Carlin Lake Association

Looking ahead to winter

 

With maples and aspens just starting to change, I guess we should be enjoying these fall colors, instead of looking ahead to winter already.    

But, our local weather guru Gail Speer forwarded this interesting link to me this week, predicting a snowier than average winter for the Pacific Northwest, stretching all across to Wisconsin.   

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/34891/winter-2011-heavier-snow-for-c.asp

Maybe our relatively rainy summer will lead to a winter with more snow, and continue the drought relief we have all been waiting for.  

In other weather conversations, people have suggested that the warm temperatures of Lake Superior this summer---20 degrees warmer than usual---will make the big lake freeze more slowly, and contribute to more lake effect snow coming our way.  

Personally, I would welcome a snowy winter, but as Flossie at the grocery store told John once when I was hoping for a big snow:  "This girl needs to shovel more snow."  So, probably not everyone wants the blizzards I think I want.

 

Question answered

 

An article in last week's FYI Northwoods newspaper finally answered a question I have been wondering about this summer.   On July 31st on this blog, I wrote about the tiny black worms chewing up the alder leaves on our shore, and about the curling leaves on the poplar trees along the road.

Then on August 20th, I wrote here about two different naturalists who had told me that both of these issues were probably the result of our 6-7 years of drought.

Now, the headline in FYI says, "Northern Wisconsin aspen, alder under attack from two predators."  A DNR entomologist from Rhinelander tells that for both species, the browned and curling leaves are caused by insect infestation .   Both are unattractive, but the insects will move on, and the trees will survive.

The aspen/poplar are being attacked by a caterpillar called the aspen blotchminer, causing the brown and curling leaves.  The feeding is heaviest on the bottom half of the tree, so any trees have been left green on top but brown on the bottom.   

The alder bushes along the shorelines are being eaten by the alder flea beetle, which chews holes in the leaves, giving a lacy look.   If you got close to the alder leaves along your lakeshore, you saw small black worms earlier this summer, followed by the cobalt blue adults now.   The DNR foresters interviewed say this infestation can be expected to last 2-3 years.

Neither a "blotchminer" nor a "flea beetle" sounds very desirable.  I'm glad they are staying on the vegetation and are not interested in getting closer to humans.  

Final (we hope) potluck plans

 

The "non-fish boil" for Saturday, September 18th, keeps changing shape, but the Carlin social committee feels certain that this is what will happen:  

Plan to arrive at Bill and Jeannie Huemann's at 4:00 or so that afternoon for a modified potluck supper.   The Huemanns will provide home-made pulled pork sandwiches and table service for all.   Each of us will bring one dish to share (appetizer, salad, veggie dish, or dessert) plus the beverages of our choice.

Rain or shine, we expect this to be a low-key and fun wrap-up to our summer season.

That Saturday, September 18th, will be a busy day, as that is also the fall meeting of the Carlin board of directors.   If you are a member of that group, or if you are interested in Carlin business, or if you just want a hot breakfast, come to the Skyview Restaurant on Saturday the 18th, at 9:00 am.   

(Please send any items for the meeting's agenda to President Chuck Hayes.)

Hummers still here

 

We are still enjoying hummingbirds zooming around our feeder.  John Bates says these little guys usually leave the Northwoods by the middle of September, but that he leaves his feeders out till the end of the month for any stragglers.

John suggests the hummers may be migrating early this year, maybe in response to our earlier and warmer spring, and thus a longer summer.  He says our hummingbirds probably winter in Central America, probably Costa Rica, although some also end up along the western Gulf Coast.

I hope the birds find clean habitat when they arrive, have a safe winter, and return to us next summer.  

(Male hummingbirds head out first, followed by females, with juveniles of both sexes bringing up the rear.)

Labor Day Weekend

 

If you are at Carlin Lake this weekend, you already know that summer deserted us quickly, and that the weather hasn't given families the lake-floating end of summer they were hoping for.

On Friday, it rained nearly all day, with about 8/10" in our rain gauge.  And, on both Friday and Saturday, the temperature didn't made it past 55 degrees, with a pretty hefty wind to make it feel even chillier.   On our visit to the grocery store yesterday, we saw a woman, obviously feeling the cold, bundled up in her winter coat and wool hat.

It's sunny this morning, but we put an extra blanket on the bed last night, and our thermometer showed about 38 degrees this morning.   I hope you are having a good weekend, wherever you are, in spite on the non-summery weather.

Multiple choice quiz

See if you can figure out the correct answers for each of the following questions:

 

1)  Why is there NOT going to be a fish boil at Carlin Lake on September 18th?

a) We can't find a pot big enough.

b) Enthusiasm has been exceedingly weak for the taste of boiled fish.

c) It kinda sounds like a big mess.

d) All of the above.

 

2)  What WILL occur at Carlin Lake on Saturday, September 18th?

a)  A pontoon float

b) An annual meeting

c) A potluck at Huemann's beach

d) A trip to Lake Geneva

 

3)  When you come to Huemanns, what should you bring?

a) Whatever you want to put on the grill.

b) Beverage of your choice

c) A dish to share

d) All of the above

 

4) What activities can you expect on September 18th?

a) Talking

b) Eating

c) Campfire sitting

d) All of the above

 

I bet you got a perfect score on this quiz!   More information will follow about our last lake social activity of the summer.   But, for now, enjoy the official end of the summer, and have a great Labor Day weekend.

 

 

Maples already changing

 

In his column last week John Bates gave his expert opinion on how to predict when leaves are going to change color in the fall:   he says it is nearly impossible to guess!

We've had eight years of drought, followed by an early and warm spring, followed by more rain than we've seen for ages.  John says he knows of no research that details how drought followed by moisture affects fall leaf change.

And, there are other factors too, including our shortening daylight, now down to 13 hours a day.  So, as usual, we will take what we get, and be certain to appreciate it.   I admit that I enjoy spotting bright branches on the maples as I take my walk and watching as they seem to change almost daily.