...HOW DEEP'S THE WATER, BUBBA?

THE END OF ICE FISHING ON THE BAY?

A LONE FISHING SHANTY LEFT ON THE ICE

Tuesday, 8:15 AM.  24 degrees F at the ferry dock, the same on the back porch.  Wind SW, gale force.  The sky is overcast, with blowing snow.  The humidity is 76%, the barometer 29.33" and more or less steady.  The forecast for the week ahead calls for temperatures in the single digits and teens, with cloudy and overcast skies and occasional snow showers.  Yuk!

  Yesterday the temperature rose to 49 degrees in Ashland, and the last ice fishing shacks and tents were being removed.  These two fishermen were men of great faith, as they were literally "walking on water."
   I imagine their conversation might have gone something like,
      "Got your inflatable vest on?"
      "Forgot it."
      "Me, too."
      "How deep's the water, Bubba?"

WHY CHERRY ORCHARD TREES HAVE WHITEWASHED TRUNKS

CHERRY TREES WITH WHITEWASHED TRUNKS  (sunny day)

DITTO (cloudy day)

Monday, 9:00 AM.  39 degrees F at the ferry dock and on the back porch (quite unusual for both to have the same reading).  Wind variable and calm, the sky overcast, with heavy fog over the channel.  The humidity is 95%, the barometer 29.64" and falling.  The weather for the coming week is forecast to become much colder, lows dropping into the teens and lower, with highs in the twenties.  There is a chance of rain today and snow tomorrow, with wintry weather thereafter. 
   Cherry tree trunks have thin bark, susceptible to sunscald damage. The above photo shows sweet cherry trees with white-washed trunks  White reflects the sun's rays. This is a good way to prevent sun damage in late winter, when  strengthening sunlight reflects off the snow and can damage the bark. 
   Bayfield is a far northern location, but the cold is modified by Lake Superior, so sweet cherries can be grown here.  Lapin and Cavalier cultivars grow well and are as good in flavor and appearance as any. Sweet herries bloom early and are susceptible to frost damage and also failure of insect pollination, so not every year is a financial success, but averaged out, the crops are a great cash crop for those orchards that choose to grow them along with apples.

THE MANY SEASONS AND MOODS OF THE SIOUX RIVER

WINTER

EARLY SPRING

FOGGY MORNING

SUMMER

FALL

MYSTERIOUS

EARLY  WINTER

Sunday, 8:30 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30 degrees on the back porch.  Wind S, mostly calm with light to moderate gusts.The sky is cloudy, the humidity 83%.  The barometer is falling fairly rapidly, currently at 29.97", predicting rainy weather tomorrow.  The week ahead is forecast to be much colder, with mostly cloudy skies and snow or snow showers.  Winter is hanging around.
   One of my favorite scenes is the Sioux River, looking upstream from the bridge over the Big Rock.  It is almost always worth taking a photo, even if the picture doesn't quite match up to the actual sight.  In any case, I looked through my archives and found these many seasons and moods of the Sioux River.

ALMOST TIME TO COME HOME, MARTHA

MARTHA'S FANTASTIC GARDEN....

...AN 18TH CENTURY COMBINATION OF FRENCH...

...AND CHINESE ELEMENTS...

...CALLED A CHINOISERIE

Saturday, 9:00 AM.  23 degrees F at the ferry dock, 21 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, skies partly cloudy, humidity still relatively low at 69%.  Barometric pressure is falling slowly, currently at 30.51".  The forecast calls for temperatures to rise into the 40's and higher today and tomorrow, with a thunderstorm on Monday, then cooling off into the twenties again with a wintry mix of skies and weather.
    I have written about Martha's  fantastic garden before (use the search engine at the top of the page to see Martha's Fantastic Garden I and II, September 28 and 29, 2013).  Located on several city lots on the corner of 9th St. and Washington Ave., it is a wonderful garden of combined French and Chinese elements, what the French called a Chinoiserie,  and is the work of one lone and very determined woman gardener.  It is interesting to see it in stark design detail in late winter.  Of course most of the garden ornaments have been taken in, and the snow is still with us in Bayfield.
   But the bones are there, like a fossil in a museum.
   Almost time to come home, Martha.

PUSSY WILLOWS ARE BUDDING OUT

THE BEAUTIFUL, FRIGID BEACH

PUSSY WILLOW CATKINS....

...ARE BUDDING OUT

Friday, 8:00 AM.  Brrr...6 degrees F on both thermometers.  Wind WNW, mostly calm with light to moderate gusts.  The sky is crystal clear, the humidity a low 60%.  The barometer stands at 30.06" and is steady for now.  The weather should warm significantly for the weekend and Monday, then cool off again to around freezing, with cloudy skies and snow showers.

   Yesterday afternoon was bright and beautiful and Buddy needed to get out, so we went to the beach.  It was frigid.  Even though the temperature was in the high twenties, the north wind was strong and it was still winter, even though there is mostly open water everywhere now.

   The native pussy willows , Salix discolor, at the end of Friendly Valley Road, are budding out right about on time, defying the cold wind. 

A GOOD LOOKING, SMART COYOTE

A GORGEOUS COYOTE...

...SEEN FROM THE DINNING ROOM WINDOW...

...AFTER THE STORM

Thursday, 9:00 AM.  19 degrees F at the ferry dock, 16 on the back porch.  Wind NW, mostly calm with light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear with some scattered clouds, the humidity 81%.  The barometer is rising, now at 30.29".  The forecast calls for sunny weather and temperatures into the thirties and higher through the weekend, with a chance of rain on Monday and then cooling into the twenties again.  Looks like March will be a wintry month.

   I was drinking my coffee yesterday morning at the dining room table and something made me glance out the window.  There, just across the street, was a gorgeous coyote.  I don't usually think of the ubiquitous coyotes as very good looking, but this one sure was.  Sleek, his coat puffed out in the cold and damp, fur cleansed by the fresh snow, he was a wonderful example of his race, which usually is compared quite unfavorably to both wolves and dogs.  He was looking intently at the neighbors house, obviously knowing that a dog resides there, but sensing it was on vacation with its owners somewhere.

  Good looking, and smart as well!

WILLOWS COLORING UP[

WILLOW IN THE SNOW

Wednesday, 8:oo AM.  21 degrees F at the ferry dock, 19 on the back porch.  The sky is overcast and cloudy, the humidity 88%.  The barometer is rising slowly, now at 29.92".  We got 5" of snow yesterday and last night, backsliding into winter again.  The forecast calls for some son in the next few days, and warmer with rain or snow by the weekend.

   We may be backsliding, but the willows are ready for spring, the young twigs of different species now becoming bright yellow or orange.  I haven't checked out the pussy willows as yet.