Snow Labyrinth

Snow Labyrinth...Nope

2010-03-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken two days ago on Wednesday, March 24th. A friend came over and asked if I had mowed the lawn, it looked like a crop circle. Apparently the weight of the stomped shoveled snow created this wonderful design. It's not final, but it looks as though it's time to say farewell to the snow Labyrinth for this year and give the handprint of God back to Him.

Labyrinth gets a fresh blanket of snow

2010-03-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, March 20th, we received a blanket of snow, roughly 3 inches and by the end of the day, most of it melted leaving an interesting design on the Labyrinth. The second picture is all done by nature, no human intervention on the Labyrinth.

Labyrinth hanging on

2010-03-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

March 19th. The lunation is holding on, at least in a few areas.

Snow Labyrinth Almost Gone...Grass Labyrinth?

2010-03-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

Today it's in the upper 50's. I began to walk the imprinted path and got to the third quadrant and lost my way. I'm thinking about painting lines on the imprint...We'll see. Maybe a grass Labyrinth?

Labyrinth...Almost Gone

2010-03-18T15:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday a quick picture in the high 50's. Tomorrow in the 60's.

Labyrinth, well maybe

2010-03-16T11:23:00.001-07:00

54 degree temperatures today. It's gorgeous outside. The Lunation "Berm" continues to hold it's own against the heat. The Labyrinth still holds the imprint...for now.

Snow Labyrinth Diminishes...Imprint Remains

2010-03-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was able to walk the Labyrinth, using some focus on the path. The weight of the Labrices left an imprint on the grass which makes it possible to walk the path with concentration. As you can see the Labrices left an imprint on the grass. So, the handprint of God remains still.

The Labyrinth Shell

2010-03-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

A view from the porch this morning. The Labrices are virtually gone, the paths are imprinted in the grass from the weight of the Labrices and walking the paths. The Lunation "Berm" still strong, the Rosette and Labyrs perservere. It's been a wonderful experience The Snow Labyrinth. I've probably shoveled 5-7 tons of snow and walked, shoveled and stomped the path, Labrices, Labyrs, Lunation "Berm" countless times. As the entire hand-print of God fades and God takes it back, I will be anxious to construct it all over again next year and see what happens with the build, walk and overall experience. I'll keep posting until there is nothing left but grass. A complete cycle from grass in the Fall to grass in the Spring.

Labyrinth Final 2010 Walk

2010-03-12T15:24:00.001-08:00

Thursday, March 11th. I took what was to be my final walk on the Labyrinth. The Labyrs were still there and enough of the Labrices existed enabling me to walk the path without having to think about where the next turn was or where the path was. It was an enjoyable walk. Temps in the 40's. I know it was the final walk since Today, Friday February 12th I went out and began to walk the path and realized in some areas I had to think about where the path was and then it became a left brain activity and that for me, defeats the purpose of walking the Labyrinth without having to think where you are walking. The Labyrs, Rosette and Lunation "Berm" are still intact and we'll see how long they last.

Labyrinth Fading Away

2010-03-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

I walked the Labyrinth last night. It was pretty awesome, the paths are still there. The Labyrs intact, the Rosette intact and obviously the Lunation "Berm" still there. I was able to easily walk the path. As you can see, each day with temps in the 40's is slowly taking its toll on the Snow Labyrinth.

Labyrinth...Going...

2010-03-09T11:47:00.001-08:00

Today the sun is shining, temps in the low 40's. No snow in the near future and temps in the high 40's and rain on the way. It's time to start saying goodbye to the Labyrinth.

Labyrinth Slow Fade

2010-03-08T04:15:00.001-08:00

March 7th. No blizzards, no storms...no snow.
40 degree temperatures, sunny days. No parkas, gloves, boots...sweatshirt and sweatpants. Today I want out in slippers and a t-shirt and barbecued. So much for the treacherous March. At least for today. The paths are still quite walkable. The Rosette, Lunation "Berm" and Labyrs are strong. The Labrices...melting, fading, leaving us.

Labyrinth Perseveres

2010-03-07T05:09:00.001-08:00

More path...Less snow. The warm temperatures continue to take the snow...The Labyrinth still stands...More warm weather ahead...No snow in the near future.

