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Ice Sculpture at Ice on Whyte Festival January 2014

Ice on Whyte Festival 2014

Wednesday evening my friend Kim and I attended the Ice on Whyte Festival here in town.  It was sooooo cold!!!  Standing still was not an option unless you were near one of the fire pits or indoors where there was a book reading for the anthology 40 Below.  (apt for the evening, though it wasn't that cold).  I don't know what the wind chill was but be assured there was one!

Here are some random photos I took that evening.  It's a fun annual event, especially for the family with a frozen slide in addition to the sculptures.  It was my first time attending and I'll definitely go again.

The Sun is Deceiving Today

While other bloggers like Three Dogs in a Garden are posting gorgeous gardens complete with lush greenery and blooming flowers, I am sharing a cool forecast and snowy gardens.  I think there's a balance in there somewhere, right?

Last week was pleasantly warm and had many of us here hoping for an early spring.  Mother Nature, however, decided we'd been spoiled enough and last evening kept us awake with howling winds.  Temperatures dropped across the board from a balmy +9 Celsius to a chilly -12 C.  As I write this it has dropped further to -14 with expected lows of -21 C overnight.  Brrr.  At least roadways have cleared significantly with the melting of the last few days.  No snow in the foreseeable forecast.  If it weren't for the windchill, it might still be a pleasant day.  The sun is shining deceptively bright.  It's a good day to sit by a sunny window and read.  That's where you'll find me today.

Have a terrific Sunday everyone!

Another Beautiful Day

We've been unseasonably warm after an unusually cold December but this I am loving, aside from the ice.  Looks to be another gorgeous day today with a high of 4 Celsius though quite windy.  

Hope you enjoy a wonderful Sunday.

Year 2013 in Reflection

Late winter (January/February) saw us move residence.  We now had a bare field in front and behind us giving us unobstructed views of sunrises to the northeast.  It was lovely until construction both in front and in back disrupted the views and the peace.  However, to my delight, a new family park began construction across the road.  Behind us, new housing developments.  A perfect excuse to get out of the house to explore!

As beautiful as winter can be, I yearn for colour and the sweet promise of spring so off to the greenhouses I went.  In the above photos:  Muttart Conservatory saw the blooming of Putrella Amorphphallus Titanum in April. Also in bloom was a daffodil garden comprising most of an entire pyramid and many other spectacular spring flowers.  I had to bring some of that intoxicating beauty home with floral arrangements.  

Nearby, as spring warmed the earth and our hearts, resident Canada Geese nested amongst the reeds at a local pond.  They were quite camera shy, would you believe it? 

When summer finally arrived (it was a late spring in 2013) I took advantage of the opportunities to be found including but not limited to riding segways at the river valley, watching the Dragon boat races, visiting gardens, watching the July 1 fireworks, attending the CariWest Festival Parade, visiting the Lois Hole Wetlands and berry picking.  A visit to the lake for a day with family was time well spent.

The garden adored the heat.

Then September rolled in and the warm weather persisted to our delight!  We made a trek to Jasper National Park (including the Columbia Ice Fields), Banff National Park and Waterton National Park where we spent time with our moms, a couple of the kids and their boyfriend/girlfriends.  We had a fabulous time!!  I miss the mountains so this was the best way to say hello to autumn and goodbye to summer.  See Waterton National Park, Where Have the Columbia Icefields Gone, and Rocky Mountain Highs.

The Festival of Trees took place over the last weekend in November.  Above is a small sampling of the beauty we enjoyed.  I've volunteered there previously and really miss doing so.  Working in retail at this time of year kind of zaps the energy so I just enjoyed visiting at leisure.  I dragged hubby along and we joined a couple of our sons and our daughter, with their respective companions, for a lovely evening of festive gaiety.  See Festival of Trees.

The beginning of December Devonian Botanic Gardens held their annual Luminaria event on what turned out to the coldest weekend so far!  Bundled up though, it wasn't too bad that evening.  You can visit my post here.

Candlelight Christmas with the McDades at John Walter Museum.

Above collage photos were taken at the John Walter Museum.

This little hermit actually got out and explored a little and it was fun!  Enough about me, how was 2013 for you?

