Applying Flame To The Ice

I came into Confederation Park, where a videographer was set up beside the ice sculpture marking the centennial of the National Research Council. A man was setting up behind one of the two side sculptures with the dates. He lit up what looked rather like a welding torch, which was linked to the device you can see in his hands here. He directed the fire at the back of the sculpture, carefully applying the flame to the surface while the videographer filmed the process. I took several shots. The sculpture was none the worse for wear.

Ice And Snow Sculptures

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo: the theme day for the first of March is Where I Belong.

These ice sculptures were standing outside of the Lord Elgin Hotel's main entrance, across from Confederation Park, while the bench was close by at the north side of the hotel.

This sculpture depicts a football player, Henry Burris, of the Ottawa RedBlacks (yes, it's still an abominably stupid name for a team). It was set up in the Glebe, carved by an artist, Jocelyn Galipeau, who also carved the second one, a short walk away. There was a warm spell in the first week of the festival, doing some damage to the second sculpture- the artist came back and carved a brand new head, leaving the original beside it.

Up the street was this snow sculpture- the two carvers involved also freshened it up after that same warm spell. This depicts a comedy character- Princess Marg, a creation by the comedian Mary Walsh, often used to ambush politicians.

Lastly, this ice sculpture of an inukshuk was standing outside the tourist information offices across from Parliament Hill. Centre Block can be seen in the reflection.

Old Fashioned Work

The Kettle Boys are a regular sight in Confederation Park on the weekends during Winterlude, and longtime readers might remember previous posts. They bring a large kettle, various irons, tools, and some unusual toys along. They demonstrate woodworking or use hot irons, pressing patterns into blocks of wood, and take questions from people around them. It's interesting doing some people watching, such as how kids handle toys that are different from the usual plastic or plush toys they might have encountered. The fellow in the final shot, incidentally, did something rare for me: making me feel short. I'm six feet tall- by the look of him standing up, he's six feet five.

The Bird Walkers

Aside from the ice sculptures, there are other things going on in Confederation Park and other sites during Winterlude. These two colourfully dressed stilt walkers- on stilt apparatus that had the look of elaborate skeletal birds- were around one day, walking around the Colonel By Fountain. They were accompanied by a drummer on foot, and they attracted quite a crowd- enough of a crowd that photography posed some challenges!

Team Carvers

Here are the sculptures set up by pairs of carvers. We will be looking in on these sculptures again before I'm done with the Winterlude series in more of an evening light.

Solo Carvers

Here we have the sculptures done by solo carvers. Flora and fauna being the general theme for many ice sculptures this year, animals proved to be a popular choice, particularly birds. Of these, the beaver sculpture in the third shot is my favourite.