Labyrinth Video Quick Overview

2010-03-07T04:49:00.000-08:00

March 3rd. No new snow. Warm temperatures and as you can see from these videos an overview of the Labyrinth shows the paths with grass and the Labrices, Labyrs, Rosette and Lunation "Berm" still intact. The snow has turned to ice in most places due to melt during the warm days and freeze during the evening temps in the 20's. Now, it's a daily melt...nightly freeze. We'll see what the rest of March brings.

Labyrinth Continues

2010-03-07T04:45:00.000-08:00

March 2nd. The snow is sparse at best. All the shoveling and piling has helped to create some height. The weather is in the high 30's and expected to stay that way for a few weeks and even go into the 40's...It's March...not may...Go figure. No snow to shovel...Time to enjoy some early spring walks in the wintery March.

Labyrinth Snow...a little bit

2010-03-05T05:43:00.001-08:00

With some fresh snow of a few inches on February 27th, I was able to fill in the paths and cover the grass. The weather has been tame and not typical of a February winter. More erratic weather to come in the next few weeks. Spring is probably upon us and March will probably not come in like the proverbial lion but more like the lamb.

Labyrinth Thaw #3

2010-02-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

After a full night of rain, temps in the 40's, the 16" of snow dwindled down, but didn't disappear. As you can see, the paths show the grass and lots of wet snow to shovel around the lunation "Berm"

The paths are grassy, slushy and the Labrices are still with us. I made a video which can be viewed to the right.

The fourth quadrant after the rain. Let's hope for a freeze, to turn the Labrices, Labyrs, Rosette and Lunation "Berm" into ice.

Shoveling out the Labyrinth

2010-02-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

This is what 16" of wonderful snow looks like with a little containment shoveling. Taken yesterday, February 25th.

After snowshoeing the Lunation "Berm" and the Labyrs, Rosette and some of the Labrices.

A view from the porch of the snow laden Labyrinth.

New SNOW revitalizes Labyrinth

2010-02-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

Ask and you shall receive...Keep on asking and it will be given to you... Well for weeks and months I've been asking for snow and lots of it and good quality snow. Well, last night it started to snow and kept on snowing and kept on snowing and snowed all night and all day. By morning there was at least 10 inches and by the days end probably a good foot to 14 inches. The wonderful, wet, snow fort packing kind of snow. Although it was quite heavy as I first had to snow shoe the Labrices, Lunation Berm and Rosette ring. Then it was shoveling, so much snow. Wet,heavy wonderful snow.When you picked it up it packed and when I picked it up with the shovel it packed. 5 hours of shoveling today and I still could have done more work if I didn't run out of steam and daylight. We're expecting a bigger storm Friday...Yeah!!!

The Almost Labyrinth

2010-02-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post. While other parts of the East have been getting slammed with blizzards and heavy snow, we here in Vermont have gotten a few inches at a time and temperatures in the upper 30's. In the past few weeks we've had maybe 4- 6 inches total snow. Not enough for much Labyrinth work. Today, it's in the high 30's and I packed some snow and snowshoed down the Labrices and the Lunation Berm. The Labyrinth is looking a bit shoddy, but I still have a Labyrinth and that's a blessing.

Labyrinth Gradual Re-Build

2010-02-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

February 1st brought a few inches of light powder. As you can see the Labrices are only an inch or so in height. The Lunation "Berm" lost almost a foot in height. I am very fortunate to have the Labryinth snow project still in my life. If two weeks ago would have brought one more day of rain and warm temperatures...there would be no snow Labyrinth. It is as it is supposed to be.

Labyrinth Ressurected

2010-02-10T13:18:00.001-08:00

January 26th we received 4-6 inches of fresh snow. Yeah!!!
Fortunately the Labyrs were intact and much of the Labrices were also there as a guide for me to shovel out the paths and begin to pile up the Labrices once again. The biggest challenge was starting anew in building up the Labrices. The new strategy is to shovel out the path and build up the Labrices and then walk on them with snow shoes to stomp them down. We make plans and then God changes them. We adapt and move on. The Labyrinth continues to teach me to accept what is each day and know it will change.

