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

Groundhog Days 2017

Woodstock Willie famously traverses the Square in the dead of winter, paying visits to businesses, landmarks and special events much to the delight of both children and grown-ups alike.

Our town celebrates Groundhog Day like no other. Twenty-five years ago Bill Murray famously filmed the movie Groundhog Day here. Every year Woodstock cherishes the ability to gather the community together in the dead of winter ~ and it has evolved into a weeklong celebration of sorts.

Woodstock Willie makes his grand appearance on February 1 amidst fireworks and applause. On February 2, there is a big congregation on the square to watch Woodstock Willie emerge from his tree stump and make a declaration about the status of winter. The mayor proudly declares the results after interpreting what Willie says. (For the first time in a while, we didn’t go ~ we were too busy recovering from skating for five hours on synthetic ice the night before. You can read about it here.)

One thing I do love about Groundhog Days is that you get to see neighbors and friends who may have been hibernating over the winter. Everyone is in a good mood because, unlike other holidays, Groundhog Days requires no gifts, no preparation and no added stress. It is about spending the week with Woodstock Willie, a chili cook-off, a walking tour of movie sites, storytelling, a talking banana and a community that embraces the wisdom of a furry rodent.

It is tradition to get your picture with Woodstock Willie -- you just have to do it!

The weekend always brings a session of storytelling by Jim May. May is an entertainer, educator and creative writer. He is fun for the kids as well as for adults.

Storyteller Jim May engages with the audience at Home State Bank.

A special instrument usually finds its way into one of May's stories.

May is always willing to personally autograph his books.

One of the most memorable portions of his storytelling is when he makes the infamous talking banana. The girls were able to assist in the creation of said talking banana.

Jim May creating his famous talking banana.

Final product: talking.

Home State Bank also lets the kids play a post office box game where they choose a P.O. Box number, find the box and then have the manager open the boxes with a special key. Inside are special Groundhog Day treasures!

My girls love to play the Post Office Box game at Home State Bank. It is such a fun experience for the kids who stop in!

We were too cold to go on the walking tour, but we did stop by Starbucks to grab a cake pop or two (Valentine’s Day, I know … I guess Starbucks isn’t into celebrating Woodstock Willie), and, of course, we visited our favorite bookstore, Read Between the Lynes to grab some reading material for the week!

A quick Valentine's ... er, Groundhog Day, treat!

Happy belated Groundhog Day, campers;)

iLandscape Trade Show and Skating on Synthetic Ice

In the midst of winter in Chicagoland, we were invited to attend the iLandscape Trade Show presented by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association and Wisconsin Green Industry Federation. Taking a break from the dreariness of the gray Northern Illinois skies and very little snow, we spent this day surrounded by flowers, mulch, greenery, all the smells of spring, running water, roses … and, an ice rink.

My girls were listed as “Entertainers” for the A. Block Marketing booth. While A. Block is in the mulch business with delicious mulch names such as chocolate and chocolate chip, they also market synthetic ice, and our girls were lucky enough to be able to demonstrate some of their figure skating moves on it.

Girl #1's skates were the first blades on this synthetic ice at the A. Block Marketing booth.

It was a long day for both girls (five hours of skating) ~ and they came home truly exhausted, but they had a fun time and enjoyed everything about this educational field trip day.

First, we had to take a bus from Woodfield Mall to the convention center, so that was exciting for the girls. As homeschoolers who live in a decidedly more rural county, we don't often find ourselves in a position to use public transportation. Then, both girls had official name badges for the event, so they felt pretty special. And, of course, there was … the ice!

They were ready to get on as soon as we walked in. Synthetic ice is exciting! It isn’t cold, so we didn’t have to be bundled up. And, you could put it in your basement … which also is exciting!

Working her lunge in front of the crowd. 

The girls put in a full day of work, but I spent a little time wandering around the trade show floor.

Here is a smattering of what I saw – and it made me a little giddy for springtime (although, the groundhog did see his shadow, so that means six more weeks of winter before I get to see some of this foliage again!

A. Block Marketing mulch samples.

Flowers courtesy of Midwest Groundcovers LLC.

Midwest Groundcovers LLC provided some beautiful bright colors and brightened up the our cloudy 2017

Mulch with adorable little pot pets by The Mulch Center ~ www.mulchcenter.com

I loved the peaceful waterfalls by Easy Pro Pond Products. 

The big equipment was pretty spectacular as well.

I loved this creative rock display by Crossroads Garden Center.

I think this was part of the SyntheticTurf  company's booth.

Gerry Hundt's Legendary One-Man-Band entertained the floor.

The guys working the Arlington Power Equipment booth were fun to talk to. 

A performer with The Actors Gymnasium Circus & Performing Arts dressed in foliage and walking on stilts was exciting to interact with. She stopped and posed for pictures, too.

Beautiful plants provided by Willoway Nurseries Inc.

This gorgeous beading was just in the foyer floor-to-ceiling windows of the Schaumburg Convention Center. It was stunning!

And then, of course, there was the Tiny House. As soon as my girls finished their time “working,” they headed to the Tiny House and quickly made it their own. They created their own little story of living in the house, put their name badges in the drawers, pretended they were getting food out of the pantry, sat in their living room and pretended to make their dinners and eat them at the tiny table.

The kitchen and stairs inside the Titan Tiny Homes booth.

A serene loft bedroom presented by www.titantinyhomes.com

In addition, one of my girls won the raffle for this pink mini Husqvarna chain saw, and she was pretty excited about that.

The booth across from us was raffling off toy Husqvarna chain saws. This pink beauty came home with us that day. I had one happy little girl. A-1 Repairs demoed a roomba-esque lawnmower  called an automower which I thought was a great deal. Also, there was an impressive array of very powerful-looking chain saws, edgers, trimmers, and other equipment.

Oh, and look at these intricately beautiful ice sculptures! I wish I had a name to pass on, but I have no idea who carved them! They were right outside the convention center as we walked out.

I wish I knew who provided the ice sculptures. They were sooooooo pretty!

Overall, I think we enjoyed this little change in our usual winter plans. And, I also was able to spend some time on the synthetic ice ~ I'm glad I brought my skates along, even if it added that much more to the load we had to carry on-and-of the busses!