Slow and Steady Comes The Spring

After a glorious, sunny week, last night it rained non-stop and it's grey and dull this morning. I take solace in the fact that the rain will also help get rid of the last of the snow and the ice on the lake.

Friday, we went to visit friends on Georgian Bay and were jealous of the big patches of open water there. We still have none - at least that we can see.

But my walk on Sunday morning produced a few images that are cautiously optimistic.

Along the straight stretch past the transfer station, the snow is nearly completely gone on the Otter Lake side of the road. On the Salmon Lake side, there is still quite a bank of snow - I guess the morning sun is stronger than the afternoon. But the creek that runs along the side of the road was actually moving.

They grated the (sp?) road last week, which really helped with the potholes. And I think with the forecast, it was just in the nick of time.

Saturday was so mild, we picked up a bunch of fallen sticks from the property, examined the damage to the old dock, and I undressed the urns at the front door.

Ok, so maybe I am pushing the season a bit, but I hate the sight of an empty urn, so this was my compromise. Hopefully, in a week, the flowers won't look out of place with that patch of snow behind.
The real daffodils are budding and we have heard and seen a couple of robins.

And after all, Easter is in a couple of weeks, so we need to welcome it with something springlike.

Watching the Ice

Is it my imagination, or is the ice getting darker? Is it a reflection of the incredibly blue skies lately, or is this warm sun reducing the amount of ice?

 

It could all be wishful thinking, but I will be watching like a hawk for any changes.

In the meantime, the snow is definitely leaving - don't let the door hit you on the way out winter - here is the view from the studio window.

Only occasional patches of snow, even in the woods.  And the road continues to get mushy despite the very cold might and day temps, which proves that this wonderful sun is very strong. I think we are back in the plus numbers this week.

However, I somehow doubt that the ice will be gone by the second week of April. We put our boat in last year on the 15th.

Ducks at the Portage

On our walk this afternoon, we heard - and then saw - two mallards on the Otter Lake side of the portage.

Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead, so I couldn't get my own pictures today. However, here is a shot I found that looks the same - except this one has more snow.

I'm not sure if this is a sign of spring or not (based on how many winter duck shots there were), but at this point, we will take anything remotely spring-like.

The past few days - and a few going forward - are sunny but very chilly. But somehow, despite the highs of only -6, that strong sunshine still manages to turn the road to muck every day. We suspect the ice will be later leaving us this year.

There is no doubt that the longer days are very welcome. And the ongoing sunshine is a real boost.

My battery is charging as we speak, so I will have shots to share next post.

The Amazing Moon and a Little More Winter

Eva Kostiuk took this beautiful picture of the giant moon on Salmon Lake on Saturday night, and graciously gave me permission to share it with you. It was incredibly bright and lit up the lake.

This morning, we awoke to a dusting of snow, just as predicted by the weather folks.

But as I sit here posting this, I can hear the dripping of melting snow, so I don't think it will be around for long. The highs are in the plus numbers for the week, so unless there is a drastic turn, as my mother-in-law says "This won't amount to much."

From Beauty to the Beast

There are only a couple of times that Mother Nature wears an ugly face here at Salmon Lake.  It is when she is going through a change of seasons. And it is definitely not pretty!

The good news is that the stronger sunshine is melting the snow.

The bad news is that the road is a mess! When the frost comes out, driving becomes an adventure in "mud surfing". There are no tires for that. 

And then there are the potholes and water hazards. And the requisite "tiger tails" to keep you from losing your muffler or sinking up to the top of the wheel wells.

But take heart - it means that spring is definitely on the way and this won't last long.

Here's a prettier scene to remind you that in a matter of weeks, you'll be back up here getting ready for Mother Nature's prettiest season.

Where Have I Been

This is not exactly Salmon Lake, but it is my view for 8 glorious days. We were in Holetown Barbados and it was incredible.

This is a sea turtle, one of many with whom we swam. So much friendlier than our snapping version.

Ahhh, you don't need to say anything for this picture.

And the view of the shoreline isn't too shabby either.

We arrived home very late last nite/early this morning and the day turned out to be much better than they had predicted. Lots of snow disappeared while we were gone - more patches of ground showing through everywhere.

Today's temp is around 6 with a nice wind, which always helps things melt and go.

I will post local pics again soon, but thought these were worth sharing.

It's Raining, It's Sleeting, It's Snowing.

Somehow the first week of March has marched by and I didn't post at all. It was a week that had mainly sunny mornings and good strong sunshine that melted a lot more snow. Yesterday, while I was driving in and out of rain in Toronto, we got a couple of centimetres of snow here.

This morning, it's been a patchwork quilt of precipitation.  At 7:15, I awoke to the sound of rain which I'd been hearing through the night. Virtually all the snow was gone from the deck.

It's hard to take a picture of rain, but you can see the droplets on the barbecue cover. And you can see the bare deck.

The driveway shows our tracks from last night and the rain got rid of nearly everything there as well.

By 7:45, it had turned to a wet sleet and by 8:00, a light snow. At 8:33, as I write this - big fluffy flakes.

I'm sure it will go back to rain again, later in the day, but whatever it does, it's not pretty.