Here Comes the Ice.

After gaining and losing that massive amount of snow in November, we seem to be in a more "normal" winter phase now with occasional flurries that don't require twice-a-day snow removal.
The lake is beginning to ice over - enough that the snow is actually sitting on it.

And the ridiculous ducks that were trying to sit on the first skim seem to have moved along.

I wonder if this winter will make the lake more usable for skiing and snow shoeing than the past many. So many years of freeze-sink-flood have made the lake "no fun" for anyone. Even when you know there are feet and feet of ice out there, seeing rooster tails behind the snow machines means the skiing will not be great. Fingers crossed for a good cold snap to give us some nice ice.

Despite how grey these pictures look, we had nice sun today and a lovely pink sky is beginning, so tomorrow should have more of the same.

November White and Wet

Since my last post, we had a record snowfall for the month of November. We were right up there with Buffalo - we actually made the Global news last week when the 400 was closed and we got more than 90 centimeters of snow in 30 hours.

A true sign of how bad it was is that curling was cancelled. That never happens!! But for two days - last Thursday and Friday - they didn't want people driving to the club because the highways were so bad.

Because most of you don't have snow yet, I decided to share some of the beautiful 'Christmas card' shots that I took. If we never had to move any of the snow, I could sit and admire the beauty all day long. Unfortunately, the need for food and water means getting the snow out of the way to get into the car.

Using my barbecue perspective to show you how much snow we had, here is a shot from the same angle as last post.

Here is another look at the entire deck. By the time we got around to clearing it, it was well over three feet in the drifted parts. (And yes, Virginia, we did have sun for part of one day this month.)

After shovelling and blowing  the driveway for 9 days straight, you can see that the level of snow is just below the window sills on that side. And there is a big drop below there - so probably 6 feet of snow in some spots. That is where I dump the scooped snow from clearing around the cars.

And now it has been raining off and on since Saturday morning and this is the deck today.

So we get to start all over again tomorrow. The forecast is for more snow. But I don't think it will be like it was these past two weeks. Fingers crossed!!

The Flakes are Falling

It's another grey afternoon and as I stare out the window, I realize that I missed my post about the first snowfall - that happened on Hallowe'en. In the 20+ years that we have been coming here and living here, that is the earliest yet. Previous record was November 5th. Not a good sign.

Here are some pictures I took out the windows on the morning after that first snowfall. Once again, the leaves and snow are fighting for real estate. We never seem to get that final clean up done before the white stuff falls. Oh well....

It has been snowing on and off since then, but mostly not staying. However, as I returned from a workshop in the GTA this past weekend, this is what James Bay Junction Road looked like.

Snow tires are on the truck and the car will get them on Wednesday. I think the forecast is for about 15 cm here, so tis the season for the good tires. Rumour has it that we are in for another winter like last year's. I hope they are as wrong as they have been about most other weather forecasting.

But like it or not, winter is coming. It is as inevitable as people leaving after Labour Day. It will happen whether you want it to or not.

The Colours are Coming

The sunny days and cool nights have Mother Nature's paintbrushes on high speed this week.

I took these pictures from the car on Monday and today there are twice as many trees that are turning. Will try to take another batch soon. The sumach have gotten redder by the day this week.

Since George's web cam doesn't show any colour yet, I decided these were worth sharing.

Where is summer?

It is July 30th. We are stuck inside - again - with rain and very cool temps. High today (according to iphone weather) will only be 19.

Okay, so if we are a month behind, July's weather was June's. August's will be July's - unless August decides to do September's. Fingers crossed that will not be the care.

The only happy living things around here are the plants. They are ENORMOUS! There are thistle-like weeds at the side of the road that are well over 6' tall. And folks who have been coming here for the 20+ years we have been here can't get over how green everything is.

Oh well, no sense in beefing about it, since it won't change anything - oh to heck with that - of course we can complain.

Here's to a warmer, dryer August! And sunny weather for our AGM on Saturday, August 2nd. 
Our hosts will be Adrienne and Peter Boersma (of Boundary Lake, driveway near the recycling bins and our message board).

Look for the bright green sign in our Message Board for directions. 

Hope to see you there. 

Another Art Bombing

Not sure where you all are, since the lake is very quiet, but when you do come, you will see this on your drive in Blue Lake Road.

Here's a little closer view.

Once again, something that looks totally at home in the pond. It will have you doing a double take.
And then smiling.

Hope it is still here when you come!!

PS Took the first water temperature last Sunday and it was 19 degrees.

Leaves, Bugs and Keys Keys Keys

I am happy to report that the leaves are pretty much out. They seemed to pop in the last week.
With them, unfortunately come the bugs. Ya gotta love when blackflies and mosquitoes overlap. A feeding frenzy.

But the biggest pest this year are the keys. Thousands upon thousands of them everywhere. A banner year, according to everyone I have spoken with. Apparently it happens every five years or so, and I am sure we can thank that merciless winter for this year's yield.

Apparently, if they are on lawn areas, you can weed whack or mow them to get rid of them. But seriously, they are sprouting in places where the degree of difficulty for growing is horrendous. I have already devoted hours to picking them out of the driveway, pathways and river rock. And today, I will begin on the lake side. Here are just a few pics I took.

pathway in the garden

front "lawn" (and I use the term loosely)

garden bed

Bug suit, bug spray, rain boots and gardening gloves will all be in style while I pull bucket after bucket of seeds from the garden. You can sit in one spot and pull hundreds without moving. Yikes!!

