Lake Geneva Winterfest 2017

Last Monday morning, we went to the ice rink so that my oldest figure skater could work on her competition piece with her coach. We spent a little over two hours at the rink – all of us girls skating, practicing and working on different skills.

What do we do next, you ask? Well, we go to what was left of the Lake GenevaWinterfest to warm up, of course!

The view looking out onto Lake Geneva from the park.

View from behind one of the sculptures.

Our winter has been unseasonably warm and, yet, unbearably dreary. My girls haven’t seen snow (or sun for that matter) since December. So, when the weekend brought snow sculptors from all over the nation, we took advantage of being able to see the artwork the next day ~ and play in the snow!

We spent much of the weekend enjoying Groundhog Days, so we didn’t make it up for the actual snow sculpting, but knowing that our temps were approaching the 50s and that rain was expected, we took a trip up to the lake and walked around in pleasantly warm conditions viewing the ephemeral art.

In a case of unfortunate timing, just as we walked toward the Riviera, the first-place ice sculpture – the one with the ballerina inside of it, fell down under the warmth of the sun. That was disappointing for my youngest -- the ballerina. 

While I wish we would have been able to see all of the intricacies and details of all of the magnificent sculptures, the magnitude of its beauty and dedication of the artists still was evident. 

It was fun to just walk around the lakefront, feeling comfortable in a jacket and mittens, and talk about snow as art and discuss the titles of the works or merely look at all of the many details that were visible. 

Snow chair and snow hat.

Even after some warmer temperatures, the details here were visible.

I'm not sure what the intent was here, but it is so beautiful ~ whether it was Jesus reaching out to help someone on the floor or someone else, the message is clear: be lavishly kind.

I think this was titled something like Endless Love. 

The detail must have been incredible before the warm temperatures!

I am pretty sure this is Curious George planting the United States flag on the moon.

We had a visitation to attend this week for a small child and this particular sculpture spoke to my children. We talked about the hope of the Resurrection, but that hope was personified in the perfectly positioned light hole for the sun to pour out through this stained-glass-like design in the back of the Bible.

This is Matthew 28:2 depicted in snow ~ the angel rolling away the stone. 

The stained glass-like medallion on the back of the snow-sculpted Bible seems strategically placed to allow the Light to shine through ~ adding another layer to the beautiful Resurrection message. 

Of course, another fun aspect of going up to the lake was that there were huge piles of -- albeit quickly melting -- snow, presumably left by the snow carving teams. I noticed that a lot of children were taking advantage of the white stuff that seems to be a novelty this winter.

What is this incredible white stuff!

A chair made of snow.

My daughter captured my smile as we explored the snow chairs.

The dichotomy is palpable: warm weather and artificial snow.

I captured this genuine ice on the shore ~ ice on the top and flowing water underneath.

So, here’s to temporary art, evanescent beauty and the valiant sculptors who give spectators an incredible look into the hearts and minds of an artist whose work will perish under the warmth of the winter sun, yet who persevere in their effort to turn a mere block of imported snow into the stuff of dreams. Thank you for the best little outdoor field trip of the winter, Lake Geneva! #winterfest2017