12/17/09 'TILL WE MEET AGAIN

It has been fun writing the Bayfield Almanac blog the past two years, but this will be my final entry, as it is time for me to move on. I hope my poor efforts have helped foster an appreciation for the out of doors, landscape design, horticulture and native plants, and for independent thinking on matters scientific, political and social, as well as an appreciation for life along the byways of our great Republic. So, good’ by, and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

You can find Art Ode's new blog at artsbayfieldalmanac.blogspot.com.

12/16/09 WARMER THAN PREDICTED

Wednesday, 9:00 AM. 2 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky overcast but the barometer predicts sunny skies. It did not get nearly as cold (-10 for Ashland) as the weather forecast predicted, probably because of the open water .

12/15/09 A GOOD GUESS

LAKE SMOKE
BAYFIELD CITY HALL
MAYOR AND OFFICE STAFF
LANDLOCKED
STILL FISHIN'

Tuesday, 8:45 AM. 0 degrees, wind WSW, light. The channel is obscured by lake smoke, and the sky is mostly overcast but clearing. The barometer predicts sunny weather. We have an inch or so of new snow, and it has been snowing lightly.
Bayfield City Hall is a nondescript old building, mostly garage space, with a few offices and a meeting room. For most purposes, it is all we need. Around the Christmas tree are Mayor Larry MacDonald and city office staff.
Pleasure boats are now all shrink-wrapped and consigned to dry land, but commercial fishing boats will cast their nets until freeze-up. I hear they are catching a lot of herring.
The “lake smoke” is steam or fog rising into the frigid atmosphere from the warmer water of the lake. It rises, often in great billows, condenses and comes down as “lake effect snow.” It is not a continual process, but seems to depend upon atmospheric humidity, wind, and probably other factors as well. I theorize that it is cyclical because when the surface water cools sufficiently it becomes heavier than the warmer water beneath it and sinks, the warmer water then rising to be cooled by evaporation, the process then repeating itself until the surface finally becomes cold enough to freeze and stop the process. Anyway it’s a good guess.

12/14/09 OOF PARTY

MISSED THE LAST FLIGHT OUT
PARTY GOERS (THE MOOSE FAMILY)

Monday, 9:00 AM. 15 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is mostly obscured by lake smoke, it is snowing lightly, with 4” of new snow on the ground. The barometer predicts more.
Mary’s OOF (Official Old Farts) Christmas party was its usual success, with most of the community’s seniors dropping in between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM for brunch and libations (the moose family crashed the party but were welcomed by all).
The robin must have missed the last flight out. I suppose I have another critter to be worried about now, as robins don’t come to the feeder. Maybe it will get some sense and fly in the direction of the noonday sun.

12/13/09 NO LOCAL WARMING, BUT A PARTY INSTEAD

HARBOR LIGHTS BUT NO LAKE SMOKE
LIKE A SHADE DRAWN
SNOW OVERHANGS THE EAVES

Sunday, 8:30 AM. 8 degrees, down from 10 degrees at 7:00 AM. Wind W, calm. The channel is calm but surprisingly no “lake smoke” is rising from it. The sky is mostly cloudy but the barometer predicts sun. We are headed for the deep freeze. Today is Mary Rice’s OOF Christmas Party, I will explain the name and report on it tomorrow.
The snow on the south side of the roof now hangs down three feet from the eaves, and like a shade almost obscures the view from the kitchen window. I suppose I will have to get out the roof rake and wade through the snow and clear it, Joan say she likes it but I fear it may damage the fascia. All things considered, we could use some “local warming.”

12/12/09 A METAPHOR FOR WINTER

A WINTER DAWN
OLD BLACK WILLOW
OLD BLACK WILLOW

Saturday, 9:00 AM. 11 degrees, wind WSW, calm. The channel is quiet and probably beginning to freeze, ice being visible on the Island shoreline. I hear that the Bay was frozen at Ashland yesterday, but will break up with the first north wind I am sure.
The big old black willows along Ninth Street between Old Military and Wilson are a perfect metaphor for winter.