Oh well, boats are in so we can have a lovely cruise before dinner as our reward.

GONE!!!

At dinner time last night, there was still a fair bit of ice out there, even though there were lots of open spaces.

And as the water opened up, the first loon landed in our bay. I swear they must have their own air traffic controller who lets them know when they are "good to land".


Then, when I woke up this morning, it was gone.

Just a tiny bit around the shoreline where the sun can't reach. But the next endless days of rain will get rid of that for sure.

Going, Going.......

It is a beautiful sunny day here today and the remaining ice on the lake looks like it won't last the week.
Most of the docks are now floating and the narrows near the Hawkes' is open. Fingers crossed the season is on its way.

And look who's back. Right at the edge of the ice on the right hand side is our little water line duck.

On our walk today, we saw a butterfly. That seemed strange, but hey, we'll take any sign that this awful winter is over.

By the time the long weekend is here - very early to be sure - we should be able to get out there on the water. Not so sure about IN, but ON seems like a safe bet.

Will try to post again when the ice is gone, gone, gone.

Land ho!!!

Finally, with a few mild days, good winds and a bit of rain, there are patches of earth showing through the snow!!!

Today we didn't get the predicted downpour, but we have a mighty fog and can't see across to Booze Island - well maybe just the tops of the trees.

Here are a few pictures to share:

One of a few big patches left in the front.

Front garden is mostly clear.

Lots of clear patches in the woods - even more now than day before yesterday.

Cautiously optimistic that the white stuff will soon be history.

This time last year our boat was already in the water - well, officially tomorrow. So we have a lot of melting to do to get there. The ice appears to be gone around the edges of the lake, but there still looks like there is lots in the centre.

Melting Has Begun

The warmer temps for the past few days have made a big difference already in the melting. After being on the lake on snow shoes just on Saturday, today the tracks from the snow mobiles all look slushy and probably not great for snow shoes or skiis. That might be the end of the season for frozen lake fun.

On this afternoon's walk, the road was pretty much clear of snow, but a muddy mess. Yesterday's drive was a lot of mud surfing and hoping that we wouldn't meet a car going the other way, since the tracks pretty much decided where you were going. Today, the wind has dried things considerably. On our walk, we took a few pictures to share.

Backing up a bit, this is a picture of the road sign at the corner of Point Road and Salmon Lake on March 24th. Snow was still kind of white and the sign was barely visible over the banks.

Same picture again today. Banks are dirty and noticeably lower. And you can see the road in the background.

A few large holes near the shoulders, marked in some creative ways.

Here is a long shot of the road, which gives you a good idea of snow quantity and the muddy bits.

And although we haven't seen a robin yet, we saw two of these little rascals today. This one actually made it across the road. The first one we saw wasn't so lucky.

But all the signs are encouraging. It sure won't be an early spring, but at long last, it seems like we might actually get one.

Spring? What spring?

If "sprinter" was the new handle for last year, you ain't seen nothing yet!!

Although spring officially started more than 48 hours ago, you sure wouldn't know it by looking out the window. Since that "event" we have had two days of steady snowfall - just in case we didn't have enough already.

Before I start to feel too sorry for the Salmon Lake folks, check out what a friend on Georgian Bay bought this year - after being stranded for 18 days. That is one serious piece of snow removal equipment. The 60" snowblower ensures he will NEVER be stuck again!! (And he figures he can hire himself out at $100/hour. More than one way to pay off your investment!!!)

Compared to being unable to get out for 18 days (which would be very scary), I guess a frozen septic pipe and a shifted water line are not so bad.  And running away from it all for a while should have helped more than it did. According to rumour, we have another 3 weeks of this ahead of us.

So, "sprinter" may now be the new "spring". The sun is out today and warm enough to have things dripping outside, but the cold cold temps at night are not helping with the thaw efforts.

Fingers crossed that when it does warm up, it will do so gradually. Already the road is a complete mess with flooding in the lower parts, mud in the dirt parts and icy patches in the shade. It's like Mother Nature designed a special all-terrain course for us to drive through every day.

I will keep everyone posted on the thaw - or lack thereof. Maybe on the bright side, we can avoid black fly season altogether!!

It Never Stops Snowing!!!

Day after day, we wake up to another accumulation. And we're not talking small potatoes - between 4 and 8 inches every day. This is not a sport for old folks!!!!

The snow banks are so large now that those being plowed have no place left to put the snow. The big equipment is regularly in town putting snow into trucks to go who knows where!! And those with snow blowers just end up looking like the abominable snowman on a daily basis, thanks to the blow back from the machine.

Yesterday on our way home from town (it was clear here when we left), the white outs were so bad that I actually got out and walked in front of the car so Rick could stay on the road.

Everyone we talk to cannot remember this much snow so early in the winter. It's gonna be a long, long one. I am sure the snow machine operators and businesses are happy, but we are not amused!!

Or, if you want to snow shoe or cross country ski, there sure is the snow for it.

Here are just a few pictures to show you what real snow looks like.

This morning's view up the stairs from the front door.

The deck and BBQ, were cleared day before yesterday.

The railing this morning.

The big pine down by the water is bowing under the snow.

Having been in Toronto during that awful ice storm makes me happy this is not ice!! So I guess that adage, "Cheer up - it could be worse1" is correct. And, when you are just looking at pictures of it, it really is quite beautiful.