Ice sculpture, Ottawa - February 1999
These winter pictures from Ottawa were taken in mid-February, during Winterlude - North America's largest and best-attended winter festival. (Its French name is an even cleverer pun - Bal de neige !)
The ice sculptures are one of Winterlude's most popular attractions. There are professional ice sculptors, believe it or not, and they're paid to come to these competitions from as far away as Europe, Japan and Chile. It's an incredible talent, and the pictures here don't even come close to doing these works of art justice.