Tag Archives: featured

New Experiences, Photos, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Returning to the Rookery

April 21, 2019 Troy

This past winter I was talking to some photographers who mentioned a Great Blue Heron rookery (nesting site) relatively close to me and that no matter what the weather, herons begin to return in March. One nice early spring day, the first day of spring in fact, I took some time to stop by and see where this place was and if the herons were indeed returning yet. To my surprise there were many birds already there squabbling over which nest they wanted. There were several nests still unoccupied so I expect there will be more birds migrating to the area as spring progresses.

While watching several pairs of Great Blue Herons it was interesting to observe how they interacted with each other and with other herons in the area. Each checking different nests trying to pick just the right one to raise new little herons and defending that nest from others. I focused on one pair for awhile, watching and photographing some of their behaviors, as I continued to learn more about these larger birds. After checking a few nests thoroughly, they seemed to settle on one. However, that one nest still required some work before it would be suitable to lay eggs into.

At one point there seemed to be a discussion and disagreement over an aspect of this nest which you can see from the photo above. I couldn’t tell what the issue was but the result was one of the herons flying away from the nest to find solitude in the river banks below. The picture below shows the Great Blue Heron taking off from the nest while the other one continues to inspect parts of the potential nest. While away, the remaining bird made some adjustments to the sticks improving this chosen nesting site.

Five minutes later this heron returned to the nest and the pair seemed to make up and act as though they missed one another. For a couple of minutes they spent time kind of cuddling with one another before returning to the task of re-enforcing their nest. In the picture below you can see them with their heads crossed almost as if they were hugging. Maybe this is just some sort of method of checking out if they had been near another bird or reconnecting their bond. Whatever it was it was interesting to witness.

Part of reconstructing their nest involved flying to another vacant nest, and stealing branches that could be used on their own nest showing why getting to the rookery earlier in the year was beneficial and worth risking exposure to bad weather which could include snow. And lots of it!

It’s interesting to watch as they would check several branches for just to right one for their own nest. Once the branch was chosen they would, not so carefully remove it from the nest and fly back with it in mouth.

After several sticks added and repairs were made, the nest was deemed suitable allowing for some rest before the real work of raising young arrived.

Adventures, Jeep Badge of Honor, Troy's Blog

Beginning Another Adventure

April 13, 2019 Troy

Recently I returned from the first, in what I hope to be many, adventures off roading in a Jeep. For much of my life I’ve had a really close friend who has owned a Jeep shortly after he could drive. We would would take his Jeeps off roading beginning with fairly easy dirt or gravel roads with a few bumps in them and gradually increasing the trail difficulty to some rock climbing and steep sand trails with a little mudding. Of course the ability of his Jeeps has increased as well to be able to conquer more difficult places. It’s always been fun! In June of 2018 we began discussing the idea of more intense off road adventures but really didn’t know what level of difficulty we were actually up for. After kicking around some ideas of maybe just visiting some National Parks near California and driving their off road trails to what it would take to drive more challenging trails. As the year ended we came across the Jeep Badge of Honor program which highlights over 40 trails across the United States and rates these trails by level of difficulty.

Doing some more research on these trails, we began to focus on Moab, Utah and all of the trails around this town. When this area was first suggested to me I about fell over. It’s kind of like National Park central and I’m always up for exploring another National Park. The more difficult decision was how long to stay in Moab. Different trails came up and finally three were chosen. Not too difficult but enough challenges to see how these Badge of Honor trails work. As we rang in 2019, early April came up as our preferred timeline for some nice weather on average for this adventure but not too busy with people on vacation. Over the next several months we booked accommodations and additional modifications were made to the Jeep for some intense rock crawling among the cliffs and canyons surrounding Moab.

For much of March it seemed as though time was going so slow as I was really looking forward to getting to Utah and experiencing some trails in this scenic area. One day I went in to work only to be asked what time the next day I was leaving for Las Vegas. My quick response was today is going so slow and at the same time there was much to do as I was flying out later that afternoon. This was met with a little surprise and then understanding as I hurried through my list of things to do and headed out once they were taken care of. A few more items to take care of at home and then it was off to the airport for a flight to Las Vegas were I would meet my friend for this new adventure.

