Nederland Colorado

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Wood Carving and Ice Sculpting in Nederland with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb the Duck and Eider Duck are back in Chipeta Park during Nederland’s Frozen Dead Guy Days festival.   We love these carved wooden masterpieces.

Great wooden carvings

Great wooden carvings

Some of these were transported to the festival and some are being carved here while we watch.

Carvers at work

Carvers at work

This is fascinating.

These would be great in our yard

These would be great in our yard

It is a warm sunny day in Nederland and this guy is trying to play an Australian Didjeridoo.

Playing the didjeridoo while ice carvers work

Playing the didjeridoo while ice carvers work

Now the talented carver is working on ice.   Look.

Ice sculpting starts with a block of ice and a chain saw

Ice sculpting starts with a block of ice and a chain saw

It is a turtle!

An ice turtle

An ice turtle

That chain saw is really buzzing now.   The only problem today is it is almost 70 degrees.   The ice is melting pretty fast.   We can see some melting and dripping as he is trying to finish and smooth the edges.

Smoothing edges

Smoothing edges

Even with the melting, we love these ice carvings.

This is a pretty big ice turtle

This is a pretty big ice turtle

It is amazing to us, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, that such detail starts with a block of ice and a chain saw.   We hope you can watch people carving wood and ice statues.   We really like this!

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Turkey Bowling and Frozen T-Shirt Contest with Zeb and Eider Duck

We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks and humans, are still in Nederland, Colorado for the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival.   This is a great festival!   Now it time for the frozen turkey bowling.   Starting with a wrapped, frozen turkey, fresh from the store, humans throw, or slide the turkey down the snowy path, trying to knock down bowling pins.   Sounds easy enough, but the humans sure do make a mess with this.   This man is ready to bowl.

He is ready

He is ready

Now, the turkey wrapper has come off the turkey.   The warm weather is helping the turkey to thaw.  The turkey is thrown and then slides into the bowling pins.

Turkey hit the pins

Turkey hit the pins

Good job!   Younger humans throw the frozen chicken at the pins.   He is ready to throw the chicken toward the pins.

Ready to throw

Ready to throw

Chicken hits bowling pins.

Pins down!

Pins down!

This lady is brave.

Turkey in hand

Turkey in hand

She is ready to handle the unwrapped, partially thawed turkey.   There goes the turkey.   The weather is warm, but those are bare feet in the snow.

Nice polish

Nice polish

Humans get a little crazy here.   We like frozen turkey bowling.

It is time for the frozen t-shirt contests.   The men try first.   For this contest a new, folded t-shirt is soaked in water and then put in the freezer.   The contestants start with t-shirts in a bag and on the ground.

Get your shirt

Get your shirt

To open the shirt and put it on, only your own body and the ground may be used.

Harder than it looks

Harder than it looks

It is really difficult to open, unfold and put on a frozen t-shirt. We are seeing some progress,

Almost!

Almost!

but still more work to do.   The very cold t-shirt is now on.

It is on

It is on

Lots of cold fun here!

Let’s see how the women do in their frozen t-shirt contest.   Difficult for them to get packages open.

We Will Do This

We Will Do This

This woman is getting the shirt on over her dress.

She is getting the t-shirt on

She is getting the t-shirt on

Can she do it?   She did it!

Yes. She did it!

Yes. She did it!

She is the winner of the woman’s frozen t-shirt contest.   This woman, wearing gloves, gets her frozen t-shirt on also.   Another winner.

Love the gloves

Love the gloves

This is a great festival.   We really hope you can visit the Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado next March.

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Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado

Zeb and Eider Duck here.   We returned to Nederland, Colorado on Sunday for the last events of Frozen Dead Guy Days of 2014.

Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado

Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado

We did not go back Saturday, the main day due to human error.  On the way down Friday, one human driver hit ice and slid into the side of the mountain.  On Saturday the other human was sick and stuffed up.  No injuries, but no Saturday festivities either.

We arrived at the park in Nederland as men were putting up the volleyball net.  We watched the remote control trucks race over the snow.   They almost fly and sometimes crash.