12/11/09 A WINTER NIGHT OUT

LAKE SMOKE RISING IN THE MORNING COLD
THE BAYFIELD INN
SHOPS WERE OPEN
WINTER STREET SCENE

Friday, 8:00 AM. –3.5 degrees, wind S, light. The sky is overcast, heavy lake smoke is rising from the channel, we got another 2” of snow last night and the barometer predicts sunny skies.
Yesterday evening was the annual Chamber Christmas Afterhours tour of local shops and was open to the public, which was a good idea. People were out and about and buying things, regardless of the bitter weather. Joan and I did some shopping and then had dinner at Maggies restaurant. I have been involved in Chamber Board planning sessions and am leaving for one now.

12/10/09 SURVIVORS

LUCKY CHECKING OUT THE ORNAMENTS

Thursday, 8:30 AM. 3 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is obscured by falling snow and fog. We got another 2” of snow last night and some is still falling, but the barometer predicts sunny skies (which means frigid temperatures).
We got at least 20” of snow in the driveway by my reconing, which is not a record but is a lot. We can get out but the roads are not good. The old Dodge 4-wheel drive truck is a great winter vehicle and almost unstoppable with its new tires.
I still have walks and decks to shovel, but we all survived the blizzard, and not an ornament was lost from the blue spruce tree.

12/09/09 SNOW ,DUST, AND A LUCKY DOG

ABOUT 16" OF SNOW BY NOON AND STILL FALLING
WHITE OUT
''TWILL SUFFICE"
HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET?

Wednesday, 7:15 AM. 16 degrees, wind W, very strong, just now changing to NE. It is snowing, with almost white-out conditions. There is perhaps only 6” accumulation but considerable drifting, and according to the barometer it will probably continue for the rest of the day. If the counterclockwise low proceeds across the lakes we will get considerable snow on a nor’easter. It is a real howler out there and it makes no sense to be out in it yet. To utilize a quote from Shakespeare, "'tis not as wide as a church door nor as deep as a well, but 'twill suffice."Lucky was out for five minutes, came back covered with snow and is now ensconced in his easy chair in the library, in front of the fire (what a lucky dog).
We went to Duluth yesterday to do some Christmas shopping, spending most of our time at Barnes and Noble, where we bought a graphic adaptation (comic book?) by David Keller of Darwin’s Origin of Species. I hope twelve year old grandson Nick will be as pleased with it as I, as I am quite captivated by its ability to present a complex subject in an very interesting and understandable way.
I confess I don’t understand most religious objections to the theory of evolution, as there is more than enough room for God in Darwin’s or any other scientific exploration of life and the universe (the converse is probably true as well). Particularly, since there was little objection by religion to the somewhat earlier concept of “spontaneous generation” of life from pond scum and other such sources.
Which brings up the joke I remember from Sunday School about the little boy who, when introduced to the concept of “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” replied, “Well, Reverend, I think there’s someone either comin’ or goin’ under my bed.”

12/08/09 "IF IT LOOKS LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE...."

A COLD AND RATHER SULLEN MORNING
A MATURE BALSAM FIR TREE

Tuesday, 8:15 AM. 16 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky darkly overcast and the barometer predicts snow. I have three outside thermometers, on different corners of the house. They never agree and may differ by as much as three degrees. For consistency I always record temperatures from the same thermometer, but it points up the difficult of obtaining consistent data, even in an area as small as 1,000 square feet. The discrepancies may result from different manufactures of equipment, or from sun, wind or other microclimatic factors, but they are real and very difficult if not impossible to rectify. Multiply this one instance by hundreds or perhaps thousands (do we even know that?) of locations over 150 years and one can see that extrapolating accurate temperature data backward in time is a daunting task, to say the least.
There are a number of tall native evergreen species that exist in the wild in the Northland, and with some familiarity one is able to identify them from afar. One species easy to spot (pictured) is the balsam fir, Abies balsamea. It is very narrowly pyramidal, and the top of the tree looks like the perfect Christmas tree for your family room, and the most expensive trees on the lot are often exactly that, the tops of tall balsam firs. Balsam firs on the Christmas tree lot are usually characterized as "double needle" or "single needle" firs. The "double needle" is indeed that, and the double ranked needles are a factor of the amount of sunlight the branches receive. That is why the tops of large trees, which receive the greatest amount of sunlight, are so desirable. Of course open field grown trees may receive enough light to become "double needle" trees as well, and one would prefer I think to harvest the later rather than the former.