Thankfully Delta was playing some movies I hadn’t seen yet taking my mind off of my eagerness to get to Las Vegas a little. I did continue to look out of the window trying to determine where we were. I’ve flown this route enough that I know a number of the landmarks along the way. Unfortunately clouds covered much of the route making tracking the flight more difficult. I know, they show the planes location on the screen attached to the seat in front of me but I really didn’t want to know how far or close we were as I was already impatient enough to endure the length of the flight. At times there were breaks in the clouds allowing me to see some mountains and then Lake Mead appeared. My level of excitement jumped at this spot knowing Vegas isn’t very far away now. Then the plane began its descent. Just before the descent I was able to watch the sun dip below the clouds as sunset arrived signaling the end of the day. We began to descend into the clouds below and a few minutes later the lights of Las Vegas became visible. A few pictures and we were on the ground. Forty-five minutes later I was greeting my friend, climbing into the Jeep and heading towards Utah. A few hours of driving and we decided to find a place to stay bringing an end to the start of the Jeep Badge of Honor adventures. So much more to come!

New Experiences, Photos, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Spring Eagle Migration

April 7, 2019 Troy

A couple of weeks ago I spent a Saturday in Wabasha, Minnesota photographing Bald Eagles as they return north after the cold winter. The National Eagle Center in Wabasha tracks Eagle numbers throughout March and the count for this weekend looked really good provided many opportunities to watch these magnificent birds of prey. After finishing my commitments on Friday night I quickly ran around the house gathering equipment and gear I might need for a day along the Mighty Mississippi tracking and photographing Eagles.

Awaking well before dawn, on a short nights rest, I got my remaining gear and some food together and headed out the door. It was just after 4:45am which would give me enough time to make the nearly 2 hour drive to Wabasha and arrive there to see the sun rise above the horizon as Eagles begin to take to the sky for the day. It was a nice day for an adventure with temperatures reaching above freezing making for a comfortable day outside without excessive layers of clothes. The drive went by quickly with the horizon beginning to cast light into drifting clouds as I got closer bringing out some beautiful pinks in the sky. Reaching the first stop for the day at Reeds Landing, the sun was only moments from breaking above the trees across the river. Getting set up to take some pictures of the sunrise, Eagles were already flying above distracting me from the first mornings’ light.

While the sun continued to rise I attempted to capture an Eagle in the photo as they flew overhead but was unsuccessful as it was still too dark and the Eagles turned out blurry so I returned to focus only on the sunrise for the time being. One of the nice things about Eagle watching at that time of year is if you see a large bird, it’s likely an Eagle. During much of the summer I’m often fooled by larger birds that turn out to be Turkey Vultures and then disappointed. In a short time the light from the rising sun increased enough to begin capturing birds in flight. Just at that time a young one flew into view heading right in my direction. Focusing the camera on it I began to snap away getting some beautiful photos as it got closer. The result is the picture at the top of this post.

The biggest challenge of photographing these Eagles is to find a spot to get close enough for some great photos. Often times they will fly away from you or land on the other side of the river where they are too far away to get great shots. Even with that, opportunities did become available from time to time. The trick was to be ready and have the camera settings right for the situation. Sometimes it works out and other times I was frustrated with a blurry shot wanting to slam the camera and lens to the ground. All in all it was a lot of fun to photograph these beautiful birds and watch as they interacted with each other and flew overhead. Listening to their calls, which sounds very little like the sounds you hear on TV shows, wondering what they’re saying to each other. Sometimes they called one another to the tree they’re in and other times it was letting anther Eagle know they are not welcome to land in that tree. But many of the calls I couldn’t figure out the purpose of.

