Making Ice

Today we walked around the island on ice for the first time this season. No wet ankles, not even a crack in the ice, so it's getting pretty strong. And slippery! Gary walked out about 30 feet and measured the thickness, and it's about 2 and a half inches today. Still not thick enough to walk to shore, but if we had to get off the island now, we probably could. Fortunately, we don't have to!

This photo was taken out in front of our house, where the waves froze mid-splash the night before last.

This morning when I got out of bed, I happened to look out the window just as a family of three river otters ran by! They took off to the north, heading for Muck's Island, but changed course quickly when a bald eagle flew low over the lake toward them. They picked up their pace and ran instead toward Chair Island, northeast of us. They were very vulnerable out on the ice and I'm sure they knew it. The eagle watched them go from his perch in a tree on Raspberry Island.

Gary and I watched the otters as long as we could still see them. It's amazing how you can easily lose sight of three dark moving objects on the ice, even when you know they're there. It makes me wonder how much wildlife passes by without our noticing.

Today we'll spend our time inside, working on family histories and Christmas presents. I'm hoping to spend some time up in the sleeping loft with a novel, Ahab's Wife, this afternoon -- this is a luxury that I should really try to take advantage of more often, as it doesn't cost anything and feels so self-indulgent!

Now and then we can hear the ice forming, like a groan.