Thursday, January 15, 2015

Adventures Resume

Let me start this one out by saying that I have a wonderful husband.  He makes sure that he is home at some point in the day to watch the Wee Man, so I can go out and enjoy some beauty and fresh air.  "More than just a walk," he says. "Do something fun."

Well, you don't have to twist my arm!

One day, when I only had time for "just a walk," I saw that the harbor was frozen over.  Then I saw ice volcanoes in the gap.  That little spark that is Amanda lit up inside me and I nearly ran across the ice.  I have to go to the gap, I murmured hypnotically.  I carefully crawled onto the ice to check it out.  Shore slush and slight seiching sounds assured me that was not the day.

Here is what it looked like.

The icy harbor 4 days ago

I'll give it a couple days, I told myself.  Ooh, I couldn't wait.  Ice volcanoes are high on my exploration list.

But a couple days later proved that I was smart in not crossing right away.  The south wind took the ice out a day later, and westerly gusts stirred up some waves the next.

The wavy harbor today!

So I'll just wait.  That trek from the Marina doesn't seem as exciting, but at least it's an option...

A couple days ago Duce and I crossed Fanny Hooe.  Oh, the sun was shining and lighting up my spirit.  Here's what it looked like on that lake.

On Fanny Hooe looking East

I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go once I crossed the lake.  However, "up the ridge" was definitely on my mind.  I turned into Paul's Plunge and started climbing.  I saw some "snowcicles" along the way.  I don't know if I've ever seen those before!

Snowcicles on a rock

As I hiked, I just let my curiosity do the talking.  Then I saw it: this open ridge slope.  My first thought was, I want to go up there!  But my second, and more logical thought was, I want to go down that!!!

So I followed the trail up while keeping my senses on that ridge.  It was so quiet in there.  When I stopped walking, the only sound was my pulse thumping through my body.  So peaceful.  Ahhh.

At the top, I just trusted my instincts to get me to that open ridge.  When I found the peak of it, we had a pretty nice view of sunlit Superior through the trees.

Lake Superior in the distance

Then I did what any full-grown kid would do: I skied down that slope on my snowshoes, woo-hooing the whole way.  Yes, I will do that again.  Let me know if you want to go with me.

At the bottom, Duce and I found the lake, and started across.  We did hit one slushy spot right about where it was on the way there.  Well, if we fall in, there are some ice fishermen over there.  Hopefully they will save us!  Luckily, their services were not needed.

So these were just a couple of my journeys.  But let me tell you, when I strap on those snowshoes, I feel like I can go anywhere -- especially if I had a cup of coffee. :)

Keep the good thought going.  I'll find you again, down the snow-covered road!

Friday, January 2, 2015

Post Holiday Report

Happy 2015!  Hopefully I am another year wiser.

Remember how I mentioned the Winter Wonderfest last time?  Well, I thought it went pretty well.  The weather was warming up, but we still had snow.  And quite a few folks came out.

Folks and crafts at Winter Wonderfest

One of our local artists Donica created and donated this huge wreath for a raffle.  Those are life size doors, people.  What a honker!

Donica's massive wreath

And outside stood the snowmen, tall and proud.  Most of them were made by Staci, the one who decorated her mini golf course with them one year.

These two found the mistletoe

These two know how to party

Donny: the jolliest of them all
The leader of the light brigade

The lighting of the park was also lovely, though I didn't see it first hand.  Lydia took this picture, thankfully.

A pan of the park 2014

And the next day it rained.  I thought, well, there goes all that hard-earned snow.  But I won't lie.  Personally, a little break in the winter was nice considering what we went through last year.

The following day it snowed again anyway, so we were once again fluffy and white.  The trees were absolutely gorgeous.  I mean I stared in awe at them.  I realized that we live in a post card up here.  Everywhere I looked was picture perfect.

If you plan to come up to see this living post card, be aware that the Portage Canal lift bridge will periodically be closed.  The next predicted time for a prolonged closure is January 17th from 9pm to 7am.  I think this is pretty cool, actually (yeah, now watch me get stuck on the side I don't want to be on).  I mean, we live on an island up here.  That bridge is out, and the only option to the other side is a cold swim.

Otherwise you can expect short delays while work is being done on the bridge.  Just be prepared for that!

Since I talked to you last, a few places have reopened: The Pines Resort, Bear Belly Bar and Grill in Lac La Belle and Mount Bohemia Ski Hill.  Winter life has started here with snowmobilers and skiers, so that is promising, I suppose.

Aaron and some of his buddies are out on the east side of the harbor ice fishing for their first time this winter.  I heard there's 4-6" of ice on that side.  And they're actually catching some today!

Braeden needs to get bigger before I can take him out on winter adventures, so just be patient with me on that.  But when he is ready, we are going to have a blast.

I'd like to thank Grandma Mary for being here today, so I can actually get to this computer and focus long enough to write to you.  You should thank her too.  She keeps the little man entertained, that's for sure.

Thanks for your patience while I keep him entertained for all the other hours of his sweet little life.  I'll be with you soon, I hope!