The holidays are usually the time when the thought of snow comes around. This is a magical season when everyone wants to come together, forgive all grudges, and drink hot chocolate all day. This time of year, is also my favorite for many reasons. To start, I am a cold-weather person. Ever since I was a child, winter is the season when I felt more at ease.
Maybe it was a question of being comfortable. I figured that if the weather gets cold, you can always put on a sweater. If the weather gets colder, you can always put on a jacket. Now, when it comes to hot weather, you can always take off your shirt (not at your job, of course), but what if it gets hotter? I know what you’re thinking, that’s what air-conditioning if for, but what if you’re outside?
When you’re outside, there’s not much you can do, so that’s why made me like winter a lot more. Winter also gives the landscape a different but beautiful look. It is as if a touch of magic has been effortlessly thrown into the air. Families all around come together to celebrate love and compassion in the world and for one another. Children also wait for Santa Claus to come down the chimney, eat milk and cookies and leave their presents under the tree.
One of the things that I loved doing is making a snowman and getting into snowball fights with my neighbors. One day, my father took me to a new exhibition that sparked a new interest, ice sculptures. I had seen a few of them on some weddings I had attended. It was a school from Chicago that taught everything you needed to know about them.
I went to one of them and was immediately hooked. I attended my first workshop that same winter. I felt like a modern sculptor, which I sort of still am. My first creation was okay I guess. It was a simple sculpture of a tree, no fancy details or anything, but it was good enough to keep me motivated. I attended more workshops and did very well. This took me to participate in my first competition.
I did fairly well on a few of them that I attended, and I thought that ice sculptures were the most awesome thing I had seen until I saw what Dan, a farmer could do with his tractor. He does something that doesn’t only take a lot of time, patience and energy, but also creativity. The ingredients are a tractor, about 10 inches of snow and Dan. Take a look!
