Cooler and Wetter

September 5th through 11th

It rained last week. Not a series of gentle showers, but the type of rain that, under a metal roof, sounds like a hog farm worth of bacon frying. It was also a little cooler.

As the sky cleared, Lake Lucerne was about 2.5 inches deeper. The lake's level is still hovering around 3.5 inches below the nail. The cooler water temperature should slow the evaporation rate and hold the gains we've made this year.

The cooler water was warm enough (72 F) and flat-ish for skiing between the storms.

The birds seemed more active last week. Not sure if they were all excited by the rain or there was some sort of Northwoods Avian Convention, but they were plentiful. Some were blue.

There was even a few (3) pileated woodpeckers putting holes in trees around the bar.

Local milkweed pods are getting to be full sized.

By the time the moon gets to be full sized, there will be more color in them trees.

Not that local trees are without color. Some stressed ones are at peak. Most of the others should peak in 2 or 3 weeks.

The water temperature is getting close to 70 F, but there is still some skiing, diving, swimming and Rafto left in 2016. We've seem some of the less lucid among us water ski well into November, but most of the sane don't voluntarily ski under a certain water temperature. Ours is 62 F. Under that the smufism and screams get too loud and drown out all the fun.<br><br><br>-Nemo, staving off hypothermia with campfires and a hat.

Jumpin' in last week