Wishing you a spectacular new year of joy, peace and the company of those you love.  May adventure find you ready and willing!  I'm looking forward to visiting all my

 blogger friends in the upcoming year to share in your 

garden joys and your adventures.  

We're all in this together, we may as well enjoy it!

All the best,

Shirley,

The Gardening Life

Mosaic Monday

 

The McDades: Maybe This Christmas

May love, hope and harmony fill your homes 

and hearts this Christmas.  Merry Christmas!

Night-time Photography December 2013

December 12 - I went to see the McDades in concert at the John Walter Museum with Kim.  These photos were taken that evening.  You can faintly see a bridge in the background in the scene bottom right.

It was a lovely evening in a pioneer setting that allowed you, for just a few hours, to forget you were in the midst of a bustling city.  So nice.

Perhaps you'd like to visit San Francisco Daily Photo where Louis shares the Sunday Bridges meme.

Today I am also joining Mary at the Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Candlelight Christmas with the McDades at John Walter Museum

Thursday evening was a snowy one with a bit of a breeze so that as one drove the snow seemed to be coming directly at you.  This can be dangerously mesmerizing on a highway but not so much in the city as we drove through heavy traffic (there was a hockey game at Rexall Place that night) on our way to the John Walters Museum in Edmonton.

When we arrived at our destination, the wind had let up substantially and only a light snow persisted to fall. Upon arrival and checkin, one is greeted with the aromas of fresh home baked cookies, hot apple cider and hot chocolate, all complimentary with tickets for the event.

In another house, there were three buildings open for the event, we arrived to a candlelit living room filled with chairs, a wood burning pot belly stove (not being used), and three performers at the head of the room.  Sitting in the front row, we were privy to the amazing experience of seeing the trio of  Shannon, Solon and his partner Alison who would perform for 45 minutes with the most lovely renditions of British and French Christmas carols. It's truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Above, the McDades:  Solon (son), Shannon (daughter) and Alison (Solon's partner)

Shannon shared a personal piece at the end of the performance with a violin solo followed by Edel Weiss prepared by Alison for their particular instruments.  Alison sang the song in a soft lyrical voice that was truly beautiful.

After this concert, we went to the first building for hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies before heading to John Walter's bachelor home where a harp and a table covered with a variety of wind instruments and a guitar sat behind the two performers for the remainder of the evening, Terry McDade and his son Jeremiah who performed for another 45 minutes.   Below is the harp backlit with candles in mason jars.

Above:  Terry McDade (dad)

Jeremiah McDade (son) played violin and a variety of wind instruments.  The McDades have their own beautiful renditions of several songs, including Little Drummer Boy wherein Jeremiah opens with throat singing.  Terry explained that as they composed this piece, they asked themselves what would it have been like in Bethlehem in an inn on the night Mary and Joseph would have been seeking a place to spend the night.  Likely the inn would have been crowded with people and a band would have been playing.  Little Drummer Boy was performed for our enjoyment in a manner in keeping with the McDades perception of that night over a thousand years ago.  I've included a YouTube video below so you can listen to this song - I highly recommend it.  As different as it is from the traditional song, it is perhaps more authentic to the experience and certainly beautiful.

The audience was invited to join in a couple of numbers as well. 

I loved this concert!  It helps to refocus on the traditional values of Christmas, on the simple joys and wonderment.  The nice thing about the venue is that it feels like it is not in a large city but rather on its own, surrounded by large trees and freshly fallen snow.  Overhead the snow stopped for a while and one could see the thumbnail of a moon shining through the branches overhead. 

I'd love to make this a family tradition to attend yearly.  I loved it that much!

Sorry no video footage accompanied this song so perhaps listen with your eyes closed.  

Isn't it lovely?

http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/sport_recreation/candlelight-christmas.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_McDades

Tobogganing Crow

Luminaria at the Devonian Gardens - Is the Popular Event Worth the Trip?

Sunday evening a friend and I drove out to Devon to the Devonian Botanic Garden to partake of the Luminaria event/festival.  The parking was predicted to be filled to capacity so they had a shuttle bus running continuously. The gates opened at 5:00 pm.  Since we arrived just before 5:30 pm, we managed to find a spot near the entrance,  thanks to those with glowing batons who directed traffic, and walked in from there.   The fee for the event was $10.95 per person.  So consider that and the 1/2 hour drive on a very cold winter day.

