Progress? I think I have Ch 2 done.

4. Participate in at least one Platform-building challenge–hesitate to commit for more without knowing what they are. Progress? I accepted the first Campaign Challenge and posted the result. Not sure if achieving this goal in February counts, though.

And I received notice that my second novel, Tourist Trap, is a finalist in the Reader Views Literary Awards contest! So I’m on track, at least.