Labyrinth Flood Pictures

2010-02-10T03:31:00.001-08:00

These pictures were taken in the early morning of the thaw/flood. Using the two shovels I stomped down what was left of the Labrices in an attempt to pack them and get them to freeze that night. The close up picture shows the snow disappearing and the wide view was taken in the morning before I spent 4 hours saving the Labyrinth. By the end of the day not much was left and the camera was history...the good news...my efforts paid off and that night it did stop raining and the next day we got a little snow...more to come

Labyrinth Update

2010-02-10T03:13:00.000-08:00

Well I did fry the camera. I had to drive 90 minutes to Burlington to get a new camera. I went to Best Buy, then to Costco and back to Best Buy, who had the best selections and prices. Yes, I could have ordered one online...then I would have had to wait for it to arrive. I got the camera home, charged the battery and went to take some pictures only to find the cameras' message...Internal memory full...What! after only 3 pictures the memory was full. It was then I realized the camera needed a memory stick. It would have been helpful if the salesman would have told me this. I was not about to drive back to Burlington. This I ordered online. One good thing did come out of the experience. I realized my "fried" camera had a memory stick and I had taken a few pictures on the fateful "labyrinth thaw day" All I had to do was find a way to get the images off the memory stick. While doing some banking, I mentioned my plight to the customer service reps and Roy said, I have a doodag thing-a-ma-jig which reads different memory sticks. I'll bring it in and you can borrow it. Now that's customer service. I ended up coming back to town later that afternoon and brought the stick to Roy. That night he emailed me 6 pictures of the Labyrinth Flood/Thaw.

Snow Water Ice Labyrinth

2010-01-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, the real January thaw arrived today with a vengeance. Early this morning it started to rain and rained and rained and poured for the better part of 8 hours. The winds knocked down power lines and we lost power. The rosette and most of the 3rd quadrant are flooded. In an attempt to save the Labyrinth I used 2 shovels as a guide to re-form the Labrices where possible, stomp down the Labyrs and stomp down the Lunation "Berm". It finally stopped raining at 4:30. I had some help for 15 minutes from Anne, our neighbor to pack the entrance Labrices. All in all, most of the Labyrs are intact, although 1/3 their original size. Some of the Labrices are barely visible and some gone to the flood. After two changes of parkas and gloves which were soaked, I went to take some photos of the flooded Labryinth...The camera is soaked and won't turn on. I may have ruined the camera...We'll see. The Labyrinth is a metaphor for life. The last few days were magnificent with the Labryinth in peak condition and today the rains came and flooded the path. I did what I could to shore up the Labryinth for what probably will be a freeze and then I'll have a skating Labyrinth and more snow. Only time will tell.

Awesome Labyrinth in the Sun

2010-01-23T15:10:00.001-08:00

Today was a clear crisp day. No clouds in the sky. A photo from the ladder against the shed facing East to the left and a photo facing West from the ladder against the telephone pole...Tomorrow night, Sunday and Monday morning we are expecting temperatures to rise to the 40's with rain and possible frozen rain. With temperatures that high, the snow will melt and provide yet another opportunity to pack the snow. I have asked a neighbor and her daughter to be on call Monday, to help stomp down the Labrices. The Labyrs, Rosette, Petals and Lunation "Berm" are solid as they have been packed, stomped and walked. The Labrices have been piled from shoveling. So they are the next project during thaw #2. We'll see what happens in the next few days.

Sunny Labyrinth Day

2010-01-22T17:27:00.001-08:00

No snow for a few days. Cloudless sky and lots of sun. Not much to do but walk the Labyrinth and take a picture from on top of the shed using an extension ladder...Still pondering how to get up higher to get a better view of the Labyrinth...

The Labyrinth Rosette Petals

2010-01-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 17th was perfect weather for Petal creation. The empty Rosette left had a large amount of accumulated, shoveled, packed snow around the perimeter. With temperatures in the 30's the snow became soft and packable. I shoveled the snow from the permiter and packed it in Rubbermaid containers and formed the petals. I packed the snow in the container then turned it upside down and set two snow blocks vertically and then packed and placed a third horizontally. I then formed the crosses at the tip of the petals. You can see the slideshow of the progress of creating the petals to the right.

The January Labyrinth Thaw

2010-01-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

The past few days have brought warm temperatures and little snow. The temperatures have been in the 30's, which may not seem warm, but for the Northeast Kingdom it is the equivalent of a thaw. The snow melted on the roads. The outer layer of snow on the labyrinth changed to the consistency of sno-cone ice and then settled on to the snow below. The snow was wet and I was able to shovel some snow in Rubbermaid buckets to create the petals of the Rosette (center)
I will post the construction of the petals in the next few days. The challenge with the photos is the day was gray and the air was almost "dirty" it was difficult to see and even more difficult to take good pictures.

