This is the first year in decades that I have been looking forward to winter! I got the lights up for my rink on the weekend - it is going to be SOOOO pretty!

Day: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...y/rink-day.jpg

Night: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...rink-night.jpg

It is 50 feet by 75 feet. The only thing left to do is the sound system (and maybe some edging next year) and right outside my kitchen door

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Beware of the neighborhood association! HAHAHA

Lovely spot on the south 40, btw.

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They have already advised me that I will be having a Christmas Eve skating party AND a New YEar's Eve skating party! LOL!

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Dianne
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I really do not want to rain on your rink, but experience tells me to warn you as follows:

Call your insurance agent first re liability. Also prepare an injury/death waiver. That will not protect you from negligence on your part, but can show that an injured party was made aware of the risks. Finally, just as an unfenced swimming pool is considered an "attractive nuisance", your rink may be also.

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That's awesome. Break out the zamboni.

Ohh wow that is amazing!
Where do you live I am soooooo coming over!
Happy Skating!

BTW, I want to have my own rink too, after I get moved upstate. I never would have thought about multi-colored lights. Great idea!

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Hey itfigures, I live in Manitoba, a half hour east of Winnipeg. Come on over!

As far as liability, I will post the gate "No Trespassing" and "Private Property" - in rural Canada, that is sufficient. Since it is right in my yard, I do not expect people to skate uninvited - it just isn't done here. There are no close-by children so I don't expect that to be a problem like it might in a town or a city. If I do find uninvited "guests" I will simply extend my dog's fence to include the rink An 85 pound Bloodhound is pretty effective at discouraging uninvited visitors.

I have seen the Christmas lights used to light up an outdoor area before and liked the effect. There are 250 7 Watt bulbs, 1750 Watts, with is just on the very limit of what you can run on a 15 Amp circuit. The light isn't bright but out here in the country there are no nearby lights anyway so it's a nice gentle light. I also like that there are no shadows with 250 bulbs. I might add halogen lights on the four corner poles as well if I find it is too dark but I think, once the ice is in and there's snow on the ground, it will look a lot brighter.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Hey Rusty,
What about adding a disco ball? ... just to add a little sparkle

Dude that is so awesome. I always wanted my own rink. But I live in an apartment in Chicago, so that won't work...

However, there is a huge outdoor rink a few blocks away.

The nice kind, with the like indoors, but outdoors. I love.

P.S I'm actually looking forward to winter as well.

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Hi RustyBlades - that looks so cool! My 5 year old just asked why we can't do that with her sandpit ! LOL Considering our winter is over and it barely gets below 54 degrees F (about 12 degrees C) where we live, I doubt it will ever happen!

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mum to Miss Lil (6yrs old)
mum to be to #2 due in March 08

Rusty: You are going to have a blast with your own ice! I have to second SK8PDX as I think the disco ball would be a hoot! (SK8PDX-LOL!). How will you cut the ice?

I don't plan to. I hope I can get away with the same process that was used before the Zamboni - scrape with a shovel and then flood.

Mercedeslove: You to can have a rink! Take over the apartment next door, shut off the heat, plug the drain in the kitchen sink and turn on the water!

A Disco ball? Over my dead body!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Aren't you just asking for it to be the mildest winter in decades????

No chance of a backyard rink where we live; it very seldom stays below freezing all day, even in the depths of winter. This is the country where ½" of snow shuts down most transport systems, and clogs the roads.....

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I don't think the downstairs neighbors would appreciate your building a rink in your apartment.

The university I work for was *supposed* to have a small outdoor winter-only rink on their parking garage roof. I was SO going to be the skating director, but the budget got cut. Can't put a rink on top of a garage that is unbuilt.

I do like your rink, Rusty.

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woh! that is so cool, you will have a blast you lucky girl!

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Loving it, Loving it, Loving it!!!!!

Very impressive! I've done the backyard rink, didn't do it last year as we outgrew it and then were happy because it was the mildest winter ever and would have gotten maybe a week out of it.

I did the scrape and garden hose method, theres a few homemade gizmos out on the market that attach to the garden hose for a smoother flood but there's no getting around the scraping.

Although if money isn't a problem and you've got a farm tractor there's always this
http://www.resurfice.com/500/f_500.htm

A nice home rink site http://www.hpurchase.com/backyard.htm

That's about the way I figure it to! In a part of the world where six weeks of -30C is not unknown, I expect a winter of above Zero temperatures and have joined 3 different skaing clubs (so far). One way or the other, I am GOING to have ice! LOL!

I saw that tractor mounted ice resurfacer but I would have to find myself a Sugar Daddy to afford one! Do you know any?

At least I don't have to get water from a well using a hand pump and spread it from a bucket

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

No, but you will need to fit a hose to the hot tap in your kitchen, since water for ice-makes needs to be warm!

I do hope you get some use out of it, it should be such fun. Although it has to be said that skating out of doors in -8C temperatures felt challenging enough - I totally can't imagine -30, even if you meant in F! Here, you get miserably cold when it's below 4 C, largely because it's so humid.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Fortunately, when we get "deep cold" it is usually dead calmn and humidity near zero.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )