Ligonier PA Icefest Scupture Highlights 2012!

The ice storm which hit Pennsylvania on Friday Jan 20, 2012, left a thick layer of ice underneath at least 3 - 4 inches of snow our way! Couldn't even get into my husband's Toyota on Saturday morn for my commute to work! The truck doors were frozen solid. Luckily we were able to open my car doors, and start to defrost my windows. Much rather drive a 4 wheel drive on snowy days like this, but had no choice to drive my car. Roads were hazardous to say the least, snow covered and icey, yet I made it to work very close to on time!

Fitting the ice storm led the way for the 21st Annual Icefest held in Ligonier PA. Since I had to work Saturday, we headed toward the mountain on Sunday Jan 22, 2012. Temps hadn't rose out of the 20's all night so the icey snow was still hard and everywhere! I wore my boots with a good bit of tread, for fear I'd take a tumble on the icey sidewalks and roadways. The air in Ligonier was blowing when we arrived there, colder than back down the mountain at home! Sidewalks were very icey at the Diamond where the professional sculpters were busy at work. Be sure to click on photos to see in larger detail!! All ice scuptures are done by the awesome professional ice carvers of Demartino Ice ~ http://www.dimartinoice.com/

The first ice sculpture to catch my eye was this beautiful butterfly! In Japan, a butterfly represents a person's soul, living dying, or already dead. And if a butterfly lands near you, it means the person you love most is visiting you!



I was so impressed by these adorable replicas of Dora and her sidekick monkey Boots, that I decided to use them for my winter header. Aren't they just too cute and lovable?



Another very impressive ice scupture piece was this clown, with his open see through eyes! I couldn't believe how big, he was massive!! :)



One of the handsome Ice Carvers took a moment out to give me a smile. How much work and detail goes into every ice scupture they carve!



Another favorite of mine,was this cool giraffe, which stood taller than I! I'm close to 5' 5 inches so gives you an idea how tall this boy is!!



The grande finale was the galant Pegasus, which towered in the Gazabo and glistened in the sunlight. Oh such devine beauty against the blue sky and barren trees!



On the way out we caught one last glimpse of these 3 fish, displayed along a storefront wall! Aren't they just amazing! The Ligonier Icefest is always worth the trip, even in the ice and snow! I don't know how the Professional Ice Carvers come up with all the different displays every year!
I can't wait to see the ice scuptures Demartino Ice http://www.dimartinoice.com/ create for their displays next year!! If you need ice sculptures for any occasion, this is the place to order them!!



On our way out from Ligonier Diamond we headed across the highway to the top of Ligonier Valley cemetary. I took this shot of Laurel Mountains in the backround, where it looks as if the clouds are resting right on the icy white mountain tops. We headed up the road to Linn Run, where, I thought my life was flashing before me. The roads there were too icey for my car, but we slowly and finally made it back down!!

We then drove over to the museum, which I'll post some highlights of that exhibition soon! Hope all is well with you all. Wishing you a Happy New Year and stay right here Literally In The Moment.

Southern Alleghenies Ligonier Regional Juried Art Exhibition Photos 2011!

Upon leaving the 2011 Ligonier Icefest last Sunday, we headed over to view the fine art displayed in the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. Featured there was the 15th Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition. The exhibit was a beautiful delight to the eyes, and below is only a handful of my favorite pieces in this exibition. Click photos for larger view!!



*M4d0nn4,* by Artist Sam Howard was my overall favorite. A wonderful Oil painting so full of vibrant color, and the madonna like portrait girl resembles my sweet niece Megan right down to her pouty lips and puppy like eyes. Could definitely be her twin!! This equisite art piece grabbed me as soon as I walked in the door. The photo is 24x 18 and Not For Sale!!


Another stunner was *Regal Duo* done by Elizabeth Asche-Douglas. Excellent facial textures added wonder dimension to the faces in her portrait. Photo 12 x 12 done in Ultrachrome ink w/acrylic platform and is for sale at $750.00.


