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THE DAY
THE ICE WENT OUT
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Ice-In - Looking north
towards cove
(April 16 '05) |
It was
euphoric for me, signaling the end of a long winter….a winter with too
much snow, way below zero temperatures, and 40-50 mile an hour winds.
Oh, how I coveted Spring. This Maine winter became very close to being
miserable. I suppose the upside of these dubious conditions was that
the lake made thirty inches of ice this year…more than enough for the
winter sports enthusiasts. My husband had a chance to skate his heart
out and he thoroughly enjoyed it. |
Ice-Out - Looking wouth from Barry'scamp
(April 17, '05) |
Ice-Out -
Same View
(April 17, '05) |
Mike Shapiro tows floating docks back to shore. |
Finally, at the end of the first week in April, the ice
showed signs of thawing. It gradually darkened and began “puddling,”
looking much like the surface of the moon, as seen from earth, of
course. By the 15th of April the north end of the lake held
numerous large and small ice floes, but a fair amount of solid ice still
remained at the south end. Nevertheless, in spite of the lingering ice,
Mike Shapiro could contain himself no longer and became the first person
to put his float out on the lake this year. (See Picture.) As the ice
cover was gradually melting its way to oblivion and leaving areas of
open water, we watched as the geese and ducks returned to spend another
summer here. The downside of hosting these birds is their inferior
hygiene etiquette, which can cause some rather nasty problems. (Perhaps
a subject for another time.) Within the week we were delighted to see
a pair of elegant loons meandering and fishing in front of our house.
We hoped they would decide to nest on this end of the lake this year,
but it was not to be. Though they were here for several days, they
returned to their old stomping grounds in the “south” as soon as the ice
was out down there.
On the Saturday that
Mike put in his float, we watched two gorgeous eagles sitting on a
nearby ice floe. They situated there, side by side, for quite a while,
looking much like Heckyl and Jeckyl. A couple of cigars seemed
appropriate.
Early on sunny
mornings, when the lake is like glass, it is breathtaking to see the
water reflecting the clouds above and all other things around it. It is
renewing to watch this cycle repeat itself as the sun warms and the
rains arrive to open once again this comfortable place where we can dock
our boats and our bodies and renew our souls---at least for a while. We
have much to be thankful for.
God bless our troops,
their families, our country, and its leaders.
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