Audacious Squirrel

Nothing can quite match the audaciousness of a squirrel.  In June of 2013 one of our little red squirrels perched in one of the flower pots on my deck, surveying his kingdom.

Because the shot wasn't sharp, I played a little with some filters.  I think I like the original best, although all of them have their merits.

I am sharing with Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun 115

with my photo index No. 7215

and

Eileen's Saturday's Critters #78.

The Sculptures Are Finished

Thursday at 9:00 p.m. marked the finish of the Multi Block Competition for the Ice Art Championships.  Friday morning the area was quiet, the tools all put to rest.

Below is a sampling of the sculptures.  Friday was cloudy and there was a couple of inches of new snow.  The cleanup of the Multi Block area still needed to be done, so not the best time for good views of the sculptures.  We've had several more inches of snow since then and more likely.  I'll probably make another trip to the Ice Park on Monday for some better shots, and with a little luck there will be a bit of sunshine to add sparkle.

I'm adding a bit of color from my garden with a photo taken September 5, 2011.

I'm linking it up with Eileen's Saturday's Critters 64

and

Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun 101 (My Index No. 8888)

The bright colors look very appealing right about now!

Ice Art Championships Begin

This week marks the beginning of the 2015 World Ice Art Championships that are held in Fairbanks every winter.  The event was slated to begin on Monday, but on Sunday we had about 1/4 inch of freezing rain that closed the airport for awhile.  Many of the competitors who were arriving from all over the world were delayed, and so the decision was made to delay the start until Tuesday.  Ironically, the ice carving was delayed on account of ice.  Having the temperature creeping above the freezing mark is not a good thing for us at this time of year!  Fortunately we're settled into daytime temps in the 20s F, and a bit colder at night, creating good temperatures for the sculptors.

Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. the Single Block Competition got underway.  Each team of two were supplied with a block of ice measuring 8'x5'x3' that was harvested from a pond on site.  

Wednesday afternoon I took photos along the path that circles through the woods.  The sculptors were hard at work to complete their work before the 9:00 p.m. Thursday deadline.  This year there are 35 teams with artists from around the world:  United States, China, Panama, Mexico, Korea, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Netherlands, Germany, Monaco, and Mongolia.

There are two divisions, Realistic and Abstract.

It was a cloudy day but we walked around the rest of the park.  For several weeks many of the sculptors have been working on the Kids Park and various other sculptures.  We explored an ice cabin, complete with a bed and table and chairs.  Right cozy.....

I'm linking the ice fence around the cabin with

Good Fences at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report. 

To brighten things up a bit, I'm linking the photo below,

my Index No. 4234, with Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun 100.

It was taken in June of 2011 on my deck.

I'm looking forward to those summer flowers, but for now I'm going to enjoy the beautiful sculptures at the Ice Park!

Home on the Range

Digging into my archives again for Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun, my Index #1977 popped up with this photo of an antelope that we saw in October of 2009 when we took a trip down the Alcan.  We'd crossed the border from Canada into Montana and were on our way to see our friends Mona and Don (Montanagirl).  The antelope were plentiful at that time, but a lot were lost a few years back in a harsh winter and they still haven't rebounded to their previous numbers.

I'm also linking up with Eileen's Saturday's Critters.

Yummm

March 2011

 Linking to Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun 93

with my Index No. 72

And because I had so many fun moose photos taken over a period of several days, a few more of my bird feeder raider.

I am also linking with Eileen's Saturday's Critters 56.

Sharing a Treat

The Pump House, one of our favorite restaurants, is just a little ways up the road from my house.  I've posted photos of the Pump House before, and you can see some of those HERE and HERE.  In the winter their parking lot is often a good place to see Ravens, our most plentiful wintertime bird.  The attraction for the Ravens isn't the restaurant, but what's across the road.  To you and me it's a dumpster site, but if you're a Raven it's an all-you-can-eat buffet!

February 2, 2010

I'm linking with

Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun 89

with my Index #4852

and

Eileen's Saturday's Critters 52.