Labyrinth in the Sun

2010-01-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

I climbed a 20 foot extension ladder to get this shot from above on this sunny day. I still wonder what the Labyrinth looks like from the sky and for that matter...heaven. Very little snow today. No shoveling or stomping.

Labyrinth Blog is Current!!!

2010-01-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

I have caught up on my Snow Labyrinth Blog project. Last week as I was working on the Snow Labyrinth I was inspired to create this Snow Labyrinth Blog. It has taken many hours over the past week to compile the images and videos I wanted, upload the videos to youtube, create posts and learn how to use Blogger. The learning curve is shrinking as I continue the journey of the Snow Labyrinth. Yesterday I walked the Lunations again. Walking the Lunations on the Snow Labyrinth is different than on a flat Labyrinth. My Lunation is a "berm" of snow. Approaching 4 feet in height and 3-4 feet in width. I keep packing down the Lunations and shoveling more snow on top. It is my intention to create a containment ring around the Labyrinth which will last well after the rest of the snow melts...We'll see...

Labyrinth Lunation Video

2010-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Lunation "berm" is now approaching 3 feet in height and as I walk it, stomp and tamp it, I fill it in and solidify it. This video was taken two days ago as I stood atop the West end of the Labyrinth.

Labyrinth View

2010-01-13T04:28:00.000-08:00

This video was taken atop an aluminum ladder I will use to get some better pictures and videos from above.

Labyrinth Dedication Walk

2010-01-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

Maggie walks the Labyrinth as Grace helps tamp down the Labrice. Maggie, a certified Labyrinth facilitator recently dedicated the Labyrinth using drums, bells and chants to bring positive energy and God's Grace to the sacred path. As she walked this day, she "smudged" the path with burning fresh sage.

Labyrinth Rosette Challenge

2010-01-13T03:16:00.000-08:00

I have postponed forming the 6 petals of the Rosette. Now, I am faced with the challenge of how to shape and build the petals. Of course, I need some new snow to build them as it would be very difficult, not impossible, to carry hundreds of pounds of snow to center. The six petals represent: Minerals, Plants, Animals, Humans, Angels and the Great Unknown. When reaching center, we can contemplate, pray, meditate or rest in each petal.

New Year Labyrinth Snow

2010-01-11T17:33:00.001-08:00

The New Year brings sunshine and some fresh powder. The path looks incredible and is a joy to walk. I become inspired with ideas and thoughts as I shovel, tamp, stomp and walk this sacred path.

Stakeless Labyrinth

2010-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Labyrinth void of all stakes on the left. Walked, tamped, packed ready for new snow which arrives and builds up the Labyrinth (above).

Post Rain Freeze and Snow

2010-01-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

The day after the rain...Comes the freeze. Snow comes down and covers the lawn, builds up the Labrices, Labyrs, path and provides more shoveling, tamping down and stomping opportunities.

The Rain Comes to the Snow Labyrinth

2010-01-11T16:36:00.001-08:00

December 29th. The temperatures climb to the low to mid 40's and it begins to rain. The snow turns to slush...The perfect time to shovel wet soggy packing snow. 4 1/2 hours of shoveling and packing. Filling large tupperware storage containers with wet snow. Lifting, hauling and dragging the containers with a sled to the Labyrs. Packing the Labyrs with this beautiful snow. As it pours down rain, I shovel, pack and fill the wet snow, knowing this evening it will freeze and the Labyrs will freeze. Yeah!!! I also filled 30 of the containers and built up the Labrices as you enter the Labyrinth. This is awesome...

Labyrinth Taking Shape

2010-01-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

As more snow falls, I continue daily shoveling. Hours of shoveling, tamping, stomping, walking and picture taking. I begin to remove some larger "path" marking stakes, leaving the Labrice stakes in place.

The Containment Path

2010-01-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

As the Labyrinth began to take shape. I decided to shovel a containment path around the Lunations and the Labyrinth. Shoveling 8-12 feet around the circumference of the Labyrinth, I began to pile up the snow on what would become a berm-like containment Lunation. (The puppy in the foreground is my 7 month old German Shepherd "Grace".