After awhile the Eagles seem to move away from an area requiring getting back into the vehicle to search for more elsewhere along the river. There are several nests in this area also. These are quite impressive to see as they’re so large. Almost like a tree fort. All of this just for an little Eagle or two. These nests are constructed over several years, increasing in size each time. There was one nest being guarded by an Eagle giving some perspective on how large the nest is.

Throughout the day there were many Eagles soaring in the warming sun. Every once in awhile there would be a couple of birds arguing over a particular fishing spot or certain territory in a tree or on the remaining ice along the river making for some interesting and entertaining behavior. Several times I attempted to capture this with the camera but often it was over before I could capture the event. There were a few that I managed to photograph but they were often far away allowing the Eagles to avoid a close-up shot. The picture below is one of the best shots I managed to capture. These two were arguing over this location on the ice. It lasted for less than a minute.

As the day got later I continued to work on capturing an Eagle swooping down to catch a fish. Unfortunately I had little success. The bird, captured below, has a fish in it’s talons while heading to a tree away from all the other birds to feast without being disturbed by another Eagle trying to steal the fresh meal. I watched this one gliding over the water and then circle around before plucking a fish out of the river all the while snapping away. Unfortunately those pictures are all a little blurry and the actual moment of catching the fish was missed. I have a photo of the Eagle touching the water and another one just after it caught the fish. While it’s nice to see those shots, it’s also disappointing as they are not great compositionally or completely in focus. Something to continue to work on. Even after this bird caught the fish I didn’t stop tracking it and luckily I didn’t. It ended up flying almost overhead as it headed towards the hills behind me giving me more opportunities to grab a picture with a fish in the talons.

Near the end of the day the light was getting too low for good picture taking of the Eagles so I headed to a spot to enjoy the last rays of the sun for the day before making the trek back home. Thankfully it was a beautiful sunset over the vast Mississippi River as you can see in the small Panorama below.

Exploring, Photos, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Playing with the Deer

March 30, 2019 Troy

Decided to go and explore Fort Snelling State Park hoping to see an owl or some other type of wildlife to photograph on a mid-February Saturday. The park was quite busy as many others were taking in the day snowshoeing, skiing, or just hiking like I was. As the day came closer to an end deer began showing up scrounging in the snow for food. It was fun to watch as they dug around slowly pushing aside snow here and there and then moved on to the next spot. I didn’t seem to really bother them which gave me the opportunity to photograph them on their journey.

There wasn’t much in the way of color besides the brown of the deer and trees against the white snow. This seemed like a great opportunity to play with black and white photography. It really seems to bring out the snow on the nose of this deer and the texture of the bark in the trees in the background. Amazing how small the deer appears when compared to the large trees behind it. You can tell there is a fair amount of snow on the ground as it goes up around the deer’s legs making it more challenging to get from place to place.

Turning behind me I happened to catch this deer chewing on a stick which was entertaining for me. It seemed like the deer wanted to break the stick off but was unsuccessful in doing so. Still an interesting look on it’s face. While deer tend to be pretty common at this Minnesota State Park it was still fun to see them and photograph a few working on different techniques and compositions while they slowly meandered by on a nice winter afternoon. Temperatures rose into the 20’s Fahrenheit which felt really nice after weeks of much colder weather. The deer seemed to be enjoying a warmer day also.

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog, Winter

A Beautiful Frosty Morning

March 24, 2019 Troy

An early March morning as a hint of light entered the sky, long before the sun would rise, I noticed something different as I looked out the frosty window. While the furnace fought another below zero morning I peered outside and saw a white coating covering everything outside of the house walls. Immediately I could tell it was the beginning of what should be a spectacular sunrise as the fresh coat of snow glistened from the suns rays. Do I head out with the camera to endure another cold morning or stay in the warmth and type away on the computer? Initially I was not interested in venturing out in the cold for yet another time as it was Saturday and I didn’t have anywhere to go but I did have a number of projects on the computer to work on. My mistake was glancing back outside one more time on the way to the desk and my plans for the day were changed. It was too beautiful even in the dimly lit sky for me to stay home. Besides, the camera was already in the chilled car ready to go.

