Carlin Lake Association

Star of stage......

 

At Lakeland Union HIgh School, our neighbor Alex Watras recently played the demanding role of Jean Valjean, the leading man of the well-known Les Miserables.    It's a challenging story about the time of the French Revolution, and has some modern themes, I think, about justice and corruption.  And, I know Alex's was a demanding role---he's on stage nearly all the time.

I love this show and was very sorry we were out of town and had to miss the play.  Many people who  attended said the production was just excellent and that Alex's performance was outstanding.   Congratulations, Alex!   

 

Drive carefully!

After a fall and winter with relatively few deer sightings, they are literally coming out of the woods this spring.   We encounter deer along the roadsides, often a string of several of them, on nearly every trip to town.  

And, a group of deer seem to have made a home base at Carlin Lake.  An even dozen just strolled in front of our house and nibbled on our south-facing hillside.  Duanne Swift reports thirteen regular visitors in their yard, likely the same girls making the rounds.  I'm sure those of you who have kept them well-fed this winter have seen even more.

The main explanation for the increased deer population must be the state's prohibition of doe hunting last fall.  Also, a recent DNR study credits the February thaw with creating favorable conditions for deer, making them more able to find food during the last couple of months.   

(The DNR calculates a winter's severity using the number of below zero days and the inches of snow on the ground.   A score of less than 50 is considered a mild winter.  At the end of February, our area was given a score of only 18.)

Mild winters lead to fewer deer deaths, and also lead to the births of stronger spring fawns.   Duanne suggests we may see a "baby boom" this spring as these healthy does will have healthy, and maybe multiple, fawns.  

-----Another reminder to keep our eyes open while driving! 

 

More accurate ice information

 

Duanne emails to let us know that when he and Ann were out ice fishing last weekend, Carlin Lake still had 17" of ice to drill through.   Also, an acquaintance on Rosalind Lake, just down the road from us, tells us he discovered almost two feet of ice remaining on their lake, although he did say the top 6" or so are "honeycomb-y."  

So, especially with our string of below-zero nights this weekend, we won't expect ice-out in the next few days!  

Duanne informed me, though, that air temperatures aren't the only factor, and that the angle of the sun hitting the ice also causes the ice to begin to move.  The Swifts note that the ice has begun "singing," so much that the rumbling made Ann wonder if someone was trying to break into the house.

 Stay positive!   Spring is inevitable.  Ann also says she saw her first robin this week.

Ice out??

 

Our thermometer this morning recorded about three degrees below zero and has climbed now to about 20 degrees.   On this sunny but cold day, I went to John Bates' book on my desk--Fall and Winter in the Northwoods--hoping for an idea for today's blog post.

To my surprise, I discovered his "fall and winter" book ended on February 28th, and I had to pull his "spring and summer" book off the shelf.   So, you can see that I'm not thinking spring yet, even though the calendar announced spring's arrival this week.

I also checked back to last year's Carlin blog posts, and learned that---believe it or not---the ice went out from Carlin Lake last year on today's date, March 25th.   Even at the time, we knew that was an unrealistically early spring, but looking at this year's snow and ice cover, I understand even more how unusual last year's early warm weather was.

There are still spring signs to observe, though.   John Bates says that by March 25th, we are enjoying twelve and a half hours of sunlight a day, rapidly increasing so that by April 5th, we will be up to 13 hours and by April 24th, to 14 hours.   Even on cold days, those extra warm rays of sun are melting the snow piles.

And, I was interested to read that on the spring equinox this week, the sun rises precisely in the east and sets precisely in the west.   So, if you want to know exactly what direction your lake cottage faces, now is the time to check it out.  

------John just suggested to me that most people probably have already done this with their compass!   :-)

 

South of us again

I know, I know---lots of people are happy not to be shoveling out from 16" of snow this morning. But I mostly feel disgruntled that the all-night and all-day hours predicted of 100%  heavy snow passed us by again.

Those 24 hours of 100% chances the National Weather Service told us about turned out to be only 1" of snow that fell from 7 to 9 this morning, and now is already gone.   

And, it's not just my imagination that predicted snowstorms continue to go south of us.  Here, I will repeat from my post of March 9th, telling about an article from a news magazine we subscribe to.

Scientists tell that the Arctic Ocean has lost 30% of its surface ice since 1979.   Ordinarily, that ice preserves the extreme cold at the North Pole, creating a pressure barrier between north and south.  But, warmer Arctic temperatures weaken that boundary, allowing the frigid Arctic air to escape southward, as warmer air then rushes north.  

