Still Summer

July 30th through August 5th

Last week had plenty of sun, warmth, and occasionally a touch of rain. Clearly it's still Summer, but there were some warning signs that this will not always be the case.

The dry part of this Summer is over. A number of storms hit the lake last week canceling a ski show and slowing the rate of decline in the lake level.

Local wildlife, from deer to these guys, are bopping all around the northwoods. Some at the bar have been known to stare, natter, and even climb up a leg or arm if not offered a proper tribute of seeds.

Flocks of birds fill the sky and can empty feeders in a day or two.

That strange, fuzzy bird seems to eat the most of the seed from the feeders.

The mosquito population seems to be falling. They are out there, but not in the great numbers of early July. Dragon flies are also around. We never really noticed how intricate the patterns were on their wings.

There was a ski show on Lake Lucerne, Monday but Wednesday's show was canceled due to nasty weather. On Saturday, the ski team took their act on the road to the public beach on Silver Lake in Laona.

A boat parked near the show course really took us back to a time when boats were smaller, wooden, and more basic.

It was surprising how much that little red Merc could pop that boat up over the water.

Modern engines can also launch boats pretty well, but they burn quite a bit more gas.

As last week ended, it was time to visit St Germain's "Pig in the Pines" (aka Ribfest). In the past, Ribfest thunder-domed 4 or 5 pit-masters together and one emerged as champion. In addition to the one pit-master, the crowd also won. Then it changed. Ribfest turned its back on pigsicles, and became more about mediocre accordion music and carny food. We had heard that this year, Pig in the Pines was going to get back to its porcine thorax roots. This was to be the Winter of our rib-based discontent.

We had read that there would be 4 rib artisans making meat on a bone. There were 3. This was defined as one of them. Our deflated spirits were not lifted by the mediocre accordion music that filled the air.

The second place looked more saucy. Our group generally liked their "Ribsicles", but I thought they were a little tough. Good sauce though.

The third place looked promising. One of us was tasked with bringing some pig to our table. She came back empty handed. It seems that the BBQ King ran out of ribs. They ran out of ribs less than 2 hours into the festival. Pig in the Pines now featured corn dogs and funnel cake. Mediocre accordion music mocked us as we trudged back to the car.

Lake Lucerne Fun Day did not have accordion music, corn dogs, or funnel cakes. It was superior to this year's Pig in the Pines in every way.

The lake level is falling. It has lost more than 4 inches in the same number of weeks. While it did rain last week, we only ended up with about a half of an inch of accumulation. We are still 22 inches above the nail, so we have a foot or two of water to go before there's any reason for concern. Thankfully, the BBQ King does not control Lake Lucerne so there's no reason to expect the lake to run out of water 2 months into the Summer. Looking forward, we have calm water and low 80's (�F ) coming to aid in the skiing up of the lake. Should be a great one! The last few updates have ended with a reference to a Police song. Last week's Pig in the Pines event had us thinking more of The Who.<br><br>-Nemo will not be fooled again.