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You may have already seen this sensational photo of the albino doe visiting the LaPean feeders in last weekend's snow. It is nice to know that she is still around this winter.
Barbie reports that a niece of theirs thought the photo must be a fake. Not so----this is just one more interesting occurence, as Barbie and Danny welcome the deer to their yard!
Thanks very much for sharing!
BYW, enjoy the snow while it lasts. Looks like the weekend forecast calls for 40 degree temps and possible rain.
John and I were eager to get back home to see the snow at Carlin, after our nice Thanksgiving with family . We had read forecasts for 6 to 9" of snow with high winds, and I understand that is just what happened on Friday.
Danny confirms that we got at least 6" of snow in 30 mph winds, although the warm days and warm ground from prior days probably melted some of the early snowfall. In any case, it is lovely here today, and the lake took on quite a bit of ice cover in the 5 degrees we hit overnight.
I guess we won't declare the lake "ice-in" yet, but will wait and see what possible warmer temps in the next few days bring. It certainly is getting to be time for ice cover, we know.
This photo will show you that the ice along the shoreline is not thick enough yet to support much weight, or at least to support the weight of an optimistic photographer looking for some snowy shots of the lakeshore!
"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination,
Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting---
Over and over, announcing your place in the family of things."
Mary Oliver, "The Wild Geese"
"A merging of location, history, personal legacy of impact on the land, and most important, memory, can be described as having a 'sense of place.' It is a place we identify with our own unique heritage in life, who we are, and even why we are here."
Dale Cox, in "Finding your Place," Lake Tides, Fall/Winter 2012.
We've all had repeated conversations about the good fortune that brought us to Northern Wisconsin and Carlin Lake. A recent article, (in the publication of the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership) quoted above, touched me. It made me conscious again of how important this place and you people are to "who we are and even why we are here."
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Hunters are probably going to be envious when they see this photo of Ted Straus' 16-point buck from last weekend. I'll bet this rack will end up hanging on a Straus cabin wall.
(Although it looks pretty big already, you can click to enlarge.)
And not as big but also interesting is a picture Chris Davis shared, taking from his trail cam. I saw a fisher out our windows once years ago, and couldn't believe how big it was.
This fisher, captured on Chris' camera, shows one in the wild. Would you known what this animal is, if Chris hadn't identified it?
Pauline reports that just recently, she saw two loons still swimming on Carlin Lake. Why would they be in a hurry to go anywhere, with 50 degree days and 30 degree nights and lots of open water on the lake?
John Bates says that "youngsters" often don't start their first migrations till well into November. But, according to predictions, weather by this weekend is going to be much more seasonable (read cooler and possibly snowy), so any loon "left-overs" better start flying soon.
The Upper Midwest Environmental Services Center has a link again showing the paths loons take as they migrate. The site is a little less interesting this year, I thought, as no new loons were banded in summer 2012 for tracking. But, you can still click in to see the enormous distances that our local loons travel each fall and spring.
This photo of the loon family is compliments of Margo from last June. It's hard to believe that these "kids" may be the ones still hanging around, ready to find their way across the country.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy hunting season, hunters and non-hunters alike!
And, drivers, remember that "nothing runs like a deer."
You may remember that this summer, the Carlin Lake Association contributed $250 to the Presque Isle volunteer fire department and emergency medical services. Several people from our lake community have been very grateful for their help---and the rest of us are grateful to know they will be here when we need them.
Treasurer Barbie LaPean has received a very nice thank you letter from the EMS folks, who said they will use our donation for "continuous updating of equipment to allow us to provide the best service possible for the town of Presque Isle."
On a related topic, our neighbor Jim Luedtke has a featured letter in a recent mailing from the Howard Young Foundation in Woodruff. Jim tells in emotional detail how he owes his life to the intensive and experienced emergency care he received from both the Presque Isle EMT's and from the staff at Howard Young Medical Center.
"I want to thank the Howard Young Foundation for letting me share my story with you this holiday season in support of HYMC's emergency department. I am alive today only because of the great care I received. I hope my story helps inspire others to support the HYMC emergency department and the live-saving work they do every day for all of us."
Jim's letter is long, and I believe all of us received a copy in our mail last week. If you want to read Jim's story and didn't get a letter, mention it to a neighbor and any of us can make a copy for you. And, if you would like to participate in the Foundation's fund drive, you can use the envelope in your letter, or go to their webpage www.howardyoungfoundation.org to contribute.
I think both of these are very good causes, ones we can consider among the many places for our charitable contributions.
Veteran's Day, coming up tomorrow, is a great time to say thank you to our neighbors who served in the US military on our behalf: Jim Stocker, Ricks Brewer, Danny LaPean, Duanne Swift, and Bill Huemann. Our sincere appreciation to all of you for your service!
(I glanced back at my Veteran's Day post from last year, and was reminded again of the problems present-day vets face as they return to civilian life, especially finding employment. I know there are several worthy organizations devoted to helping veterans as they make their ways back home.)
Recently, a friend sent me one of those email forwards, telling about the servicemen who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It made me appreciate the loyalty and dedication of all American service men and women, and I thought parts of it were worth repeating here.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Soldiers chosen for that duty must be between 5'10" and 6'2" tall, have a waist measurement of 30" or less, and serve for two years. They pledge to neither drink alcohol nor swear, not only throughout their duty, but for the rest of their lives.
In their 30-minute shifts, the guards take 21 steps from side to side in front of the Tomb, and then wait 21 seconds before pivoting and returning. That number reflects the 21 gun salute given to honor a soldier.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our U.S. Senate and House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC Evening News, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment,it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a service person.
The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.
ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM, O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
Thanks to Chris Davis for sharing another photo of local swans, this one taken just off Newcomb Road, he says. (That's off Hwy K, on our way toward Boulder Junction.)
As I count, it looks as though the photo shows more than 20 swans. I wonder if we might be able to catch sights of swans all winter, as we did last year. That will be fun, for sure.