Yes, Virginia, there IS a January thaw. It is traditional. We just aren't big fans.The up-side is that the temperature is very mild. It causes the lakes to water up, which will get rid of the slush that is preventing the ice from freezing firmly (we are not fans of slush, even less than we are fans of thaw in January). When it freezes again -- and it will -- we will have brilliant skating conditions on the bay. A small fall of snow will open up the ski trails again.
The down-side is that is pretty wet out there, skiing conditions are not good.Never mind -- in the immortal words of Captain Jack Sparrow, "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude to the problem".
Our guests had it beat -- they have been staying with us for their Family New Year for 32 years. They have never, in all that time, had bad weather or rainy conditions, and they did not intend to let a little damp put out the fun.
So what do you do with sticky snow? You make snowmen. You build huge forts. You make tons of snowballs, and you get down to it!
They gave the toboggan hill a workout in the morning, and come afternoon they got 'stuck in' with the snowball fun.
The place rang with the sound of laughter -- and that brightens ANY day!
We had a thaw here in the Ottawa Valley. Didn't put that much of a dent in the snowpack, since we've had quite a bit, but it did clear up the sidewalks and a good deal of snow off rooftops.
ReplyDeleteExcellent shots!