It only took a few minutes to travel to a nearby park once I had all of my winter gear wrapped around me making each step feel like a flight of stairs. Along the drive I got lost in the incredible views surrounding me as an amazing frost coated most of the scene with ice crystals I didn’t recall seeing before in my life. Arriving at the park I saw the parking lot ahead of me was not plowed, but a few vehicles had entered creating a path so I followed it into a spot just before the sun breached the horizon. Quickly getting out of the car to grab the camera I headed to a place to capture the mornings first rays barely even noticing the cold surrounding me. Every step brought another unique frost crystal attempting to distract me from my destination for the sunrise. Once the sun had moved above the horizon I was able to turn my focus back to these beautiful ice formations. A few pictures told me my success would be very limited without a tripod to steady each shot on. Unfortunately, in my haste earlier in the morning I left the car without it so now I either needed to trudge back through the deep snow or continue snapping away holding the camera as steady as I could with my hands. Knowing I would not be happy with my photos unless they were clear and sharp I decided the tiring trip back to the car would be necessary and besides, in this cold the frost crystals were going nowhere.

Returning as quickly as possible, the tripod was set up with the camera on top of it ready to capture this amazing frost covering trees and shrubs everywhere. Seeing these crystals through the lens magnifying them even more to bring out their incredible structures. I began to lose track of time focusing on each branch making up the hoar frost showing its multiple layers combining together in each crystal. All of that time photographing snowflakes has now become very useful in trying to capture the details of this frost. These ice crystals where much larger and more complex than most snow flakes though and photographing them close up made it difficult to keep each portion in focus. Thankfully it remained bitterly cold so the frost persisted throughout the morning giving a lot of time to try different compositions to capture the beauty up close.

As I examined each ice crystal I could see the various layers as they developed through the night. How long did it take to create these I wondered. Are they still forming even during the morning light when they typically begin to disappear? Why are there different shapes along each branch? Some portions where rounded while others where more squared off. From a distance they appear white but when viewed up close they are clear while they no longer reflect the light that makes them look white. So interesting to study. As the morning continued on, the wind began to blow making the frost crystals more difficult to capture in focus but I continued on since this type of winter display doesn’t happen very often. I think the Northern Lights appear more frequently. Eventually I did have to stop photographing the frost to return home and work on projects which were waiting for me. Getting up before dawn and enduring the cold were all worth while just to experience such a beautiful phenomenon. Thank goodness for heat packs!

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

Beginning to Grow

March 16, 2019 Troy

Walking through a store recently I couldn’t resist all of the seed packets on display so I had to pick a few out. Its been years since I started seeds indoors and I really do love watching them as they grow. They’re amazing in how they can be so hard like a rock and a few days later soften and produce a strong root and little leaves to begin life. Cold, snow, and ice are starting to get dreary so adding some life is much desired as March begins. These are annual Centaurea otherwise known as Bachelor Button. For some reason this is a flower I really enjoy and tends to do well in the cooler spring temperatures. All of these roots quickly growing out of a seed to provide the plant with water and nutrients just amazes me.

In the image below I found this little seedling with the seed covering still attached very interesting. There are so many textures in that seed shell which have expanded with all of the moisture in the soil. It’s a little on the purple side because of the LED lights they are grown under. I start them under a fluorescent lights usually but this time I added a few LED lights as well to see what difference they may make. These are all on a timer giving the a set amount of light each day. I believe they stay on for 10 hours a day which seems to be a good pace of growth without taking an exorbitant amount of electricity. In a few short weeks they will be put outside as temperatures allow. I will begin acclimating them to the higher light intensity of the sun once nighttime temperatures stay at freezing or above as these can tolerate the cooler nights.