12/07/09 PARTY ON, MARY!!

HISTORIC KNIGHT HOUSE


A WELCOMING ENTRANCE



Monday, 9:00 AM. 20 degrees, wind WNW, calm. The channel is calm, the sky overcast. We got 2” of new snow last night, and the barometer predicts more.
Bayfield is a party town at Christmas, and much of the gaiety is thanks to everybody’s neighbor, Mary Rice. Philanthropist, entrepreneur, and artist, Mary is responsible for many if not most of the good things that have been done in the community over the years. The party was held in Mary’s home, the historic Knight House, pictured above.
Her “trim a tree” party is much anticipated by friends and neighbors, and last night’s event was great fun. Mary provided the venue, the tree and ornaments and the libations, and everyone brought a dish to share. After the tree was trimmed and everyone well fed and watered, we all gathered as close to the piano as possible and sang Christmas carols. The evening ended with deserts and a really exceptional eggnog. Not to be outdone, even by herself, next Sunday will be her annual OOF (to be explained later) party for the community’s senior citizens. Party on, Mary!!

12/06/09 "NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING..."

THE RISING SUN BURNS OFF THE "LAKE SMOKE"
ENTERING THE WOODS WALK
THE QUIET WOODS

Sunday, 8:30 AM. 19 degrees, up from 16 degrees earlier. Wind W, calm. The channel is dimpled, and earlier was obscured by “lake smoke.” The sky is partly cloudy, alternating snow clouds with patches of blue, blue sky. About 1” of fluffy snow fell earlier, which has started again, but the barometer predicts sunshine.
It is a quiet, quiet morning, Lucky and I meeting not a soul, human or animal on our walk, which took us through the woods this morning. There was not a fresh track, and in the spirit of the upcoming yuletide season,“nothing was stirring, not even a mouse.”

12/05/09 FLAGS AND FLOWERS

AN EARLY WINTER MORNING
FLAGS OF OUR HISTORY
IDENTIFYING ASH TREES IN WINTER
PERSISTENT, DEFORMED MALE ASH FLOWERS

Saturday, 8:30 AM. 16 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is crawling slightly, the sky is mostly overcast but clearing, and the barometer predicts mostly sunny skies.
The city Christmas tree is up, surrounded by the flags of many of the nations most important to its history and culture (the US flag is out of the view):Great Britain, Red Cliff-Ojibwe, Canada, France, Norway and Finland. I think I have got them all right.
We have discussed ash trees and the emerald ash borer at some length previously, and another way ash trees can be identified at a considerable distance in the wild in the winter is by the persistent deformed male flowers of many trees (ash trees are dioecious, bearing male and female flowers on separate trees. The term is from the Greek, meaning “two houses”). The deformity is caused by the ash flower gall mite, and apparently does little damage to the tree itself, but of course decreases the pollination of nearby female ash trees, so there are probably fewer of the also characteristic winter seed clusters on nearby female trees.

12/04/09 OLD MAN WINTER PAYS A VISIT

LAKE SMOKE AND SNOW
THE CITY CREW HAS BEEN OUT
WAY TO GO, NEIGHBOR!
MOTHER NATURE'S CHRISTMAS DECORATION

Thursday, 8:30 AM. 16 degrees, wind WNW, calm. The channel is obscured by lake smoke, and it is snowing lightly. The barometer predicts precipitation and we have 2” of snow on the ground.
The city plows and sanders are out for the first time this season, and I have scraped the drive and decks and filled the bird feeders. Old Man Winter has arrived about on schedule, and unannounced. He will lurk about and pounce on us from time to time until he settles in for good by Christmas, and then won’t be leaving for many months.

