An Unbelievable Beautiful Winter Morning!

An early morning ski!

           This morning was Sunday.  I woke up early and noticed the sun just peaking above the horizon.  Looking at the clock (6 a.m.) I stretched, yawned, and poked my husband. "It's time to get up if you are going fishing," I reminded him. 
           We made our way to the kitchen for that first cup of coffee and made our plan for the day.  He was going fishing and I would be doing course work before we left to visit my brother in "the city."  I finished an "e-tivity" and then looked out the window.  The fresh snow on the lake beckoned to me, and before I knew what was happening, I was dressing in layers, pulling on my ski boots, and sliding down the path to the lake. 
           I put on my skis and adjusted my poles.  Step, slide, pole, step, slide, pole...out I skied to the middle of the lake.  Stopping to capture my trail behind me on the digital camera, I also clicked a pic of our home on the up on the hill.

A winter wonderland!

         The I turned and headed down the lake in the direction of the ATV tracks.  Step slide pole, step slide pole, etc. In 500 metres I had lost my breath and my heart was pounding.  What a feeling!  I stopped to catch my breath and take a few more pictures. 

         
             What was that coming up the lake?  Was it a skid-oo? A fancy ATV? Superman?  I wasn't sure. You see my husband had just bought a new-to-him ATV and I had not seen it in action.  Honestly, as it came closer, I thought it was a snowmobile.  It couldn't have been my husband.  He hadn't been out on the lake long enough to even drill a hole.

           Then I realized that I wasn't wearing my glasses, so I couldn't see who or what it was riding up the lake, that was until it was right beside me...

           To my surprise it was my husband with a tale of woe to tell.  First, his new-to-him toboggan had fallen down the hill,breaking one ski.  He abandoned it at the bottom of the hill and headed out to his favourite fishing spot.  Once there, he got out the motorized auger to open the holes in the ice.  Unfortunately, snow had gotten in to where snow should not be and it would not start.  He had left his hand powered auger with the abandoned toboggan, so he had decided to come back to pick it up.  On the way back he noticed that the motor of the new-to-him ATV was running hot and steam was pouring out.  "Not a good morning," he told me. 
           Not to totally spoil a perfect morning I asked if he could do me a favour and take my picture, just to prove to my readers that yes, I was on the lake at 7 a.m., the temperature was -11 C, and I was wearing a smile.  Thankfully he obliged and this is what he saw:

Yes I do LOVE winter!!!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

Cross Country Freezing

Out on the Lake!

           I love the winter!!
          After three winters outside of Canada we are enjoying a real January.  Cold temperatures, colder windchill, coldest toes in four years.  There is snow on the trees, on the ground, and on the lake. Beautiful!
          As soon as the lake ice was thick enough, I was able to get my cross country skis out of the garage and venture out.  The first few days was wonderful.  With just a touch of snow on the ice I slid down to the end of the lake and back in less than an hour, stopping only for the occasional rest and the not-so-occasional fall.  Conditions were perfect and I promised myself to try it every day.  Good for the heart and the soul. 
         Today marked the aftermath of two days of mixed precipitation, including ice rain, snow, and ice pellets.  The result was an increase depth of snow on the lake- somewhere around 15 cm.- and sub-zero temperatures (-21 degrees Celsius). My husband warned me that the ice could be wet, due to the weight of the snow on the ice.  I was not dissuaded.  I put on the layers of woolly clothing and slipped down the hill to the lake. 
          What happened next was predicted.  The ice was wet, the snow was deep, and the skis were slow.  As ice formed on the bottom of my skis I had to lift my knee with each step.  There was no slide whatsoever. And it was cold, especially when moving into the wind. I tied my scarf around my ears and covered my face. When my glasses steamed up I put them in my left pocket (because when I fall, I fall to the right). I took a few pictures of the beautiful day and then fell on my left side.  Go figure!
          The good news is that my glasses did not break, my ice cream headache went away, I managed to get inside the house before my ears froze off, and I still love winter!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

Hello from the Lake!

Deer Rest Spot

Looking Towards the North Wind