Ferry Running, ice on the Lake

All the news of the Ferry starting up gets us thinking about our season. Last week, the ice on Lake Superior, between Bayfield and Madeline Island looked like it was going to sink! There was water on top of it, it was a very dark color and it appeared to be sinking. This week, it has floated up again and looks like it may be there for a while still. This happens every year. It now appears slightly white and the snowmobile tracks from earlier in the winter have reappeared on top.

The boats sit under their canvas covers on the edge of the harbor. The snow has melted from around them. In a couple weeks, we will take the covers off and let the sun in. My memory of the work to be done this spring is softened by the winter. In October, when it was starting to snow and the Lake was angry, I couldn't wait to get them out and put away, before another storm beat them up. I probably had twenty things to do this spring on my mind, but I can't recall them. In October, boat projects make me tired and depressed just thinking about them. These old boats seem really old. Now it just seems like we polish and varnish and clean, then start sailing. What a change! My memories of last season are reduced to only the good ones and I can't wait for it to start again.

The boats sit patiently all winter. In the summer, we care for them every day and are a part of them in some way. We read their moods, diagnose their problems, share their joy. Most of the winter they are barely in our thoughts...until spring.