Binary Spring

April 30th through May 6th
Last week,. unlike the previous weeks this year, was springy. Sure, the lake was still frozen, but the snow was largely gone, the temperature was above freezing, and patches of fog flowed down from the hills and onto the lake. You don't have to shovel fog so...Huzzah! Great banks of fog moved down the lake until they condensed on the icy surface. At the beginning of the week, the lake ice was thick enough to land and waddle around on. The waddlers did not seem to enjoy the hardness of the water. The ice on the South end of the lake was the first to go. Patches of open water popped up all around the islands. Later in the week, open water was reported on the North end. The waddlers became swimmers. In addition to the two swimmers, the opening water has attracted many other transitory bird types. There were ducks... Loons, Strange fuzzy birds with a penchant for emptying bird feeders, and Kayaks. The edge of the ice kept on breaking up and retreating all weekend. The remaining ice is about this thick. Looking over the hill at Crandon, Surprise Lake is open and the city is mostly snow free. Lakes on the North end of the city are also ice-less. Lake Metonga still has ice, but it's opening fast. It's been a strange Spring. Normally, we'd gain a few degrees every week and over time Winter would give way to warm. Not this year. Spring 2018 has seemingly gone from blizzard to June in the blink of an eye. It was the January residue, not the weather, that kept the fisherman off the lake on opening day. Full ice-out should occur soon. Not sure when the first toes will go into the lake. The air is warm but that water is still pretty cold.<br><br>-Nemo put wee holes in the sky, but no splashes on the water.