Gaining Snow Height

2010-01-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

With more snow, the shoveling continued in earnest. I would shovel the snow on to the Labrices and Labyrs then walk the path, tamping down the newly piled snow. This began to build up the height of the Labrices, Labyrs and Lunation.

More Snow!!!

2010-01-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

The next night, December 9th, we were blessed with another 4-6 inches of snow. The Snow Labyrinth was now taking shape. It also became apparent to me, I was going to shovel the Labyrinth this season and begin to build up the Labrices, Labyrs, Rosette and Lunations. More shoveling...Less stomping.

First Snow!!!

2010-01-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

On December 8th, 2009 the first snow of the Snow Labyrinth season arrived. I put on my snow boots and stomped the path for the first time. It was exciting to see the path take shape. As I looked at the Labyrinth, I began to realize the Labrices and Labyrs might end up being larger than originally planned. My thoughts began to gravitate toward shoveling the path as opposed to stomping them.

Testing the Path

2010-01-11T14:10:00.001-08:00

I used a printed 11 Circuit Chartres
Labyrinth design to guide me through the layout. I then used aa string as a guide through the path to ensure the stakes were aligned properly and I didn't miss any turns.

Staking the Paths

2010-01-11T14:03:00.001-08:00

I continued to stake the path which is made up of the 11 circuits. As you can see there are 11 circuits from the center out to the edge. The paths were measured at 2 feet wide and the Labrices (separators) measured 8 inches wide. This was the initial plan. A 2 foot walking path, 8 inch Labrices and Labyrs. Since the Labyrinth is a metaphor for life...Things would probably change.

The Rosette and Lunations

2010-01-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

Now it was time to locate the center of the Labyrinth, known as the Rosette. It would have a 20-foot diameter. I used the stake we placed in center when finding Eaast. I then tied a string to the stake and measured 40 feet radius to the outer edge (the lunations) Walking a circle, I staked the outer edge. I then measured 10 feet from the center stake and makred off the 20 foot diameter Rosette.

Finding East

2010-01-11T13:46:00.001-08:00

The next step was to find East, since the entrance to all Labyrinths face East. Then, with the help of neighbor Kevin, who had a compass, we determined which direction was East and staked it off so I could have the entrance face East.

The Snow Labyrinth Canvas

2010-01-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

This is my yard, the canvas on which I get to create this 11-circuit Snow Labyrinth. I was now ready to obtain enough stakes to mark out the lawn, so that when the snow arrived, it would be easier to follow and shovel the paths.

Desiging the Snow Labyrinth

2010-01-10T14:51:00.001-08:00

The first step in building my snow Labyrinth was to figure out its dimensions, keeping them in proportion to the original Chartres 11-Circuit design, which has a diameter of approximately 40 feet. My large expanse of flat yard permitted me to plan a diameter of 80 feet, twice the Chartres size. Using the printed image (above) I calculated a scale of one inch to equal 10.66 feet. I then measured the Paths, Labyrs, Labrices and Rosette. This worked out to my Paths being 2 feet wide, my Labrices 8 inches, and the Rosette 20 feet in diameter. The entire diamater is 80 feet.

My Previous Snow Labyrinth

2010-01-10T14:50:00.001-08:00

When I built my first Snow Labyrinth, I used the image of the Labyrinth to stake out the Circuits in early November before the snows came. Then, when it snowed in late November, I walked the Circuit, using only my boots to form the paths, the Labyrs (Path Separators) and the Labrices (axe shaped turn-arounds). Thereafter, each time it snowed, I’d walk the Circuit, stomping down the Path and building up the Labrices (Separators) only with my boots. I photographed each step, but lost all my images due to a computer crash. Having learned a frustrating lesson, I ‘m doing things differently this winter; I’m blogging the record of this Snow Labyrinth’s progress and backing up all the videos and images.

Building a Snow Labyrinth

2010-01-10T14:49:00.001-08:00

A few years ago, I built an 11-Circuit Labyrinth in the snow in my yard in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. I modeled it after the stone Labyrinth on the floor of the 1200-year-old Chartres Cathedral in France (image on the left). The vast expanse of ground and the frequency of snowfalls in northern Vermont gave me the impetus to use Nature’s natural elements to create this “handprint of God”, even though it would have a short-term life.