Lake Day

We took advantage of a beautiful 40° (above zero) day and hit the lake. The bandshell is mostly done with its repairs and new colors. 

There was still 4" of untouched snow on the lake and it was perfect for our novice cross country trailblazing abilities. 

 

Snow - Finally!

Up until this week, we've only had 7" of snow. Half of that fell on Halloween. There hasn't been any snow anywhere for the past two months. It makes for a dark and dreary winter with nothing to reflect the lights.

We finally got a nice 7" snow that will stick around for at least two days until it gets back in the 40s. The dog is happy, as are the organizers of the Cross Country World Cup ski event this weekend at Theodore Wirth Park. They have been trucking in snow from all over to keep the trails going. They're expecting 35,000 people from all over for it.

 

Ice Skating

After work, DK hit me up: "Dude, let's go ice skating!" so we walked down to the lake and skated. The ice was still thick enough and smooth as glass. DK skated all the way down to the beach and back a couple of times while I tried to not fall and break anything.

I managed to not fall, and it was absolutely invigorating. We need to do it more, especially considering that it's literally a three minute walk away.

 

Las Vegas Desert

Since we couldn't get tickets to the Super Bowl, we did the next best thing: hike in the desert with friends. The G's new house is on the edge of the desert and a wilderness area. They can hike and get away from the hustle and bustle right from their front door.

We toured Red Rocks and took in the snow and stormclouds. It's a lot like Zion, but you're able to get back away from the cliffs.

The mountains by the G's house are like little mini Superstition Mountains.

 

Super Bowl Weekend

We took off and hit Vegas for the Super Bowl. Once we got there and realized that the cheapest tickets available were $6,000, we changed our plan and did other things.

The benefit of traveling during the game was that the airport was a complete Nevada ghost town. Normally it's crowded, hot, and noisy. Not so this time.

We flew on Sun Country (because it was literally $1,000 cheaper than Delta). JP scarfed down the in-flight snacks. 

 

Nico's Tacos

Our new neighborhood taco joint finally opened. I was walking the dog and noticed that people were inside. Their first night was a "friend & family" event, but we're close enough that we consider ourselves within that group. No one seemed to mind.

 The Ks joined us for our first taste of the new menu. Everyone is glad to have our restaurant corner back in full swing.

Cutest Puppy Contest

Another casualty of the warm winter was the Klondike Sled Dog Race in Excelsior. It's one of our favorite winter activities (watching, not mushing). Despite no race, the organizers still held the Cutest Puppy Contest at the brewery. CP joined us and we had a fun afternoon.

JP was in heaven accosting all the puppies. There were 30+ puppies and she voted for each and every one of them. The event is a fundraiser for the sled dog race purses.

There was ice on the lake, but on one was driving on it, and there wasn't a flake of snow to be seen.

 

Keep Off the Ice

The warmth may have cleared the Art Shanty project off the ice, but it doesn't keep the ice fishermen and polar bear club away. The trails around the lake are ice-free and full of people out enjoying the warm winter.

Every day the polar bear club goes for a dunk in their swimming hole.

 

Great Northern Ice Bar

We took the bus downtown and checked out The Great Northern Ice Bar. It was a very poorly announced event downtown that we heard about the day before. It was part of a greater Great Northern festival that was taking place. The bar was 150 feet long, and they had guest bartenders from some of the top restaurants serving up fancy cocktails.

We're glad we were able to see it before it melted the next day. We stood around one of the fireplaces and chatted with two other couples for an hour.

It wasn't that cold out, but we got chilled and needed a bite to eat. We ducked into the warm Four Seasons hotel and had a fantastic lunch.

 

Ice Veins

We had a couple weeks of 40-50° that melted the top of the ice and made it foggy. We had a light snow that mixed in with the slush and then froze into milky ribbons on top of the clear black ice.

One thing is certain about ice on the lake: it's never the same.

 

Art Shanty Project 2024

With the ice at 16" thick, the Art Shanty project happened on the lake. It's good to see the world back to normal. There were 20+ art shanties and several thousand people.

The dogs (and little kids) weren't so sure about the polar bear.

We walked over with DK and had a fun time on the ice. None of us brought crampons, so we were slipping and sliding on the bare ice.

We had temps in the 50s the following week, and weekend #2 was canceled. 

 

Cold Weather Bass

With (1) all the instruments put away safe in their cases for winter, and (2) one hundred red-hot dollars burning a hole in my pocket, I couldn't help myself when this popped onto Guitar Center's used equipment list. It sounds great and is keeping the music going thru the low-humidity season. 

JP thinks the white-on-white is ugly. I like it.

 

Guaranteed Cold Weather

Even though our winter has shattered records for warmth, we can always count on one thing: When the G's come to town in January, it's going to be ten below the whole time they are here.

 

New Taco Joint

The new taco restaurant on the corner is taking shape. The new sign went up yesterday. They have been remodeling for the last 6 weeks and it looks like there's still a lot of work to do. Maybe they''re waiting for a good cold snap; it's too warm right now.

In other neighborhood news, there's a rumor that the corner across the street (the one with the deli) is going to be demolished and replaced with a 50 unit apartment complex. 

 

Winter Warmth

We've been above freezing for the past week. All the snow is gone, ice festivals have been canceled, and everyone is wishing for winter to return,

We took advantage of a 40° evening and fired up the firepit.

 

Dinner and a Show

For JP's b-day, we went out with the Ks for dinner at the neighborhood supper club and then a sold out show.

 

Ice

The dog has been chomping at the bit to go out on the lake. He likes to run free. 

The first place we went out, the ice was snow covered and you couldn't get a feel for its thickness. The sun was still rising and the ice was cracking and making all osrts of noises, so we got off. Later we went out on some clear ice and could see that it's a solid foot thick now. 

In addition to the lake, the city's 45 outdoor ice rinks opened this week. Time to get out the skates.

 

Ice - Finally!

After months of warmth, winter finally arrived on Jan. 12th. The wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and we've had sub-zero temps since. The lake froze over, and within a week, we had 8" of ice.

 

Ice Walks

My new obsession is checking to see if the lake has frozen over. I pass by on my walk home.

...and the 10 PM dog walk...

...and the 7 AM dog walk. 

January 6th, and the lake is still 90% open water. 

 

Como Park

We loaded up the kids and hit Como Park for a bit of exploring. The zoo brought back memories of dragging the boys through the Milwaukee Zoo 20 years ago. It was nice being able to walk around without a stroller or wagon.

The poinsiettas are still out in the conservatory.