Ice and Snow, Troy's Blog, Winter

Playing in the Cold

March 10, 2019 Troy

It’s –27 degrees Fahrenheit, schools have been closed, the post office called off mail delivery, and many people have decided to stay home from work so what is there left to do but stay cozy inside and watch a movie or read a book? For me it just means going out and doing things that you can really only do in temperatures this cold. Since everyone was off from school we decided to warm up some water and see how long it takes to freeze in this type of cold. Throwing it up in the air, it takes maybe a second before that water almost explodes into ice crystals and blow away. There are many videos available to watch as people do this but watching with your own eyes really shows how fascinating and amazing it is that water transforms at this fast of a speed. The water has to be warm enough for this to work or it will just fall back to the ground and create ice balls instead.

With the sun being out and it being so cold I decided to experiment with rose flowers and see what it’s like to sort of flash freeze them with some water droplets and see what happens. I placed them in the snow to given this extremely white background to really set off the color which seems to be preserved in the cold. I let them freeze over a period of 20 minutes or so before taking pictures. During the winter I try to keep a camera in the cold so it’s ready all of the time. When it gets this cold I remove the batteries so they will keep a charge and put them in when ready to shoot. You can use a phone camera for a few minutes but it will likely shut down in cold like this and take a while to warm back up to function again.

I’ve seen some incredible patterns in bubbles frozen and decided to give that a try. It was not hugely successful but I did get a shot or two of patterns developing as the bubble froze. I was surprised how quickly these patterns developed and then disappeared. There was a minute or so to get a photograph before the bubble began to completely freeze and disintegrate. Something I may try at warmer temperatures and see if it last longer.

Another interesting thing to look at is frost forming on windows and doors. The patterns of these ice crystals are so diverse and abstract. I tend to get lost in a picture like this just following the different branches and seeing each design and how they all work together. Does one change how another develops and it takes the moisture away? Is there a difference created by very small temperature differences? Something I should try in the future is to breathe lightly on a window and see if there are differences in how hard I breath. Does it create different patterns or just fog up the entire window pane and freeze? Something for another cold winter day.

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Snowflakes Are Amazing

March 2, 2019 Troy

As the snow really started to pile up in February there were several opportunities to examine these little ice crystals and become mesmerized by their unique shapes and patterns. Often times I would be concentrating on things I needed to get done, one of which was shoveling all of this fresh snow, and if I took just a moment to look at a few snowflakes I was distracted for hours. I would drag out the camera and shoot away trying to capture each little detail of each flake among the never ending supply falling from the sky. Eventually the cold and the clock would end my session forcing me to wait until the next snowfall.

Once getting them on a computer I could examine each one even closer and study how they formed. What conditions were needed to create these? Were the conditions changing while a snowflake was being made? When multiple snowflakes landed together were they connected or just collided in the sky before settling down on my surface? I was constantly amazed at how different snowflakes look depending on what the temperature was outside.

Even within the same snowfall the snowflakes would change in appearance multiple times. Sometimes they would be large, branched crystals with ice drops frozen on the edges while other times they would be clear with amazing patterns and at different times they would be fairly non descript pieces of ice. In most forms they are fascinating to look at up close and very challenging to photograph because of their typically small size. Trying to get the entire snowflake in focus is often extremely difficult, if not impossible, unless the snowflake and camera are completely parallel to one another. Still, most of the time, they can be looked at in fine detail and their patterns can be interpreted.

One of the challenges with snowflakes is trying to figure out if there is just one or if there are multiple snowflakes stacked on each other. Which layer is currently in focus? A slight adjustment in focus can be the difference in seeing the snowflakes detail or having it be slightly blurry. Once everything appears sharp than keeping the camera and snowflake perfectly still is required. Hopefully the wind does not blow while taking the picture. All of this needs to be done outside in order to keep the ice from melting and losing any of its detail. While snowflakes are a challenging subject, the results are often worth the effort for each one. Usually over the course of an hour I can photograph four different snowflakes so it is not a quick process.

