Ice Sculptures
Winter in New England brings an endless cycle of freezing and thawing. This morning we got heavy wet snow. Today it has warmed up and much of the snow is melting. Tonight brings bitter cold and water will re-freeze. This constant cycle brings frustration to those who are ready for spring, but it also brings ice sculptures to the landscape.
This is most apparent wherever water flows over a surface and down. The blasted ledge along the side of the highways is a great spot to see ice sculptures as you drive by. Quarries, rail trails and nature rock outcroppings are other options for seeing ice sculptures. And of course waterfalls offer a daily transformation as water flows and freezes. Icicles hanging off rooftops are another source of ice sculpture inspiration.
Sunday we walked the Windham Rail Trail again. It was transformed by ice and snow from the previous time we’d walked it a couple of months ago. Part of that transformation is the ice flows coming off the blasted ledge on the north side of the trail, which formed spectacular ice sculptures. It’s one of the joys of winter, if you only look for it.
