Winterlude 2012...

On Saturday after French class I wandered over to Confederation Park to see the Winterlude ice sculptures. I used to be downtown a lot in the winter; the last few days, not so much, so I've missed the ice sculptures. Some years it was just too cold. Last year, I went down the day after the ice sculptures had been unveiled, and it was too warm, and they'd melted into puddles.

A pity, since some years they've been magnificent. And I thought: If I were an internationally renounced ice sculptor, I wouldn't want to exhibit my work here if it's just going to melt in hours.

I guess the internationally renowned ice scuptors thought the same, because they weren't there this year. It was perfect weather: quite cold enough to keep them intact, but not so cold as to be uncomfortable; sunny and bright so the ice glittered in the sun.

And they were the tiniest, simplest, most pathetic ice sculptures I've ever seen in our Winterlude show. What a disappointment. What a letdown.

In compensation they had... things... set up like sculptures that weren't made of ice. Like a pyramid of winter mittens. Hockey sticks and ice skates made to look like winter trees. Clever, yes... but not really artistic to my eyes.

Here, see for yourself:



( 1. An ice wolf bays at the moon )