Ice Carving and Winter Festivals

In many cities that have a long winter ~ artist of different hues make the most of temps that freezes one’s breath.

Anchorage each winter has Ice Carving Challenges, Snow carving Contests, and Dog Sled Races.  All are wonderful celebrations for winter.

Downtown Anchorage has Town Square where the Ice Carving Challenge takes place.  For those of us whose passion is photography it’s a challenge for Ice to appear in our photographs.

 

Day time vs night time shots bring about different area of concerns.  Lighting being the main factor; for even experienced photographers. 

As with any medium the artist at times can take liberties that admirers can overlook.  Or creates a piece that leaves one wondering to what it could be.   

Each year the ice carving artists visit from various states and even countries.  Each year my guy and I head over to see theme of that peculiar year. 

 

This Year the Ice Carving are truly wonderful.  Various themes each created with the joy of using Ice.  I can only say the carvers outdid themselves this year.

A dear friend of ours enters the GCI Snow Carving Contest for Fur Rondy, 

http://www.furrondy.net/

a winter tradition since fur trapping days of early Gold Miners of the mid to late 1800's.  

Guy always finishes in the top 4 for snow carving!  I can’t wait to see this year’s entry by him and his wife.  And as always I’ll be posting some fun photo’s to share to those of you who live in those southern sunny beach areas.

Scout Em' Down Soup

Saturday’s dinner I fixed a small pork roast, rice, mixed veggies, a tomato onion cucumber salad, plus brown pork gravy; along with applesauce and a tangerine.

Today as most Sundays I don’t want to spend all day cooking because it has turned into a day of doing things in my craft room ~ so

Last night’s left over’s turned into soup.

White Bean Scout Em’ Down Soup 

(cause sometimes 

you have to scramble 

to find some ingredients)

Chop the port roast into small bite size cubes

Mix the left over gravy and 2 cups water toss in large cooking pot

Stir in rice plus bite size pieces of pork.  Plus two teaspoons of Worcesterhire Sauce (I use the Thick Classic) Next:

Dice one stalk of celery into very fine pieces & Slice & dice two garlic cloves ~ add both to pot.

Measure out Two tablespoons of dried onions (Walmart sells at 68 cents a bottle and can’t be beat for price) and add to pot.
 Toss one handful of frozen Sweet Pepper slices into pot.  I always have a bag of frozen sweet peppers on hand.  Taste just as good as fresh and it saves time when using for soups or stir fry, since they already sliced into small pieces for me!

Add additional seasoning to taste. I added one teaspoon of “McCormick’s Grill Mates”:

Spicy Montreal Steak

Add one can of White beans to mixture

Cook on medium heat on stove for 30 to 40 minutes! Stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to bottom of pot And dinner is ready in no time at all!

Serves 4 or 2 very hungry peeps

Add a croissant for each person plus a small plate full of red grapes and tangerine slices 

A perfect quick Sunday Night Dinner