*Jackie* by Norma Rowley also grabbed at my heartstrings, as I've a deep softspot for Labs, and this baby reminds me of my beloved Sampson RIP. I apologize for all the reflections as the lighting at the museum is very bright, and bounces off the glass of the portraits. The photo is clean and sharp, right down to every hair on Jackie shinny fur coat. Photograph is a digital photo-enhanced like the majority of the photos I take here on Literally In The Moment. Photograph measures 13 3/4 x 13 3/4 and sells for $250.00.

*Kamala's Flower* by Karen Ferrick touched on a femine side with her lovely pink lotus flowers, and gorgeous green reflections. A grand size photo done in devine pastels, measuring 40 x 19 and sells for $1,200.00

In conclusion *Passion Flower* by Melinda Myers Grass was another awesome flower portrait to draw my eyes into. Pretty pastel colors and finest detail of the flower stamens and stigma!! This oil on panel portrait measures 12 x 16, and sells for $500.00.

The exhibit features many more talented artists, and I highly recommend a trip to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. You'll be very pleased at the exhibit, and who knows you might want to buy one or two for your art collecting pleasures!!

I'm excited to report, I received my new red camera last week, and will be tweaking and studying to get the right shots I desire!

Stay tuned to Literally In The Moment for more exciting photographs and stories.

*All Photographs copyright of their prospective artists please do not use without permission from the talented Artists.*

All Portraits ~Photographed by Jo ~

View another Exhibit I photographed at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art here:

Impressive Art ~ Portraits of the Eastern Frontier

Ligonier PA Ice Sculptures 2011 Ice Fest Photos!

Zero degree windchills didn't prevent folks from attending the 20th annual Ligonier ice fest. The sun was deceiving today on this frigid Sunday afternoon, where the professional ice carvers from DiMartino Ice were busy creating their amazing ice sculptures, displayed on the Diamond in Ligonier PA. Folks were bundled in their warmest winter clothing, braving the cold to gaze at the glass like creations.


This ice carver was so intense in his creation, yet I went ahead and snapped a shot of him adding his beautiful finishing details to his ice sculpture. I'm amazed at the talent which goes into every piece they work on. Below are a few which caught my eye, but there a many more gorgeous sculptures displayed throughout the wonderful section of town!


The Zebra was a stunning piece which grabbed my eye right away. Notice the excellent detail on his mane!!

The squirrel was one of my favorites too. Adorable tail and face!!

The masquerade mask was another gorgeous ice scupture decorating the walkway. Check out the feathering and mask detail totally amazing!!

The guys always create a huge piece to sit on, this year it was a magnificent sleigh. Of course I had to grab a seat. I dressed in four layers, but forgot to wear two pair of gloves so my hands were frozen taking all my pictures. As you see, I'm wearing our Steeler colors!!! Isn't the sleigh extraordinary!!

We were so cold, we ducked into Abigales Coffeehouse to grab a hot chocolate, and tried to get warm. The chocolate chip cookies were luscious.

Another favorite of mine was the angel holding a dove. Isn't she just precious?

The four hawks above were a massive and awesome display on a storefront ledge!!

The penguin was also a nice touch to a storefront display of our Pittsburgh Steeler Spirit! Hubby couldn't wait to get home to watch the game, which the Steelers won. Way to go Steeler Champions!!

Last but not least was the Gazebo Grand finale, an astonishing, gigantic bird and heart ice sculpture which reached almost to the top of the gazebo. I don't know what the 90 represents, maybe someone will comment and let me know, so I can share it with you all!

If you're in the Ligonier area, be sure to take a drive or walk on the Diamond. The scuptures should remain in tact for awhile, as our PA weather has been stuck in freezing mode since the beginning of December. Very unusually cold for so long, but perfect weather for the beautiful ice scuptures to survive!! Thanks to the talented ice carvers from DiMartino Ice for another awesome display of their beautiful ice sculptures!!