Gaining Life Experience, Troy's Blog, Twin Cities Adventures

Another Fight for Air

February 24, 2019 Troy

For the third year in a row I decided to participate in the American Lung Associations’ Fight for Air climb in downtown Minneapolis. It didn’t take as long for me to decide to sign up this time as I was motivated to perform at the fastest time I’ve climbed these stairs ever. My goal was to conquer 680 steps in 5 minutes. My best time was over 6 minutes and last year it took me more than 7 minutes to complete all of these stairs. What would it take to achieve 5 minutes? A lot of work with the biggest hurdle being my ability to breath. My lung capacity always has appeared smaller than others affecting my endurance even in high school when I played football. It’s something I’ve struggled with but with hard work and dedication I can improve the ability to breath.

At first my plan was to hike hills and climb stairs as much as I could along with riding my mountain bike. My first ride last fall was somewhat unpleasant as the bike kept reminding me of how inadequate I was to be riding at a fast pace for any length of time and that hills were an obstacle beyond my abilities. I did not take this well but all that told me was how much I really needed to be out on a trail riding the bike as hard as I could as often as time allowed to regain some of the health I’d lost over the previous year. Quitting was worse than the ride I had just completed! But now my goal of 5 minutes seemed really far away too.

Over the next several weeks I continued to get out 3 or 4 days a week either riding or climbing stairs as much as possible and improvement became noticeable which encouraged me to keep working harder, but then Mother Nature decided to weigh in. All of a sudden the ground was coated in ice with a little bit of snow mixed in making it very difficult to continue riding and dangerous to climb stairs. Now what? After a couple of weeks struggling to train it was time to do the thing I wanted to do the least – join a gym! Working out while being in a stationary location seemed absurd to me, but being ready for the climb was a higher priority, so with a month to go it was off to the gym.

Surprisingly I didn’t hate going as much as I thought I would and I was motivated to go. Rotating between the stair machine, stationary bike, and elliptical machine I sweated away trying to work my lungs as much as I could handle. And then one day it was time to enter the water and swim laps. Another activity I despised while listening to others who did laps every week. I’m not a strong swimmer but love snorkeling in the ocean. In a pool there’s no fish or corals or even a shark to motivate me. Have you ever swam with a sea turtle? You don’t realize you’re even working out. Well, until you look up once the turtle has gone and realize how far you need to swim back.

Entering the pool I planned to do 6 laps on this first attempt. Completing my first half of a lap I was breathing pretty hard already. Was swimming really this aerobic? Am I really this out of shape? There are people swimming next to me that just keep going and going – How? Returning to complete the first lap and it was time for a break to catch my breath. Once again how out of shape I must be has confronted me. Eventually I did swim 6 laps, a half a lap at a time, and sat up out of the pool almost completely exhausted. Sitting there staring back into the blue water while an internal struggle commenced – time to take a shower and leave this place, exhausted and a little defeated, or get back in the water and work even harder? Could I even stay afloat now with fatigued muscles? After a minute or two and the life guard continuing to glance my way I re-entered the pool determined to do 1 more lap. That lap completed, after stopping at the halfway point briefly, and then I did another. By this time my body was telling me safety was becoming a bigger concern with being able to stay afloat so I exited and ended my first experience in the pool.

With only a few weeks until the Fight for Air climb I continued to get better but the Stairmaster informed me that 680 steps in 5 minutes was highly unlikely. A little disappointed each week that my performance had not improved more it was time for me to take on this challenge. Unfortunately I had been battling a cold for the past few weeks and on this day it decided to stage a comeback making breathing more difficult once again but it wouldn’t stop me from trying anyway. All I could do was my best.

Getting all checked in and securing my number to my shirt and tag on my shoe it was time for stairs. A few stretches to warm up and my time arrived. Step after step, floor after floor, I could feel the difficulty I was having in breathing and my time was not going to be what I was striving for, but I didn’t stop. I did have to slow down for awhile in order to catch my breath so I could continue on and reach the top at a fast pace. With only 10 floors to go I was struggling to pick up my pace but tried to get going faster again. At that point my cold was really affecting me, causing difficulty to catch my breath, and I could feel my heart pounding. Now with 5 floors left I forced a faster pace and reached the top sooner than I expected, yet disappointed that my goal was not met. Walking around to slow my breathing back down and reduce my heart rate I felt pretty good overall so working out did make an impact verses the previous year where my chest really hurt from my heart pounding which lasted for almost a week. The hurt was more like a muscle that had been worked than what I believe a heart attack to be like so I didn’t worry too much about it and I could still breath normally.

