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August 29th through September 4th, 2022

Last week started off seasonal. Then there was some hot. Then some not so hot. Through it all, there was a feeling that change was in the air. Mostly on the cold mornings. Over the weekend, the activity on the lake picked up, but during the many days preceding, the lake looked like it was reserved for a party that never showed up. The absence of skiers was more noticeable. Some were truant due to proximity, others due to injury, and still others due to apathy. Many will regret their ski-lessness in the months to come, but the latter group will feel the most anguish. The <a href='/LakeLevel/LL2.html' class ='defaultlink2' target='_blank'>lake level</a> went up half an inch during August. Not much, but at least it didn't go down again. The lake temperature did not go up. It especially did not go up on the weekend. We are expecting that trend to continue well into the second quarter of 2023. The hill on the northeast end of the lake is starting to show a wee (very wee) bit of Fall color. A few spots showed more color than others. While floating a drone up last Thursday, it encountered a bug zone layer. From 50 to 75 feet, a thick layer of bug hung in the sky. A short time later we watched bats diving erratically about 50 feet up as they munched holes in the air. The moon is ticking closer to full. Even though it's only half way there, on a clear night, it's washing out the stars and making shadows on the ground. Upper and lower Lake Walerko were dredged this week in an effort to return them to their natural state as a lawn. Many frogs watched in stony silence. An immature eagle hung over the project while looking for lunch. Soon after, it ordered and ate the lake's sushi plate and dined alfresco. The sunset on Friday was smothered by some incoming weather from the north. By Saturday morning the lake was over half an inch deeper. The weather came with an extra package of cold. The 42°F morning air on Sunday had the lake steaming like crazy. The weekend held, among other things, the Knott Lane Open. The course at Nicolet was in excellent shape. Some of the teams were better dressed than others. Other foursomes, one in particular, seemed more interested in the apple tree behind the 9th green. Eventually they moved on, becoming a mobile hazard to complicate those final approach shots. After the last shank flew into the woods and the last divot was replaced, a little less than a hundred or so players and spectators retired to the bar for the award ceremonies, tasty food, and sorta cold beer. As the party accelerated, even the bar's modest arcade was sparked to life. Eventually the chiller brought the beer to an acceptable temperature. Aside from what we will now term "The Angostura Bitters Scare of '22" (a bartender was dispatched to the storeroom. A new bottle was found and tragedy averted!) and dangerously low garnish levels by party's end, all went very well. At the end of the evening, some up and comers were showing bar rail bowling skills that could threaten the elite of the sport. The hungry athletes left empty glasses and an exhausted pin monkey in their wake, while showing a healthy disdain for range balls. An unprecedented touching of "The Golden Pin" occurred more than once! Before the weekend, temperatures ticked up into the 80s°F. During the weekend, they ticked down and then some. With the weekend's more Autumnal weather will come a colder lake. In a week or two only the bold or foolish will dare to dive and swim. Until then, the still swimmable water is a fine tonic to keep down the pain and swelling that often accompanies the last push of Summer frolics.<br><br><br>-Nemo: Tender of Bar, Keeper of "The Golden Pin"

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