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.