winter festival is here again

The Ely Winter Festival is here!

Kevin and I decided to carve again this year. We named our sculpture "The Queen" - oh yes. We joyfully sculpted a preying mantis out of a 4x4 block of snow - I say joyfully because we did not have the stress we had the year before. We had a game plan, went out a few evenings after work to cut huge chunks of snow out of the block for the tail section, and waited patiently for it to set up. We also did not worry about winning the amateur contest - which will get you to a big block (8x8 or 10x10) - because we were one of the winners last year and we did not get a big block. So without all of those expectations, we were virtually stress free. Just lovely!


Kevin and I chose parts of the Queen to be in charge of - he took the head section and I took the tail section. We collectively worked on the middle section. Teamwork!

The Queen's eyeballs were made from a PVC pipe endcap and the base of a Champagne bottle from the neighbor's beer bottling stash. Before Kevin added the fangs and eyes, people were guessing she was: a turtle, a grasshopper (here legs are a bit meaty), a dinosaur... usually kids who were about a 4th grade level and earthy looking adults guessed correctly. Kids who ere young just stared at it and then wanted to come over and touch it and then decided they were too shy to get more than 5 feet from us. I tried to get them to check her out, but they felt safer going up to the unicorn which was right next to us.


It was freeing to take huge chunks of snow from under her belly. We had worked so hard earlier in the week to get the snow set up and here I was cutting major snow out with a rusty saw. I loved it! It also helped that the temperatures were in the 30s and we did not have to wear layer upon layer of constricting clothing.

Overall, a fabulous experience!!