It's that time of year again. February brings Winterlude to Ottawa and Gatineau for three weekends. The thinking up here being that if you can't beat winter, celebrate it. The opening weekend is done, and the crowds were out. I thought I'd do some blogs on it during the festival, and so this is the first one. I
am taking pictures, though these aren't mine. They're lifted from other sources. I'm still using film cameras (disposables, at that,
damn you camera for dying on me!).....
Things started on Friday with fireworks above the Ottawa River. I wasn't there; I was off doing a bit of cross country skiing. This time I managed not to have any near-collisions with a deer.
The Rideau Canal is the centrepiece of the festival. Over seven kilometres in the heart of Ottawa are cleared for skating, and people take advantage. It is, in fact, the world's largest outdoor skating rink.
Finally, on the first weekend, there are the ice carving contests. More pictures of that in the coming days, but for now I thought I'd leave you with these. First off, the tools that are actually used to get the job done might include these:
It starts off with chainsaws, and from there ice carvers work their way down to saws, chisels, sandpaper, awns, and whatever other piece of equipment might come to mind. Incidentally, that includes irons.
The best season, huh? Is that why in the popularity poll, it only got 21%?
ReplyDeleteI love that ice sculpture!
It's at times like this I wish I could skate!
Nice celebration. Love the ice sculpture. Happy Winter.
ReplyDeleteI love winter! Unfortunately, where I live we don't really get one. It was nearly 70 degrees (F) here yesterday. I'll enjoy your pictures, though!
ReplyDeleteI love winter. It beats high humidity. Good thing I live in Florida,too. Don't have to worry about snow.
ReplyDeleteLove the ice sculpture and the fireworks!! It sure beats the summer humidity!
ReplyDeleteThose pictures make me miss the winter! Though I know my East Coast friends are having more than their fill this season- and the pictures outside their windows don't look quite so pretty as yours above....
ReplyDeleteLove that the canal is opened/cleared for skating, what a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThe last Ice Sculpture was Fabulous !
cheers, parsnip
It's been years since I skated down the Rideau...I'm not the best skater, but it's my feet that get tired so quickly. I kept having to take breaks and sit down because they hurt so badly. Love the Beavertails there, too...oh, and watching the buskers out on the ice is kind of neat, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat pic...some of the ice sculptures are huge...
Great pictures! It must be crazily cold for the river to be frozen like that. Amazing! Skating on a frozen river looks like great fun.
ReplyDeleteLast year the canal here froze over but the ice wasn't thick enough for skating. That didn't stop some moron from driving his car onto the ice though.
The Ottawa River does freeze at that section quite well, but I'd never trust it to cross it on the ice, Helen.
ReplyDeleteYes! I would love a guest post from you! I kinda need guests posts on my blog to relate somehow to blogging tips or social media, but if it's coming from you, I'd like you to have the freedom to be your hilarious self...any ideas??
ReplyDeleteemail me at christina.anne.lucas@gmail.com
A new cocktail...Ottawa on the Rocks!
ReplyDeleteWow! Why didn't you invite all of us? A party without us. I'm hurt. Sure looks like fun.
ReplyDelete