12/03/09 PORTENTS OF THINGS TO COME

CHRISTMAS IS COMING
OLY OLSEN, THE BARBER OF BAYFIELD
ANY FURTHER NORTH AND YOU'LL GET YOUR FEET WET

Wednesday, 8:00 AM. 20 degrees, wind W, very light. The channel is crawling slightly, the sky is partly overcast with dark clouds and the barometer predicts sunshine. There is a very light dusting of snow on roads and rooftops. It is the coldest morning so far this season, a portent of things to come.
I guess I am not too early with Christmas decorations, as the Bonney's, on the corner of 8th and Mannypenny, have their crèche up. It looks really nice, unless the poor Holy Family is sitting in three feet of snow.
Thinking of the upcoming holidays, I went to Oly’s Barbershop yesterday afternoon and got a haircut. Here’s Oly, AKA Kenneth Olsen, outside of Wisconsin’s Northernmost Barbershop two blocks down Old Military Street from our house.

12/02/09 'TIS THE SEASON TO BE DECORATING

THE HOLIDAY DECORATING BEGINS
THE CRITICS(LUCKY:I ONLY WORK FOR FOOD)
SNOWBERRIES
SYMPHICARPOS ALBA

Tuesday, 8:00 AM. 30 degrees, wind NNW, light. The channel is dimpled, the sky overcast but the barometer predicts sunshine.
Lucky, Joan and I trimmed the Colarado blue spruce tree in the front yard yesterday afternoon and I am pleased with the result. No lights, just glass ornaments and a big red bow.
The snowberry bushes (Smphoricarpos alba) are growing on the corner of Fourth and Manypenny. Snowberry is a northern North American species, found on gravely banks and other calcareous waste places. Preferring partial shade, they are a good naturalizing shrub, planted especially for their attractive white berries, which are good wildlife food. A decoction of the roots was used pretty extensively by Native Americans as a wash for skin ailments.

12/01/09 WHERE'S THE DATA?

THE SUN RISES LOWER AND LOWER ON THE HORIZON
AN EPHEMERAL SNOWFALL

Tuesday, 8:00 AM. 29 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is glassy, the sky partly cloudy, and the barometer predicts rain, of which there is .3” in the gage from sometime since I looked at it last.
We experienced our first real snowfall yesterday afternoon (at least that I actually observed) it coated a pine tree in the back yard with large fluffy flakes but in an hour or less there was no evidence left of the occurrence. It seems that weather related information is terribly hard to hold onto these days, as evidenced by the scandalous “dumping” of irreplaceable data by the prestigious Climate Center of the University of East Anglia in England (the name sounds rather like that of a community college, eh what?), evidently destroying much of the basic evidence cited for “climate change” over the last 150 years.
Really! Are scientists just as susceptible to the common human frailties of greed, deceit, self-aggrandizement and political ambitions as us ordinary humans? If you haven’t by now answered “you bet,” I have a bridge in Brooklyn you may be interested in purchasing.
This scandal will result in significant economic, political and social reverberations, but the real tragedy in this and similar (they are not that rare) instances of scientific skullduggery is the damage it does to science itself, which is the very basis for modern civilization and most importantly for the future of our own country. There is only one way to save ourselves, and science itself, from scientists, and that is to constantly use our own powers of observation and logic to judge for ourselves the theories and evidence presented to us as scientific fact. None of us can be knowledgeable in all things, but all of us can cultivate a healthy skepticism to combat the rogues among us. One red flag to watch for: if you ask a simple question about a subject and are told it is too complicated to explain and that you must “read the book,” it is probably unsubstantiated theory or pure nonsense. Another: if scientific data or theory is presented as “consensus,” it is probably false, because science is based on incontrovertible truth, not general agreement. Yet another: if a proof cannot be replicated, it cannot be accepted as valid science. Finally and most importantly, follow the money.
Yesterday’s ephemeral snowfall really happened, as evidenced by the accompanying photo, the original of which remains, unenhanced, in my computer.