“Ice has a social life. Its changeability shapes the culture, language and stories of those who live near it. Ice is recognized as a mineral since it is a crystalline solid that is naturally occurring. The presence of impurities like bubbles of air or soil makes ice appear transparent or opaque blue-white color. The multi block competition is half over and there has been a lot of progress from yesterday to today. One site caught my fantasy as I was wandering through the woods, camera in hand. There were different piles of carved ice pieces, each pile separated from another. There was a pile of what looked like six tusks. A pile of several claws and a pile of about fifteen baffling objects. I have no idea what they are. It’s exciting to anticipate what will go where and what the finished masterpiece will be. At this point I have no idea. Another sculpture I am looking at with much eagerness is the one being carved by the team from Latvia. Two years ago they carved a true masterpiece called Eye of the Universe. It was ethereal, absolutely breathtaking and won first place in the multi block competition. Their entry this year is called Hope. They have set the bar high for themselves and I, for one, can hardly wait to see the magic they create this time. Twice a day the carvers gather in the Badger building for meals, lunch and dinner. Meals are prepared by Chartwells. The wide variety of food is delicious and abundant. One of our artists, Dean DeMarais, says he burns about 7,000 calories a day during competition so he appreciates the good and hearty food. The carvers also need to stay very hydrated so water is in constant demand. One last interesting tidbit for today: there is a guest book in the gift shop that everyone who is visiting is invited to sign and leave their comments. In just a few days we have had international visitors from Columbia and Argentina and nationally from South Carolina, Georgia, Wyoming, Washington D.C., Chicago and Colorado to name a few. It’s wonderful to have visitors from around the world once again.