Remote control truck

Remote control truck

We went to the frozen t-shirt contest.   New t-shirts, still folded, are soaked in water and then frozen—really frozen!  The men, without shirts, must put the new frozen t-shirts on as fast as possible.  It required several minutes to unfold the frozen shirts.  The shirts are bent, karate chopped, folded, pulled and anything they can think of to break ice and unfold shirts to put them on.  We could not see very well, but took a few photos through the crowd.

Trying to unfold frozen t-shirt

Trying to unfold frozen t-shirt

We watched videos later on You Tube.  This looks very cold.

Putting on a frozen t-shirt. Brrrrr

Putting on a frozen t-shirt. Brrrrr

Then we watched frozen turkey bowling.  This was easy to see and fun to watch.  Unlike regular bowling, you throw the turkey at the pins.

Frozen turkey bowling

Frozen turkey bowling

Children threw small game hens and adults had 2 sizes of frozen turkeys.  As the bowling progressed, one of the turkeys became unwrapped.

Throwing frozen unwrapped turkey

Throwing frozen unwrapped turkey

There were a couple of beer tents with live music and heaters.

Inside warm tent

Inside warm tent

Next we watched snow volleyball.  Some men had no shirts.

No shirt and a bikini top. What a guy!

No shirt and a bikini top. What a guy!

This girl worn no shoes.

Where are her shoes??

Where are her shoes??  Girl with yellow shirt is barefoot???

Finally she put shoes on.  Cold snow and ice here.  After the game Zeb and Eider met some volleyball players.

Our new friends are very nice!!

Our new friends are very nice!!

We enjoyed all at various times during the day.  Near one of the tents a man had carved wooden animals and one ice sculpture.

Wooden turtle and ice turtle

Wooden turtle and ice turtle

Soon he had a new block of ice and began carving the ice with a small chain saw.  The saw roared, the ice shavings flew and soon this sculpture was in front of us.

Carved from ice with a chainsaw

Carved from ice with a chainsaw

Beautiful work of art with only ice and a chain saw!

We liked the activities Sunday, so maybe we can see it all next year.  You would enjoy Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado.  Oh yes…there really is a frozen dead guy in a Tuff Shed in the mountains of Nederland.  For more information visit www.frozendeadguy.com   or visit Nederland, Colorado the second weekend in March.

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Carousel of Happiness in Nederland, Colorado

Last Friday Zeb and Eider Duck and two humans went to Nederland, Colorado.  We wanted to see where the Frozen Dead Guy Days events would occur and look around this quaint mountain town.

There is a Carousel of Happiness in Nederland and we want to tell you about it.

Carousel of Happiness in Nederland Colorado

Carousel of Happiness in Nederland Colorado

This carousel is open year round.  The enclosed pavilion contains the carousel, a fully restored 1913 Wurlitzer Band Organ, a puppet theater and a gift shop.

There are a variety of animals on the Carousel of Happiness.

Riding on a peacock

Riding on a peacock

All 58 of these animals were hand carved by Scott Harrison.  Zeb and Eider rode on several.

Riding on an ostrich in Colorado

Riding on an ostrich in Colorado

The carousel is a restored 1910 Looff carousel.

We can sit anywhere

We can sit anywhere

There are also paintings of animals on the walls.

Painted pandas on the walls

Painted pandas on the walls

You have to see this!

When Scott Harrison was a Marine serving in Viet Nam, he envisioned building a carousel in the mountains.

Zeb and Eider with a new friend

Zeb and Eider with a new friend

And he really did it!!  He is still carving and each new addition is wonderful.  This is one of the recent additions to the pavilion.

Polar bear and others on wall

Polar bear and others on and through wall

We don’t know what will be next.

We talked to a nice man named John that explained everything to us and then started the carousel so we could ride.

Riding on a bear followed by a zebra

Riding on a bear followed by a zebra and dog

The rides cost just $1 per person.  If you can, give them a little extra to help meet expenses.

The Carousel of Happiness is a 501 © (3) non-profit organization dedicated to spreading joy to those who visit the carousel.  Profits go to charities that benefit children and people with special needs.  For more information and more photos visit www.carouselofhappiness.org  This place is fantastic and fun!

Carousel of Happiness serves smiles

Carousel of Happiness serves smiles