2010 Going into History ....

Greetings Everyone -
Yesterday was a day of play - while I cross countryed skied, Erine drove the snowmachine out on the lake and around. We finally got the snowmachine up and running - thnaks to our neighbor who came over the evening before to help us out.

The day before New Year's Eve --
Ernie driving the snowmachie out on the lake.  He had fun 'opening' it up and zooming around on the snowmachine trail.  Later, he took me for a ride around the island - out on the frozen lake close to the shoreline..

Ernie hauling water in the snowmachine trailer before the days end. Then, later that evening, the temperatures rose, rain fell and the wind blew.  The wind gusted so strong that it snapped the fin off our windmill - sending it sailing to land by our outdoor fire pit.  The windmill continued to spin without the fin giving us much needed amps but not good for the windmill.  We couldn't secure the blade until the next day. Now we'll need to have a new fin construced before the windmill can be fully operational. 

New Year's Eve - looking south from our cabin.
With the change in weather - the strong winds blew the snow off the lake and rain gave the lake a new look.

The snowmachine trail across the ice - New Year's Eve - looking towards the lower landing.

New Year's Eve --
Our neighbor hauling supplies across the frozen lake to his cabin site.

Standing water on the snowmachine trail - looking southeast.

We wish each of you a Happy New Year with new adventures, good memories and much joy!

New Waterhole...

Greetings Everyone ..

At last we had to move our waterhole - my old waterhole finally froze solid - from top to bottom. 

Afternoon sun and my last day using my waterhole behind the boat.

Site for the new waterhole
 - approximately 30 feet from shore - just past the 'rock barrier' - I couldn't resist turning the adventure into an art project.


.

Ernie using the ice auger to drill through the ice.
 A friend suggested we place a piece of Styrofoam on top of our waterhole -
after we drill - to help reduce refreezing.
.

We 'hit' water after going through eight and a half inches of ice.

 Ernie then measured how deep our new waterhole is - its about six feet deep.



Yesterday, after we drilled for water and were hauling water up to the cabin - a plane with skis buzzed  us. We don't know who the pilot was or who's plane but, it was cool just the same. 

We had a question from a blog reader:  Can you drive a vehicle on the ice and are we ice fishing? Answer:  We don't drive on the ice - we use a snow machine.  We've not tried ice fishing yet - but we understand that folks do. 


Take Care ---

A Visitor!!

Greetings Everyone!

Today we were surprised to receive our first visitor by snow machine this morning.  He came across from the lower landing - testing ice thickness along the way.

Our First Visitor - since November!

Our visitor departing

There is snow on top of the ice

With the arrival of our first visitor, this means that we can now venture off the island to the mainland - for supplies and to retrieve our mail.

What Excitment!

HAPPY HOLIDAY'S EVERYONE!!!

&

 Happy Holiday's to our children, farmily and friends!  

 We wish each of you Joy, Happiness and Love.

Quiet December Days

Greetings Everyone!

Life is quiet - no winds on our side of the island.  Temperatures have been holding at zero.  With the latest snowfall - we've been out cross country skiing along the lake shore and out in front of the cabin.  No signs of animals or birds - just us.  When we ski along the shore on the other side of the island, we need to cover our faces due to the chilly north winds - so we generally keep moving and don't see much.

Me (Deb) enjoying cross country skiing 

Next we are planning to get our snowshoes out and trek across the island.  Ernie also is beginning to work with the snow machine so that it will be ready to cross the ice later in January.  Plus, neither of us has much if any experience running one - so some practice is in order.

 We did take time to look for a Christmas tree.  After much debate we selected a tree and brought it back to thaw out.  While the tree thawed out, we made pizza from scratch - dough and all.  It was fun and we ate the whole thing.

Selecting our Christmas Tree

 Now our tree is up - minus tree lights - because the light would 'over power' the tree.  We did however, string some lights around the picture window.

Ready for Christmas!

  When we were almost finished decorating our Christmas tree, we realized that we did not have a 'topper' .  Ernie came up with the idea to make a star out of a paper plate and tied it to the top of the tree with a ribbon.  Perfect.

Now we prepare for Christmas Eve.  Ernie will be making his traditional family rum cake and I will make sweet rolls.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

A Busy Day ..

Hello Everyone!

We had a busy day yesterday - just playing and relaxing.  Our day was greeted by a snowfall of 3 to 4 inches - so we got out and played.  Meaning, we took a walk around the island and ventured out onto the ice a few feet from shore.  It was amazing to go around the island where only our boat had been during the summer.  Although fun, we were careful on the ice.  It appears as though ice is still forming and spreading east - from Watson Cove over to the Kenai River.  We can see ice that was not covered by snow - so we assume its not frozen.  

Our tracks out on the ice - near the shore - southwest corner of the island - looking southeast. 

Ernie at 10:pm -- relaxing as we watch the lunar eclipse.

The lunar eclipse begins!
 I read that the last lunar eclipse - which took place at winter solstice was in 1638.  The next lunar eclipse that will take place on a winter solstice is 2090.

The full lunar eclipse -  took 72 minutes of watching.
 It was 2 below zero with a clear, calm night. 

Ernie bundled up for the lunar event.

Watching the lunar event was the highlight of our day and a perfect way to relax after our sauna.

Take Care!

Strange New Worlds...

Hello One & All!!

