My new backyard skating rink
Jan 6, 2016 17:16:09 #
Well, Mother Nature finally cooperated and dropped the temperature enough for the lake behind us to freeze over. It is like a sheet of glass right now, but too thin for skating. Maybe in a few days
and hopefully the snow will not come for awhile to spoil things.
As I am writing this we have a cast of thousands just off our shore and they are all honking the same questions:
"Which way is south?"
"Did we miss the flight?"
"Are you cold? 'Cuz I am freezing my tail feathers off!"
"My toes hurt!"
They keep up this dialogue well into the night and it actually gets annoying. However, I suspect that one of these days they will "flock off" and not come back until spring.
The first shots are from my bedroom balcony; the rest from near the shoreline. Nothing special, just snapshots.
As I am writing this we have a cast of thousands just off our shore and they are all honking the same questions:
"Which way is south?"
"Did we miss the flight?"
"Are you cold? 'Cuz I am freezing my tail feathers off!"
"My toes hurt!"
They keep up this dialogue well into the night and it actually gets annoying. However, I suspect that one of these days they will "flock off" and not come back until spring.
The first shots are from my bedroom balcony; the rest from near the shoreline. Nothing special, just snapshots.
Jan 6, 2016 17:30:39 #
JohnFrim wrote:
Well, Mother Nature finally cooperated and dropped... (show quote)
John, thick enough to skate, yet?
I do like the geese looking into the ice.
--Bob
Jan 6, 2016 17:36:41 #
No skating yet. The ice at the shore is VERY clear and quite thin. As I approached I scared off a few fish that were basking in the "warmer" water just below the ice.
Once the snow arrives I try to shovel a large oval with a figure-8 crossover in the middle so I don't have to keep turning in the same direction. Other neighbors with kids will do a small hockey rink.
A few have interesting toys, like ice boats, wind surfers converted for ice, or parasails for dragging you along on skates. Me? I venture out on skates and use ski poles for stability!!!
Once the snow arrives I try to shovel a large oval with a figure-8 crossover in the middle so I don't have to keep turning in the same direction. Other neighbors with kids will do a small hockey rink.
A few have interesting toys, like ice boats, wind surfers converted for ice, or parasails for dragging you along on skates. Me? I venture out on skates and use ski poles for stability!!!
Jan 6, 2016 17:37:52 #
JohnFrim wrote:
Well, Mother Nature finally cooperated and dropped... (show quote)
Hundreds of those geese relatives are in my hayfield every morning. They make racket flying in.
Jan 6, 2016 17:49:34 #
boberic wrote:
Hundreds of those geese relatives are in my hayfield every morning. They make racket flying in.
Jan 6, 2016 17:49:47 #
boberic wrote:
Hundreds of those geese relatives are in my hayfield every morning. They make racket flying in.
Give me your address and I will send these your way. ;-) They can have a great family reunion in your backyard. :-o
Jan 6, 2016 17:55:03 #
THANK YOU. THEY WERE SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFOR.....THE ICE BEIBG LIKE GLASS..............ADAMS
Jan 6, 2016 18:08:33 #
harry adams wrote:
THANK YOU. THEY WERE SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFOR.....THE ICE BEING LIKE GLASS..............ADAMS
It is a rare combination of no wind and cold temperatures that results in that large a sheet of such uniformity. Just a few days prior to it freezing the waves were quite large (almost 12 inches!!!) for such a small lake (about 65 acres). Upcoming snow, rain and wind will ruin the beauty of the slick expanse.
Once the ice is actually thick enough to skate on (about 4 inches) it will crack, making some interesting sounds. I like to say the lake is "talking to me." It can be a bit scary when you are out there and you hear a reverberating boom/ping that approaches you from a distance and passes right between your legs. At 5 inches thick it will safely support a snowmobile.
Thin but very clear ice. Fish can be seen swimming below.
Jan 6, 2016 21:30:24 #
Jana-TAS
Loc: Washington
You never know. They can tolerate it being pretty cold. Do you get to see the Snow Geese up there? They are beautiful.
Jan 6, 2016 23:35:33 #
Jana-TAS wrote:
You never know. They can tolerate it being pretty cold. Do you get to see the Snow Geese up there? They are beautiful.
No such luck yet. Lots of Canada geese and mallard ducks. We get a few loons and cormorants during spring and fall migration. I once saw a pair of swans that had tags, but no idea where they were from. They did not stay long.
Jan 7, 2016 07:43:28 #
Jan 7, 2016 08:27:12 #
Erv wrote:
What a beautiful back yard!!!! great shots to go with it too!!
Thanks, Erv. It is a bit of a special place, considering that we are located in the middle of the city. Most of the lake has public parkland and a walking path around it, but a few homes on my side of the lake have property rights all the way to the water, so no one is allowed there except the owners. There are no motor craft allowed on the water, but swimming, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boating/boarding and windsurfing are all OK.
Jan 7, 2016 08:45:53 #
Jan 7, 2016 09:50:15 #
Jan 7, 2016 15:02:24 #
That's a nice view from your balcony.
Just remember, if it wasn't for cold weather nobody would appreciate that first Spring day. It's just around the corner.
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Just remember, if it wasn't for cold weather nobody would appreciate that first Spring day. It's just around the corner.
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