Day 26: The Benefits of Not Smoking

Instead of spending my afternoon smoking and drinking coffee on my deck, I took my daughters to the 2012 Cripple Creek Ice Festival.

Who would choose smoking over this memory?

We had a great time.  They loved how the ice flew away from the chainsaw in arcs of snow.  

This sculpture was about 12 feet tall.  A very moving tribute.

A lot of the sculptures are sturdy enough for the kids to climb on.

They use a clothes iron to make the ice so crystal clear.  Most of the sculptures were not finished yet.

Each block weighs about 350 pounds. 

 Visitors to the festival were able to have names of their fallen soldiers added to the wall.