FRIDAY SKY - BALLOONS AND BLUE SKY

These photos of the colorful balloons against the beautiful clear blue sky were taken at this year Ice Carnival in downtown St. Charles (faithful readers know I love writing about balloons, especially the ones that got away, broke free from the "golden handcuff", flying high into the sky to freedom and liberty).  I just noticed there was an "airless" red balloon in the above photo. 

Happy Spring to ya'll - the hot and humid summer weather will be here before you know it!

TUESDAY TWO - A DUO AND ONLY ONE STANDING

The above was one of the painted hardboards with cut-out "faces" on displayed along Delmar Boulevard during the Ice Carnival at the Loop last month. The young people seemed to enjoy this feature the most and had a good time placing their faces behind the openings. A young man got everyone laughing when he purposely placed his face where the female body was and singing in a real high pitch voice. There were a few little kids that needed help from their parents since the openings were too high for them. I always enjoyed seeing parents/grandparents engaging in fun loving activities with their kids/grandkids.

When we first walked pass the above ice sculpture, there was a line of people waiting to take photos with their faces behind the openings. So we kept walking. By the time we came back later, one of the figures was knocked down, perhaps because someone got up close and personal. I decided to include the "broken ice sculpture" image in this Tuesday Two post as it is fitting to what happened after the Superbowl on Sunday. The one standing is Eli and the Giants while Brady and my beloved Patriots fell apart on the ground. Enough about football, I am moving on giving full attention to hockey. Currently, the New York Rangers is leading in the Eastern Conference with 71 points while the #1 team in the Western Conference is my beloved Detroit Red Wings with 72 points. If the playoffs took place today between #1 seeds, these two teams would play against each other. I am not sure if I could take another "my heart is torn" game between my American hometown team and my beloved team!

THE LOOP 2012 ICE CARNIVAL

There was no alien like the one above, but there were plenty of regular folks (included a grumpy geezer named TOTA) at the 2012 Ice Carnival in the Loop. The event was scheduled for the weekend of January 14th and 15th. It was cold but not windy and the streets were not covered with snow like last year. We again parked a few blocks away and walked along Delmar where the ice scupltures were on display in front of the sponsoring businesses. The sculptures were created as promotional pieces for the stores, some were very clever but not all the art works represent what is being sold in the stores.

Above ice sculpture was sponsored by Gyro House and it was fitting that it was Socrates or a typical Greek philosopher. (Hey Qaptain, have you been to Socrates Sculpture Park on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens? I definitely would like to check it out next time I am in NYC.) We each ordered a house gyro with lamb meat and hold the onion for mine. Once again we are on a "diet" trying to cut back on sweet, so no baklava this time. Last year, I almost had to make an emergency trip to the dentist when a large chunk of honey would not let go of my dental crown.

Above sculpture was in front of a tattoo parlor. The line was long so I did not wait. Maybe next year I would get there early to be the first one in line!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - TET - CHUC MUNG NAM MOI

I thought the above ice scuplture of the dragon is fitting for this post celebrating the Lunar New Year being the Year of the Dragon.

This ice sculpture is on display in front of a business that sell baby stuff. I selected it for this post because the new year is like a baby. Hopefully this baby (looking good for being over 4,000 years old) will grow up strong, healthy and enjoy a bright future.

The business that sponsored the above sculpture was a sushi eatery. A whole fish is a popular dish on the Chinese New Year dinner menu. Fish, in Chinese pronunciation sounding like the word of abundance. Keep in mind if you are at such dinner, be careful not to flip the fish over because of an old superstition of equating flipping a fish with flipping a boat or fortune being turned upside down. Also, the head and tail of the fish must remain in tact to ensure good luck throughout the year.

Just a few more fish (from the Wildlights at the Zoo) for extra luck in 2012. (BTW, I am not really late with this post about the Lunar New Year or TET which is the Vietnamese New Year, since it is a 7 to14 days celebration - haa haa). Happy New Year to all and may the new year bring you good health, happiness, love, peace, blessings, liberty and justice!

TUESDAY TWO - BABY, IT IS COLD!

The above ice sculpture was created for a tuxedo rental business - how appropriate!
I thought of saying to the people who put their faces behind the face openings of the sculpture below, "I double dog dare you to stick your tongue to the ice. I triple dog dare you!"

Above were the chocolate gold coins in the ice cubes we got from the shops.
I will leave it to the Lone Gunman and Qaptain Qwerty to come up with a clever comment for the sculpture below. (Comments from any male readers are also welcome.)

Cold feet or frozen legs?

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE

Saturday, January 22nd – The last few weeks I started looking for another vehicle to replace my 8+ years old (100,000+ miles) Mazda 626. Previously, when I turned 30, I purchased a light blue 2-door Escort, then another Escort – Green color this time when I was 35 and owned the 626 in 2002. Since I will be turning 50 next month, it is time for me to get another new car. I selected three different models, did extensive comparisons and am very close to make my decision. One of the important factors is that the vehicle must have a high percentage of being produced (also parts) from assembly plants in the U.S. I am not in a hurry to get a new car during these winter months (don't care for snow, salt and mud) and the 626 is still running good. My husband keeps a good schedule of maintenance on our cars. The dealerships need to sell more than I need to buy.It started to snow around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday evening into Sunday afternoon. I thought it was nice that we already attended 5:30 p.m. Mass yesterday and we could stay inside all day. Though I am not against going to Mass on Saturday evening, I prefer attending the traditional Sunday Mass.Sunday was another exciting day filled with NFL playoffs games. The Packers sent the Bears “packing” with a 21-14 victory in NFC Championship Game. I was torn between wanting the NY Jets to win because deep-down I am a NYer (well, I have always thought the Jets were more New Jersey than New York team!) but I resented that the Jets kicked my Patriots’ butts. I also thought the Steelers already won the Super Bowl in 2006 (we were there) and again in 2009, so perhaps I should cheer for the Jets. The Steelers won 24-19 over the Jets in the AFC Championship Game.

Hey Lone Gunman, how about a friendly wager for the Super Bowl? What would be your pick, Steelers or Packers?

A COOL ARTIST AT WORK

I don't know the name of the artist but he was pretty good with using the chainsaw, a heavy duty ice pick and a few other tools to make this cool looking snowflake.

To be an ice sculpture artist requires many years of training and a pair of steady hands. So, kids and adults, do not try or even attempt to do this at home!