Summer Start

This year, the week ending with Memorial Day weekend was the start of Summer. The lake was stocked with piers, rafts, lifts, and boats. The fish have migrated back to the warming waters. The lake started the week at 49°F. By the weekend it was up to 64 F. That's still please-don't-let-me-fall-while-skiing-for-I-will-surely-die cool, but much better.

Knott Lane has not aged well. There are many reasons to get a cosmetic procedure done and a number of them applied to the ugly road. A surgeon was consulted. Late in the week, a scrapoplasty was successfully performed. By the weekend, the patient was doing well and the suspensions of many local cars were relieved.

Greening up. During the course of the week the hills and valleys went from a dead gray to a spirited green. There will be full ferns soon.

The Trilliums were late this year. What they surrendered in tardiness, they made up for in numbers. There are trilliums of them.

The task was to move a boat lift from the west side of the lake to the east. We used a raft and the very pontoon boat the lift was to support.

After the task was complete, all that was left to do was bring the raft back to the west shore. It was a lot easier than getting up on one ski plus there was the whole rope burn thing.

Many others skied in a more traditional manner. Before the boat lift follies and all that skiing, we had switched the bird seed brand in the feeder at the bar to try to attract more types of feathered friends.

It worked.

Celebrations on the arrival of Summer were held in a series of "bar nights" on the north end of the lake.

Dice based drinking games became less tasty and more amusing with each passing hour.

The ice is still out. To anyone that encountered last Winter, that would be enough, but there's more! It was hot by the end of the week! It took time, a steady stream of coats and curses, a few trips to the casino, and propane but the withdrawal from winter is complete. Just a few more degrees and it'll be time to dive with the bass and swim with the otters. Plus the lake is up an inch for the week. Life is good.

-Nemo, "This is your brain on Summer, any questions?"

Summer Start

May 20th through 26th, 2014