Been busy the last 3 months, sadly lost a loving member of our animal family. Will post about it sometime in the future as our hearts slowly heal. My camera has been on the brink, I fear this is the last post my camera will take. I ordered a new one should come this week. We also stopped at the museum after the ice fest.

I'll have to make another post of the art exibit we saw, so stay tuned and stay right here Literally In The Moment.

View More of my Ice Fest photos from the past two years here:

Ligonier PA ~ Ice Fest 2010 ~ Photo Featured Ice Sculptures!

Ice Sculptures ~ Ligonier PA Ice Fest Photos 2009!

PA Winter Flooding ~ Kingston Dam 2010

We've had a mixed bag of weather here in Pennsylvania, for the last week in January 2010. All the snow we accumulated last 2 weeks melted, with warm temps and rain past weekend caused snow melt and flooding to occur. Many rivers in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas were overflowing their banks, and some roads were actually closed due to flooding!

The mild air quickly turned cold with yet another artic blast of extremely cold air engulfing our region again. I made my way across the busy highway and stood on the icey bridge to catch the above shot of Kingston Dam Spillway which was brimming over.



This shot taken from the center of the bridge. Here my old stomping grounds, where I used to party in the summer catching a suntan on the cement slab. The view is still quite breathtaking with the rushing Loyhanna lake, and hilly trees along the skyline! These shots were taken yesterday on our way up the mountain again!

This morning we woke to 4 degrees, and we're expected to remain very frigid for the next week. Presently all the water from our thaw has frozen, and turned into a thin sheet of ice on everything! I can't wait for Spring, let's get Winter over with already!

Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting, and stay tuned to Literally In The Moment!

Ligonier PA Icefest 2010 ~ Photo Featured Ice Sculptures!

Once again the professional ice carvers from DiMartino Ice displayed their awesome ice sculptures, in the 19th Annual Ligonier Icefest 2010. Today was an unusually warm 40 plus degree and sunny day, which was causing the beautiful art pieces to slowly melt!

I call these two birds above "lovebirds," as my hubby and I posed behind them! The lovebirds were displayed outside a restaurant Casa Chapala. Click on any photo to see them even larger!


We started our tour on the town diamond, and the skier caught my eye immediately. There were so many people visiting the ice sculptures, I couldn't get a shot without the public walking into them!



The alligator was so gorgeous, with his raised head and immaculate jaw reaching upward. The scales on his body were so defined. One of my favorites!

The dolphin riding the wave was a big hit with the children. A towel was placed on his back so the kids could sit and pose for photos! The reason for the black snow surrounding the scuplture! Another one of my favorites!

Woody the woodpecker made quite an entrance here at the ice show, even though he was on meltdown! A few other sculptures were hit by the sun, but managed to stay in tact!

I captured one of the professional ice carvers here, adding his final touches to the Stanley Cup. It's amazing the amount of ice which is carved away, you can see discarded on the left side!

The finished carved Stanley Cup is displayed with pride for our Pittsburgh Penguins! In the backround you can see the back of the huge unique piece displayed inside the gazabo!

I call this one "The Guardian Angel." The sunset in the backround just adds a touch of beauty and glow to the whole sculpture. The definition of fine lines and detail outstanding!

We took a walk and there were a couple sculptures displayed along the storefronts. The one above represents our Pittsburgh Penguin hockey team. Go Penguins!

Last was a "Sunman," who was just adorable. His cute face and sunrays just automatically bring you a smile. You can see he was melting a bit from the days sun, yet still managed to keep his main composure.

Well this ends our ice sculpture tour for the year! I hope you enjoyed my photos as much as we enjoyed the icefest. If you're in the Pennsylvania area, the icefest is worth the trip to Ligonier, and will continue through January 24, 2009!

The talented professional ice carvers never fail to impress with their wonderful ice sculptures. Can't wait to see what they'll create next year!

You can view my last years photos of the 2009 Icefest Here: Ice Sculptures Ligonier PA Icefest Phots 2009.

Pennsylvania Snowfall 2010 Phenomenal Photos ~ Laurel Mountain & Derry Ridge!

