First Beach Rocks

People often ask why we decide to live on the south shore of Lake Superior in the winter.  In addition to enjoying skiing and snowshoeing, I love the way that every day is different.  The last couple of days have proven how fast things can change.  We have had two days in a row with warm temperatures -- yesterday it was in the 40s.  This warm spell especially has made a difference on the beach.  On Saturday we were able to still ski the beach; yesterday we hiked.  There is a lot of sand now showing, but not all the way to the high water mark where most of the rocks pile up.  In areas up the beach where the snow and ice have melted, there are some rocks -- especially in what I call the "iceberg poops."  Since the majority of rocks are still buried in ice, I wouldn't say the beach is ready for agate hunting yet.  However, once the sand starts to show -- the melt comes quickly.  It looks like it will be an early agate hunting year, especially as compared to the last two years.  The warm temperatures are supposed to continue the rest of the week, so the snow and ice will continue to melt.

Progress continues with the book.  Based on the portion of the data base that I have already incorporated, I figure that I am around 55 percent done!  Not bad after just two weeks of writing.  It is all about the research and the resulting data base -- which makes the writing more efficient.  Of course, I have spent a lot of hours this past two weeks.  I am enjoying every second of the writing process.  I must admit that the book is coming out a bit different that I expected.  During the research, I focused not only on Grand Marais history, but also on the history of the south shore of Lake Superior.  Grand Marais has been a harbor of refuge during all the phases of U.P. history, so I feel that all aspects of the history of the Lake Superior region are relevant.  Hopefully future readers will agree and will enjoy the fascinating history of our region.  Since the book has a wider range of historical coverage, I may change the title of the book.  My working title has been "At the End of the Road."  However, the majority of the book covers the period before M77 was constructed in 1919, so I don't feel the title is accurate.  I am still brainstorming a new title.  If you have any suggestions, please email me at karen@agatelady.com.

Here are a few photos from yesterday's beach hike.  It was nice to just walk with only boots on our feet.

The most sand is showing in front of the boardwalk....

In the photo below you can see our ski marks from a ski we did just the other day.  It is hard to tell in these pictures, but the high water mark where most of the rocks are piled is under the snow and ice.

In spots where shore ice piles melted -- there are "ice berg poops" that contain rock.