Cold and Snowy start to the Year

The lake effect machine turned on before the end of last year and continues.  Combined with the artic blast of extremely cold temperatures and high winds -- I have not felt like venturing out.  It just isn't as enjoyable when the wind chills are more than -20 degrees.  Plus, I've been working on my end-of-the-year accounting and tax preparation, which are not my favorite tasks.  I'm still waiting on some of the December statements to come in the mail to finish up, so I will resume work on the new book today.  I am well more than half way done with the first draft of the narrative poem.  This book, which will take on the same design as the first in the Rocks through Time series, is much more difficult to do.  It is harder to summarize billions of years of Great Lakes region geology than it is to describe nine stones.  Once the poem draft is done, I'll start working on the graphics.  This task will be even more difficult.  I am excited about the challenge and will just keep working on the project until it is ready for publication.  Hopefully, it will be in time to have printed books by the time the museum opens the end of May.

When I went to town yesterday, I drove around again and took a few photos.  When I was at the post office, I just had to document one of the local's car.  We have probably received at least 60 inches of snow so far this year.  Thankfully, the light snow has condensed quite a bit, but there is still at least three feet on the ground.

Grand Marais Bay started to try to freeze over.  One of the locals had his ice shanty out for one day.  Due to shifting winds, the ice keeps moving and breaking up.  Some of the ice fishermen in town think the new breakwall is partly to blame with the lack of ice formation.  I'm not sure if I understand their reasons, but I think it is due to the flow of the Sucker River into the bay.  I do agree that the Army Corp of Engineers blew it when they did not re-establish the breakwall in the original down-shore alignment that existed for many, many decades.  Cutting the angle of the breakwall to save money is resulting in, perhaps, unforeseen consequences.

From Agate Beach, I could see the waves crashing and splashing.  Once the wind dies down and the temperatures increase a bit, I'll venture down there to check out what I'm sure are huge ice volcanoes.  You can see what may be an ice volcano to the left of the splash in the photo below.