Finally a break from all the snow we've had here in Pennsylvania for the past two weeks. I swear we had at least 15-16 inches of snow piling two to three inches at a time every single day! I shoveled snow almost twice daily.

Found this cool site which calculates how many calories you burn, when you shovel snow by hand here: Fitday.com I burned 286 calories per hour! At least I was burning off some holiday calories. You can see my front patio table snow gage above, where over a foot of snow piled like a snow cake!



We've a long driveway at least an 1/8 a mile coming from our top road. The snow kept piling up and we had trouble keeping up. My car sat for a couple days when we had a layer of sleet on top snow becoming too hazardous to drive! You can see how high we had to plow the snow in my header above!



Eventually the snow slowed a bit, then we were hit with an artic blast. Got so cold ~how cold did it get? Well cold enough to freeze our burning logs together! Dang I had a heck of time trying to bust those logs apart! In fact we've put such a dent in those logs, we may have to cut more very soon! You remember how huge our log pile was! The snow kept coming and my hands froze within minutes of shoveling, so I had to double glove!

Spectacular icicles formed like the ones in my photo above. Icicles are much like stalicites formed in caves or caverns, except for the fact that stalicites take thousands of years to come into formation!




Last week we headed up over the ridge, and I was so awestruck over the snow scenery on the ridge. I was terribly upset that I didn't have my camera, so my hubby took me back yesterday to catch some awesome shots on Derry Ridge as seen here in the photo!





It's as if we walked right into winter wonderland postcards. Snow covered the trees for miles, begging me to capture the beauty!





The further we went the deeper the snow and heavier the snow appeared on the scenery! Like we were driving into a totally different world!



As we approached Laurel Mountain, you could imediately notice the difference in snow coverage! It was as if someone had taken a frost gun and frosted the whole area. Totally breathtaking as the towering trees stretch on for miles, looming high in the sky with every frosty branch!

These pines reminded me of my friend Nazarina who posted a photo of the snow in Colorado on her blog last year! Pine branches were so heavy they touched the ground, and even worse were broken from the weight! Many tree branches were bent to the brink of breaking!

We could hardly see the road as we drove further up the mountain, even the powerlines were covered in snow! Still the trees were white glazed in such granduer, drawing us further into it's frozen world!

Each mile more magnificent than the next! Laurel Mountain is an incredible landmark to experience all Four seasons here in Pennsylvania. Each season simply exordinarily capitivating to envision.

Afraid of venturing any further, we decided to turn around when we saw only snowmobile tracks! Hardly anyone in sight but one skier, close to the entrance!

The astounding view was ever breathtaking as we made our second visual round down the mountain. This exemplary shot taken from our truck's front windshield!

Lastly but not leastly we caught one final glance as we exited the mountain. Looking out across frosted treetops lining the mountain as far as you can see. Here dusk was approaching fast, and the snow was still falling. Glad to head home to alittle warmer climate!

Hope you enjoyed looking at the snow world through my eyes here in Pennsylvania! The sun has made her entrance today, a gradual thaw to melt the ice tundra on my driveway!

Stay tuned until next time, remain focused and Literally In The Moment!

Fiery Final Fall Color Photos 2009!

I couldn't resist pulling over on a busy intersection, to grab a shot of the last red maples lighting up the horizon on my way to work! This beauty caught my eye and finally I gave in to my temptation to capture the colors laid before my eyes!

Many of her leaves were still intact, while the majority of the trees in the area are already left with naked limbs. Colors of gold, orange, and red, explode in the early November Fall sun! Brings back childhood memories of jumping and running through huge piles of raked leaves! Almost makes you want to dive right in!


Frosty mornings have left a toll on the blemished leaves shown here in the close up. Their beauty even more immacualte, as the sun shines through their transparent colors. The last of Fall is upon us, and we've been spoiled experiencing some awesome Indian Summer days here in Pennsylvania!

Knowing and dreading Winter is just around the corner. Yet every season celebrates a unique beauty of it's own, and I'll be waiting for the chance to catch the next great still frame!