paintings, writing, and explorations in sound
Spring is taking its sloooww sweet time to warm everything up, but considering last year's sudden melt and how much damage that caused - flooding and thicker-than-average ice floes wiped out Eagle, Alaska, for example - I am trying hard not to complain. (See my post from last May about Eagle's rough ride). And, well,… Continue reading artist seeks coach: spring fever vs ice
"Iceland! you're going buckwild!!!!" (comment on Iceland's Facebook page, Apr 15/10) You might think that an ice-cap and its attendant glaciers would weigh enough to keep a few rocks in place. But no, basalt at 1200C (see below) can do just about anything it wants to when it's forced upwards by volcanic explosion, as the… Continue reading eyjafjallajökull: boiling basalt meets ice, enemies, friends
Last weekend Dawson City was wrapped up in the 11th annual International Short Film Festival, and it was "an obliterating mind expander" to quote one of the writers on the Fest's confessional blog (I'll just confess here that I was too busy having my mind torqued and my martini-consumption levels tested to take time to… Continue reading ice essentials, dawson city film fest
What is a pingo? An ice-cored hill that only exists where permafrost exists, because permafrost is what pushes the ice upwards like a giant pimple. There are about 5,000 of these in the world, and 25% of them - 1350, to be precise - exist in the Mackenzie Delta on the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula. I love… Continue reading phenom: pingos of the far north
I took the book South out of my bag and immersed myself in its prose as I waited for my sushi to be prepared. The sidewalks outside were icy, but indoors everyone was jacketless. In another time, near another continent, Ernest Shackleton and his men were not so comfortable: We ate a cold meal and… Continue reading lumps of freshwater ice: shackleton in the weddell sea
What to make for a friend's birthday when she already has everything she needs? Ice shot glasses, for sure! It was only -16 C last Sunday, so I put the shot glass molds fairly early to give them enough time to set (10 a.m. on a weekend is early for this bird). When I removed… Continue reading shot glasses for birthday toasts
I believe the Olympics have highlighted social issues we have here in Vancouver. And Canada. And the World. With or without the Olympics. They're issues that need to be talked about. And I'm glad we're talking about them. But I'm not willing to let that interfere with my respect for the Olympians - past and… Continue reading seeing blue (ice) + gold at Vancouver 2010
One thing that strikes me about at Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset's invented instruments is how personalized they are. Isungset is one of only a handful of people in the world to make ice percussion instruments. And I'm pretty sure he's the world's sole crafter - or at least the master crafter - of ice trumpets.… Continue reading terje isungset: ice trumpeter seeks glaciers
Serious reverence ripples through the demonstration in this video. How would you carve a block of ice with a chainsaw? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtkViJ8hZoM Note the pristine, artificially created ice (river ice and other "wild" ice contains air bubbles and other variations of opacity). This video's original home is http://www.icecarvingsecrets.com/ics/ics_home.html. This information-drenched site is run by an ice… Continue reading ice carving tips galore
My Darling Wife, I am working day and night I can only send a line all I will tell you when I get back and on the way to Sydney. Child I cannot say how I feel about all the worry to you but it is over now sweeteyes and all will go well you… Continue reading Shackleton’s whiskey at last (plus brandy!)
meg walker 