Luminaria finds its origins in Mexico and Latin America, roughly 1945-1950.  Luminaria, according to dictionary.com, refers to "any lamp or lantern displayed during a festival."  Wikipedia has a good article on the origins at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminaria.

Above, the entrance to the garden is through a passageway between buildings.  The building on the right houses a store while the one on the left is where you purchase admission.

The following photos were taken that evening at the Kurimoto Japanese Garden.  Pathways were lit with white waxed paper bags weighted down with sand in the bottom and illuminated with a small candle.  Spotlights drew attention to the few Japanese features that are in this garden while the Ozawa Pavillion was lit from within. These were the only sources of light but it was sufficient.  A nice touch was spotlights within massed plantings of trees as they lit them beautifully, accenting the trunks and limbs on this winter's eve.

http://www.devonian.ualberta.ca/Events/Luminaria.aspx

Beneath a pagoda a group of carollers sang some beautiful Christmas numbers.

 Above, the bell tower.

I noticed three different groupings of ice sculptures in the gardens.  

Above a Great Horned Owl and another owl sit together.  A little further on in this post 

you will see the wolves also sculpted from ice.  I didn't get a photo of the single bear.

Oh, I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have these little bonfires burning at strategic points 

along the path.  Hot apple cider was given to anyone who wanted a little inner warmth.  

What I call warming stations basically amounts to a fire pit, like the one above, 

sometimes with a few chairs round about where one can sit to warm up on a cold night.  

Most of the stations also offered hot cider.  Visitors were asked to bring their own mugs 

but disposable cups were available for those who didn't bring their own.

To the right in the photo above is one of five stone lanterns located in the garden.  Ahead on the path is a warming station complete with bonfire.  At this particular station one could light a candle for a loved one who has passed on.  The volunteers manning the warming areas, the light a candle area, and those directing traffic were all very welcoming and friendly.  I asked one young man who was pouring the cider for visitors how he was faring in the cold.  He tugged on his overcoat and smiled saying he was hot blooded and this night's cold temperatures didn't bother him at all.  I don't think everyone is as warm-blooded as he.  

One of many "lanterns" that lit the paths.

Above you can see the backs of the "magical" Snow Sprites.  This characters flitted about the paths 

making little squeaky noises.  Below, the Sprites are approaching and even posed for a photo.

Above and below, the Ozawa Pavillion is lit from within.

 One of the structures within the garden that was highlighted with spotlights.

 So beautiful.

 The skies hosted a smattering of clouds and you could see a thumbnail of a moon overhead but no stars.  The garden is far enough from our city and from the town of Devon for the view of the skies not to be impeded with light pollution but tonight's sky didn't reveal the pinprick of stars overhead.

Ice Sculptures of a pair of wolves.

Above. the pavilion in the background.

The Bell Tower sits atop a small hill.  

I have to say we were a bit disappointed we couldn't ring the bell but it was drifted in and roped off.  I'd love to take a trip out here during each of the four seasons to take photos of the different stages of the garden.  With the small hills, a waterfall and pond in the landscape there are some lovely vistas and vantage points.

The only topiaried evergreen we spotted during our visit.

We spent just over an hour walking the path and taking photos.  Having stopped twice for hot apple cider (we brought our own mugs), we were sufficiently warm.  Mind you we did dress for the weather.  The night was a cold negative twenty (-20.4 C overnight) Celsius but with a long parka,   toques, scarves, gloves and good winter boots we fared just fine.

Following our walk we visited the craft show in an adjacent building before heading out.  I took a couple photos of the wreaths but apparently I didn't save those.  All in all it was worth going out for but I think once is sufficient for this blogger.  When I consider the cost and the drive, to me it's worth the one trip out to Devon.  There's really nothing for the children though.  This event is better suited to the adult.  If you want to bundle them up for the trip next year, be my guest, but know ahead of time that it is a fair bit of walking with a few outdoor warming stations and apple cider.  Luminaria is held at the garden over a weekend in December each year.  

Note:  all photos in this post were taken either by myself or my friend Kim.