After 15 minutes I went to check on my time and saw that it took more than 6 minutes for me to complete the climb. Not even close to 5 minutes I was shooting for but still better than either of the previous 2 times I participated in the Fight for Air climb so not all bad. My cold probably cost me a few seconds of time but even with that I would not have made it under 6 minutes. Once I finished I knew I didn’t push hard enough at the top so I was responsible for another few seconds of time. Combining those things I likely would have been under 6 minutes, but still a ways away from 5. What does this mean for me? I’ve got a whole year now to train for my goal of 5 minutes! I will continue at the gym and once warmer weather arrives get back out on my bike to keep pushing and training.

Overall it helped me to maybe feel what it’s like for those that can’t breath normally most of the time and what they must deal with on a daily basis. Knowing they can’t use their full potential because of the inability to take in the air required to do so. I’m so appreciative to be able to breath in a normal manner even if my lung capacity is smaller than others. Five minutes in 2020! (That’s 2.27 stairs per second or 136 per minute)

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Carvings Made of Snow

February 17, 2019 Troy

After seeing a beautiful sunrise shining some rare sunshine through ice sculptures, I headed to another location to see the creativity brought out using huge blocks of snow. They were not disappointing! The talent possessed by people willing and able to create amazing works of art from snow is so impressive. The amount of time and energy spent during the coldest time of year, and this year provided some brutal cold weather during the carving days, to show off designs was well appreciated by many during a brief warm up. On this particular Saturday afternoon the temperature soared above freezing for a few glorious hours allowing for a comfortable time outdoors.

Near the entrance to the sculpture park there was a large Tyrannosaurus Rex guarding a maze created entirely of white snow while welcoming visitors to the creative expressions on display for only a few weeks. In front of the T-Rex was the St Paul Winter Carnival emblem, also carved of snow, declaring this area property of the winter carnival. Such amazing detail to be viewed for only a short period of time. It’s almost disappointing for these artists to put so much time into their creations and have them disappear a short time later. Continuing on around the area I came upon a sculpture of a cabin with someone lost in the comfort of a tub full of water snoozing the day away. The ability of the people carving to show such a 3-D depiction covering both sides of this wall separating outside from inside is so impressive right down to the scrub brush sitting in the window.

One of the most entertaining snow sculptures, for me, was this young person staring into an open refrigerator while scratching their head. I really enjoyed many of the details from this carving from the shelves on the refrigerator door to the cabinets on the wall right down to the brick on the wall behind those cabinets. It reminding me of the numerous times I’ve been searching for some edible treasure during a warm summer day as alluded to by the shorts and t-shirt worn by this person entranced by what was going on inside this appliance. Walking around to the other side of this snowy creation you begin to understand the quizzical stance of this young person. The contents of this mechanical ice box appear to have broken out and where having a friendly gathering on the other side of the wall. That would make any of us stand their in amazement to come across such an event.

Ending my time in the snow sculpture park was Snoopy as the Flying Ace a top his dog house. Who doesn’t love this iconic scene from a number of Peanuts episodes? Standing back and just watching as others meandered around these amazing works of art seemed like a good memory to make the return trip to my car with. Seeing all ages examining each carving, pointing, commenting to whoever they arrived here with, and photographing each one seemed like justification enough for each artist to do what was required of them to show their beautiful pieces of work for such a short time. While an artist often sees their work as they envisioned it instead of how it actually is, focusing on each flaw and how it should have been better, the spectators see such impressive displays of creativity and dedication that allows us to view each piece through our own lens and imagination.

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