THE COAST GUARD IS READY

A CRYSTAL CLEAR, COLD MORNING

COAST GUARD ICE RESCUE PRACTICE...

...QUITE REALISTIC...

...PRACTICE  MAKES PERFECT

Saturday, 8:15 AM.  22 degrees F at the Ferry Dock, 20 degrees on the back porch at dawn.  Wind  WNW, moderately gusty at times.  The sky is crystal clear, except for a few scattered clouds on the eastern horizon.  The humidity is 59%, the barometer more or less steady at 30.37".  The record high for today's date is 63, set in 2012, the record low -13 in 1965.  I don't think the maple sap ran yesterday, but it should today, if it warms up sufficiently.
   Joan and I went out for Friday fish fry yesterday evening, at the South Shore Brewery in Ashland.  The atmosphere is nice, rather homey, and the food always good, if sometimes a bit pricy.  I love our local Late Superior whitefish and lake trout, but occasionally opt for something different, usualy beer battered cod.  But last night the chef must have had an inspiration, as the alternative to local fish was pan fried flounder over a bed of spaghetti with marinara sauce (with something of an Asiatic flare, that rendered it slightly sweet and pungent).  It was an outstanding dish, very unusual and absolutely delicious.  Twice as much as I could eat, I hope it reheats well for lunch.  Joan had prime rib, which she declared quite good, and Buddy got its usual trimmings for his dinner.  I think very highly of the brewery's  very dark Rhode's Scholar stout, but didn't care for their pale ale, which was absolutely flat, with no head at all, and a rather sour taste.
   Snooping around the Bayfield waterfront  for Almanac news yesterday, I came across these Coast Guarians practicing ice rescue.  In full wet suits, they practiced over and over again how to pluck someone off an ice flow, whether they were conscious or unconscious, responsive or unresponsive.
   The ice is getting rotten but some folks still venture out there.  The ice will be going out one of these days.  This is a dangerous time for ice related activities...fishing, snowmobiling, driving with pickup trucks and ATV's...and the season that too many people try to push the envelope, endangering themselves and their rescuers.
   The Coast Guard is ready.