First dip in the lake!

Jeff and I went up to the cottage with his parents this past weekend. The last of the ice was going out when we arrived (see above photo). 'Twas very cool to hear the crackling and hissing of the slush as it shifted, gradually melting into the water.



After we crossed the lake, we found that the power was out at the cottage. JBR collected ice from the lake to keep our food cold.



A phonecall to Hydro prompted a helicopter to buzz the shoreline looking for line problems, and a couple of Hydro guys came to check on our situation. We had power back on by early evening...wow, that was fast (considering how few customers they have in that area at this time of year).



Below: Russ Matthews, who won Jeff's annual Canoe Lake Ice-Out Prediction poll.



While sitting in the hot sauna, I decided to have a quick dip in the recently thawed lake. I almost chickened out, but Jeff promised to stand by the edge of the deck to help me get out. Good thing, too -- as soon as my body hit that icy water, I knew I wanted to get out as soon as I could. Holy cow. It was not my most graceful exit from the water (the words "flailing" and "shrieking" come to mind), but it certainly was exhilarating.



I ran back into the sauna, but it still felt as if I had an invisible cushion of cold air all around my body for several long minutes despite the heat; I love that sensation, and it's one of the reasons I always try to jump in the lake at ice-out. It's almost as if every cell in my body is quivering with "WOOHOO! WE'RE ALIVE!" (and "DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT AGAIN!"). Heh.

You can see more of my ice-out pics here.

Trek across the lake

One of the highlights from our visit to the cottage this past weekend:

Lying in the middle of a frozen lake in Algonquin Park, listening to the boomBOOM muffled cracks of the ice.

When cracks started appearing around us, I got a bit nervous:



Jeff reassured me that the ice was safe and the cracks were only on the surface, and I decided to believe him. It was the easiest crossing we've ever had. Though we had to be careful of our footing, it was fun to slide across the smooth surface, the expanse of smooth ice stretching around us in all directions.



When we got back, I found a package waiting for me from Sib! More on this soon.