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.