Solstice Party

We had our annual Solstice party last night at our house.  It was a laid-back, relaxed affair with tons of food, sledding down our backyard hill, a bonfire, and snowmobile rides.  We also had a fire going in the house for people when they came in from outside.  They could sit in front of the fire and have some hot chocolate.  It was great!  Mitch made these ingenious ice lanterns. Here they are:

Here is the production line.  He filled five-gallon buckets with water and let them freeze overnight.  Then he'd dump the ice out and the outside is frozen but as you can see, there is a hole in the top and a really cool looking roundish space inside that hadn't froze yet.  Mitch makes the hole in the top large enough for a candle and dumps the extra water out and wala: ice lantern. (I know it's viola) They are pretty cool.  Mitch and the kids put them on the deck, along the sidewalk, along the sledding trail and around the bonfire area.  It was so beautiful!  Here's what they looked like:

The flash on my camera kind of ruined the effect. Just imagine them in dark, with their little candle-lights flickering through the clear ice.  Sooooo pretty.  

Here's a picture with no flash.  Not the best quality photo, but you get the idea.