The article cites winter temperatures in northeastern Canada and Greenland that have been as much as 20 degrees warmer this winter, while our mid-west has experienced "brutally cold, snowy" weather.   Some scientists comment that two winters aren't enough to draw permanent conclusions, so I hope that we aren't experiencing a "new normal."   

Last night on Channel 12, the weather man also talked about the warm air coming from Canada, moving big snows south, more into the center of the state.   (And, if we hear it on Channel 12, we know it must be true!)

Also, here is a link from aol  reporting the same weather phenomenon---that shrinking of the polar ice cap is pushing warm air down from Canada, affecting our typical weather conditions.

So, I will be a good sport and think of everyone who's glad not to be shoveling and snowplowing again, but I also think 15" or snow or so would have been fun, besides being good for the lake level this spring.

 

 

DNR pier regulations

Although the proposed pier regulations for Presque Isle Township have been permanently tabled, the state of Wisconsin, through the DNR, still has new regulations going into effect for large piers.

Duanne Swift forwards the following information from the Wisconsin Realtors' Association, thinking that it may help clarify a confusing issue.   Note that there is also a link to the DNR's website for more information, and for forms if you need them.

Note that the website also has a link called, "Decision Tool:  do I need to register?" that should help us decide if this process applies to each of us.

 

 

Pier Registration is April 1, 2011

Waterfront property owners with larger piers must register their piers with the DNR by April 1, 2011 to ensure their piers will be "grandfathered" from new size limits adopted by the State of Wisconsin in 2004.

Generally, a pier will need to be registered if it (a) is wider than 6 ft, but less than 8 ft in width, (b) has a platform at the end of the pier that has a surface area of less than 300 ft (w/ a max. width of 10 feet) and/or (c) more than 2 boat slips for the first 50 feet of shoreline frontage and 1 boat slip for each additional 50 feet of shoreline frontage.

To register a pier, a waterfront property owner must complete and mail a registration form to the DNR. To obtain a copy of the registration form and to find out more information about which piers need to be registered, please visit the DNR's website at:
Waterway & Wetland Permits: Piers, Docks and Wharves.

( I can't get the link just above to connect, so please use the link in the second paragraph at the top of this post.)

 

Happy first day of spring!

 

Here's just a note to let you southerners know that we woke up to about 3" of wet snow hanging from the branches this morning.   It's very pretty, but the blustery wind has sent most of it flying to the ground by now.

There is still snow in the air, with temps just below freezing, and occasionally we can hear sleet hitting the windows.   

I always like interesting weather, and this seems like an ironic, Northwoods start to spring!

 

 

Super full moon tonight

I should have reminded you of this before Saturday afternoon, so I hope you have caught the news yourself---that tonight's full moon is closer to the earth and will be brighter than ever.   This phenomena won't happen again till 2029, so get out there and get a good seat tonight.

Two good things are going for us---the sky is clear at Carlin Lake, and there is still snow on the ground.   Even last night, the moonlight reflecting off the snow was brilliant.    Enjoy!

 

Cure for cabin fever

The weather for cross country skiing and snowmobiling is past, and it's too early to think of putting in the pier or going fishing.   So, what's a good excuse for getting outdoors and enjoying these changeable March days?

Bill and Jeanne Huemann are having fun tapping the maple trees on their property and cooking the sap down to make maple syrup.   The weather seems to be cooperating this year---last March, spring came too quickly and temps got too warm too fast.

This week, we've had night-time temperatures mostly below freezing, and seasonably warm days, even up to the mid-50s yesterday.   Thus, the sap flows back down toward the roots in the cool nights, and heads back up to nourish the branches during the warm days.   So far, Bill and Jeanne report mostly sap dripping rather than sap flowing, but they are collecting enough to begin to boil down for the valuable syrup.

Jeanne says she understands why pure maple syrup is so expensive!   In the first place, it takes 40 quarts of sap to yield one quart of syrup!  Plus, the cooking itself is messy and must be done outdoors.  Releasing all that sticky condensation into a kitchen would make a huge mess!  And, as in all do-it-yourself projects, tools are necessary--the taps, the bags, the pot for boiling, the jars for storing.   

I got a taste of the Huemann's first bottle of maple of syrup, and assess that the fun and effort are definitely worth the payoff!

 

Pontoon boat for sale

 

Would a well-maintained pontoon boat be just the thing to add to your shoreline this summer?

George and Ramona Kubica are offering their small (6 person maximum) pontoon boat for sale, at what seems to me a VERY reasonable price.    In addition, they will include the 18-foot boat trailer, also in very good shape and perfect for the modest-sized pontoon boat.

Ramona and George have enjoyed their pontoon a lot, and hope that it may now meet the needs of someone else on the lake.   Please call the Kubicas with any questions.  They'll be happy if they can sell the boat without having to advertise it widely.