Everybody's Rink

The day closed out at the rink with Hannah, skating under the sunset, with the whole rink all to herself.  By now, the rink is figure-skateworthy. Or at least most of it is!

It is a very special thing to skate outdoors, on a lake, in a Canadian winter. It's where the magic truly happens.

The other end of the day started off early -- despite it being New Years! There was a passel (a riot? a chattering? a comotion? what IS the collective noun for a group of young boys?) of young skaters out there before I'd had my coffee! They wore their skates down the snow packed driveway, no pausing to tie their own skates at the dock!

By noon, the rink had been given over to the "big kids" in what looked a bit like a generational challenge.

Brian and Dave appeared on the scene, looking very "Woodsman Spare that Tree" in their working attire, big axe over one shoulder. Their mission? Check the ice farther out.

In a word, just don't go there.  We know the main channel of Lake of Bays is still wide open, amenable to waterskiing.  The BMD were more concerned with Bondi Bay.  There is about five inches of good ice out to our iced in raft... but in the middle of the bay there is only about three inches.  And there is some slush to top it off. So best to stick to the cleared rink and the shoreline.