Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, Colombia

Thirty miles north of Bogota in Zipaquira is Colombia's remarkable Salt Cathedral.  The cathedral was originally a small sanctuary carved by the miners who prayed there for protection each day before entering the mine.  Construction of the larger cathedral began in 1950 and was dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary, patron saint of miners, on August 15, 1954.  The salt mine remained operational until 1990 when structural issues and safety concerns became a problem.  The site is large with many sections, including the Stations of the Cross, three naves, a large dome and a massive hand-carved salt cross that covers the full height of the dome.  

One of the Stations of the Cross

Salt Cross in the Main Dome

The Creation of Adam

Icefest 2015 in Toronto's Yorkville

For the past 15 years Toronto has held an "icefest" in Yorkville on a weekend in February.  The theme for this year's festival was "Frozen in Time".  Twelve ice carvers from across Ontario worked with over 35,000 pounds of ice to create sculptures inspired by Ancient Egypt.  These images, preserved by the extreme cold temperatures, were taken the day after the festival.  And given the forecast they'll be decorating the square for a few days yet.

Ice Sculptures

These were taken last week at Fifty Consevation Area near Hamilton, Ontario.  I was there with my son Scott.  The weather was not as cold as it had been and we were able to enjoy a lovely day outside and get some interesting images of the ice buildup along the shore.

Cold but Beautiful

A Winter Wonderland in Lambton Shores.  These images were taken yesterday morning following a harsh winter storm.  The temperature was in the -20's and it's still cold out there.