Teen Temps in Texas! Indoors!

Down here in Texas, winter sometimes feels like it's only a foot note during the holidays with a day here or there of truly (To Texans) cold temperatures.

This winter it's been even warmer than usual  and playing sinus havoc by rising to the 70's and 80's then plummeting to the 30's for a day or so then swinging back up to the 70's again.

Having lived down here now for twenty years plus, true cold is not something I've thought of as getting to experience again. But I was wrong!

I now work in Grapevine, TX and my boss and I noticed that the Gaylord Texan Hotel would be doing a Christmas event. Figuring we were too close to miss out, we took an early lunch one day and went to experience - ICE! Merry Madagascar

In this huge hotel, way off to the side, they set up a giant tent, bring in an absurd amount of cooling units. In the traditions of the famous Harbin Ice Festival in China, the owners of the Gaylord Texan have striven to bring us a little of the amazing ice shaping art seen there down home to Texas.

(Gigantic ice buildings at the Harbin Ice Festival)

And though we love to say everything is bigger in Texas, with ice we couldn't do as big as China, but the fact we can at all is amazing!

With temps down in the teens, your admission ticket also gets you your very own parka (you'll need it) then you can see what the 40+ Chinese artisans the hotel brought from overseas created for the delight of those willing to pay.

Marty, Gloria, Alex, Melman, all our favorite Madagascar friends are there. (The man in back is sporting one of the provided and essential parkas.)

Sphinx on ice! :)

The pic above is actually a set of ice slides. The boss and I actually went and slid down the thing. Heh heh (It was only us and one other set of adults at that time of day, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves! Bwahahaha) (No one present to take embarrassing Youtube videos that might go viral. Heh heh) 

Lights inside blocks of ice.

And what would Madagascar be without the Penguins? (Hey there, Skipper) 

The lemurs are also in attendance, but I didn't end up with a pic of them. Hmmm. (Did King Julian abscond with it?)

Loved this waterfall.

The angel was very cool.

Lit nativity scene.

The boss and I, knowing a little about what we were getting into, dressed up for this. Cap, gloves, multiple layers of clothes. Even having to take my glove off to make the phone take pics, I was able to tuck it away and keep warm. Every zipper and button was closed. I was doing pretty good throughout, but the boss wasn't so lucky.

By the time we finished the 20 minute or so walk through the exhibit she felt like she'd turned into ICE. Hee hee!