North Pole Ice Art Championship 2007

The first annual North Pole Ice Art Championship was really interesting watching people create from an artist's soul and burgeoning into life from a frozen square conforming block to something magical and precious.
People had from Sat 8:00am to Sunday 3:00pm to produce a beautiful textured piece of ice art with chainsaws, power sanders, and even small nail files, with little or no sleep. The ice chips were flying everywhere and cool prisms of light were reflecting from multiple and non-congruent chunks of ice lying wasted next to forming creations. The artist's minds eye were becoming part of reality for everyone to see and feel.
There were multiple volunteers helping anyway they could, from loaning tools, clearing ice, to just helping out with babysitting artist's adorable children. It was a symphony of artists and the community trying to build something together, the laughter and smiles on people helping each other was just such an Alaskan part of life. People had been up all night trying to breath life into a cold solid block of ice, like An Qifeng and his piece of art called "It's Love". The free form and soft curvature might have been about love being free and comes out of nowhere. Two forms coming together and merging into one, each completing each other.
I have felt that kind of soul moving love twice now in my life. My friends tell me people search their whole lives looking for that kind of love and I have been very lucky to have it, 10 years ago and just this spring. Publishing the photo of It's love and listening to Annie Lennox "Love is Blind" while writing this resurfaced what happened just a few days ago at the UAF print art sale. I saw my current endeavor's upper torso portrait on a print labeled "A wonderful thing to wake up to". Well, that was an eye opener and wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew. The print was a little racy, but that is artistic expression. Then just when I was walking out of the print show, my heart left me speechless, which rarely happens. The person I am truly interested in was looking at the print and was enthralled. I tried to talk but my damn heart was in my mouth, and I let my emotions runnith over. I was not able to handle it, sucks being human. Am I scared to be in love again and fear of failure or being able to change out of this melancholy and be happy again? This kind of thing you just cannot make up, life is better than fiction.
Well, I am digressing and need to get back to the other story, which is also entwined in my life.

The creation from Anita Tabor (see first photo) captured first place in competition juried by the Artists and was presented the award by the King and Queen of the Ice Art Championship. I have never seen anyone wearing a Queen's tiera in the middle of an Alaskan Winter before. She said it was the one award she really wanted to at least place in. Being recognized by your fellow artists is a wonderful fulfilling emotion. She wanted to pay me for photos of her art, but I said I would take it out in trade. I would like to have a "Snow Woman" made in my front yard, since there was not enough snow this year to make one. Why does it always have to be a Snow Man? She laughed and I might have my snow woman next weekend.

Deline Laughlin sculpted this free form piece called "The Gift". We were talking about how artists like ourselves are trying to make this world a better place to live in and how art moves lives. She remembered how during one Ice Art Championship her daughter was going through tough times and she got her into helping her in sculpting a piece together. It truly helped both of them and this piece was representing their time together. Life and art are beautiful combined expressions.
If you would like to see more Ice Art, they have it set up with a Live Web Cam at www.icealaska.com. You all might go there at a specific time and say hi to your family and friends in the lower 48. It would be a heart-warming gift for all involved. I will be there live during Christmas with a sign to say hi to my Family in Florida and Washington on Christmas Day, since I cannot be with them and I am making my X move out. Well, I have my next-door neighbors and friends for X-mas.

Blacken Rose Petal

I can not handle the yelling and cursing at me, especially before a concert, enough is enough. I have watched my mom tell so many other women to stop the verval abuse and here am I taking it myself. Not listening to my grandmother when she said I needed to practice what I preach, was one heck of a blond moment. I thought this over since May and found that I was just keeping Jim around, so I would not find love again since loosing my family. Me someone that has fear, I would never have thought it would happen. What a powerful emotion and makes us do things we never would have thought we would do. Because of this I can finally have the compasion for someone going through something like this. Being with someone for over seven years was being married and it is a difficult decision that needs time to work through and six months is enough. He needs to leave. We both dont deserve being only just friends living under one roof. We need love and companionship, living like this is just living a lie and we have to move on. He told me tonight that once the ball starts rolling that is it. I had to write and take this picture to work this through. I have lived better half of my life with out having to depend upon someone to pay the bills and supposively have no saftey blanket. He is just blowing smoke and being trying to stay with me, and his ass is out of here. I do not like breaking his heart, because mine has been on a really rough road recently. My dad told me becareful when you are breaking someones heart, because you will be in their shoes someday. I have always tried to be this way. If it makes me look like I am weak then they shur the heck do not know me. I have been through some rough times in my life and I have always made it through. Grandma's advise to get through the best as you can and remember the good times, that is what makes me laugh when I can and enjoy life. I wish I could play a country western song backwards and get my dog back, my car running again, love back in my life, and not worry about what I will be doing after May. At this point I will try anything. My next door neighbor tells me I am not going to do it and kick him out. She knows I hate someone telling me something I can not do and gets me going to do what I need to do. This is my decision and I has to be for the right reason of me changing and moving on in life and him refusing to change. I need someone who wants to go outside and do things, not just rot away with tv on 24/7. I want to live life and enjoy it with someone. I still do not like hurting someone to have to move on in life, but it is something that has to be dealt with.

Chichenitza - One of the 10 Wonders of the World

We finally were able to become tourists and relax for just 1/2 of a day. To relax at Chichenitza, one of the 10 wonders of the world, was an added bonus. The minute you step out of the car you realize you are in a special and powerful place.
You could almost feel the power seeping into your soles of your shoes and travel upward. We got ourselves a guide, since we didn't have enough time and I wanted to video record the history currently known.