[Sca-cooks] sculpture of a joust

[Sharron Albert]

>Just got this from another list- an ice sculpture of a joust! WOW!
>
>>http://www.chenahotsprings.com/brice_imgs/joust.jpg
>
>'Lainie

Lainie and others:

The joust was a few years ago. They're from the Alaska Ice Festival, 
which is held every spring up here in Fairbanks. If you back up and 
check out the ballerina (which won the multiple-block competition), 
you'll see something the public didn't get to see. It was so warm 
that spring (I forget the year), that the ballerina's leg collapsed 
shortly after the judging, although the gazebo held. It's a tricky 
line, to hold it late enough to not be -30 below (athough the 
sculptors work in quite cold temperatures), and have enough daylight 
and warmth to encourage people to wander through the park without 
freezing their pinkies off. The joust is larger than life-size and 
the multiple blocks tend to the spectacular. We've had knights 
fighting dragons, and carousels with mythical beasts. There's a 
webpage somewhere if you're interested in seeing more of them. (Just 
looked it up: www.icealaska.com/)

I try to get a season pass every year, which allows me into the park 
while they're still carving them, starting with chain saws. Teams of 
sculptors come from all over the world, including Japan and Russia. 
You might be able to tell I'm quite enthusiastic about ice art. Right 
now, the town is sprouting sculptures, as various businesses contract 
for them. One dentist gets the first block of sculpting ice each 
year, and has an angel up and lighted by Christmas. Most of them will 
last until sometime in April.

We have, apparently, the best carving ice in the world, clear and 
beautiful, and much is shipped to other places, including to a recent 
winter Olympics, where there was a carving demonstration.

Wish you could all see them in person.

Hope you are all enjoying the winter season. I'm back to lurking (G)...

Morgana
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Morgana yr Oerfa, OP
Baroness Winter's Gate/Oertha/West
Per saltire gules and sable, in pale two mullets and
in fess an increscent	 and a decrescent argent.