This morning, at sunrise, we were greeted by the most unusual cloud formation.  We are expecting snow later this evening - so the cloud formation may be related to the approaching storm.  

A VERY amazing sunrise at the cabin this morning!!

Fog coming off the  lake facing southeast - indicating there is an open lead.

A different 'shot'  to capture the fog out on the ice.

We've had a number of questions from our blog readers.  So we will answer their questions today.

Suggestion: Maybe your windmill blades are frozen and that's why you are not getting more energy into your battery bank.  Response:  We doubt there is ice on the windmill blades.  There has been no wind on our side of the island for the past few weeks - just a gentle breeze or two.  It takes approximately an eight miles per hour wind for the windmill blades to turn -- we've just not had a strong enough wind to turn the blades.

You've not mentioned the moose.  Where is the moose?  Answer:  The moose seems to like hanging out on the other side of the island.  We've not seen her in about a week.  We will be taking a walk tomorrow across the island, so we may see her.

How thick does the ice need to be for a snow machine to cross?  In researching ice lake - we researched what individuals look for when ice fishing as well as snow machining on ice.  We found a great deal of useful information pertaining to the Great Lakes and winter sports ice activities.  A chart was provided  as a suggested  indicators for ice.  With that in mind, a snow machine should have at least six inches and that depends upon the snow machines' weight, number of people on the snow machine and any additional weight - like supplies.  So the more weight, the thicker the ice needs to be to hold a snow machine.  We also got good information from our friends who have cross the lake during winter months. However, we do not offer any guarantees on what ice thickness is best.

How do you measure the middle of the lake? Answer:  Measuring the ice is new to us and we are using what we've learned from friends - experienced in crossing lake ice - and the research we did pertaining to ice on the Great Lakes.  Generally, measuring the ice is done little by little on a route to be taken.  Knowing how to 'read' the ice is extremely important - including, knowing what areas of the lake are considered to be 'bad ice areas', the weather conditions, winds and so forth.  Again, we are not experts and would not offer any technique or method.  . 

Do you have any trouble with your wood stove doing a "back draft"?  Answer:  So far we've not experienced any problems related to a "back draft".  Ernie checked with building codes before he put our chimney up and learned that a chimney stack should be at least two feet above the ridge of the roof.  Right angle chimney's may contribute and/or cause a "back draft".

Folks - remember there is a lunar eclipse Monday night!!  We plan to go out and view it. Take care!

Day of Chores ...

Greetings Everyone!!

The temperatures have finally dropped below zero!  This morning our thermometer read -6 degrees. The lake continues to silently freeze and make sounds - must be growing pains.  When I went down to my waterhole, I had to break through the ice - then, the lake began to moan, groan and crack.  I had to laugh, because the lake seemed to object to my chopping into it's ice so that I could get water.  I did notice when I got water today that the lake water level is dropping - which means my waterhole will need to be moved further out onto the lake.

Today, we also notice the lake was covered with interesting ice crystals that stretched across the lake.

The frozen lake with ice crystals - looking southeast towards the Kenai River

A close-up of the unique ice crystals on the lake - we named them "Ice Feathers"

"Ice Feathers"

 Because this was a day of chores, Ernie captured me hauling wood to be used in the sauna.  Also, since the temperatures are cold now - I'm washing 'necessary' clothes by hand - using a scrub board - and no longer using the washing machine ( I don't want to deal with frozen pipes).  I actually enjoyed doing the washing - albeit a small amount.  I had to draw upon my childhood memories as to how to do the wash - which made me think of my mother and how she did wash by hand.  It's actually an interesting process - heating the water in a large pail, adding laundry soap (bio degradable), boiling the clothes to the desired temperature then, using a wooden dowel to stir the items around, then, scrubbing each one on a scrub board etc. etc.

Hauling wood from our 'scrap pile'  so that Ernie could chop up the large pieces.  

Ernie chopping wood for the stove and .....

Ernie enjoying the fruits of his labor.  Since the temperatures have dropped, we started to use our wood stove to also heat the cabin.  Some of you may recall that we store our food supply up in our attic - and its cool up there - but I don't want our food supply to freeze - so now, we lower the attic stairs to allow heat to go up into the attic to maintain a temperature of at least 50 degrees.

 We've had a couple of questions from blog followers:

How are your sprouts doing? Answer:  So far they are doing well.  I have a new batch coming in now - and they are very green.  We are looking forward to eating them!!

Do you eat a lot of canned foods?  Answer:  Not really.  Before undertaking this adventure, I did a lot of research on the length of time foods can be stored and how to store them safely.  Then, I put together recipes - and created a food inventory/shopping list.  Most of the foods I have planned for require making recipes from scratch.  Some foods are 'canned' - like dehydrated/powdered eggs.  Planning for meals has taken quite a bit of pre-planning.  Before we moved to the cabin, I took an informal survey on what we liked to eat, how often we ate that item and what the ingredients are required - then, I asked myself - "Could those ingredients be stored at the cabin?"  

I also kept track of how long it took for us to consume something.  For example, how long does it take us to consume a 5 lb bag of coffee beans?  Then, I needed to figure out if we could even use coffee beans or should we use a 5 lb can of coffee instead?  I also researched substitutes - for example, Ernie likes liquid coffee creamer - how could he continue to have coffee creamer at the cabin?  I found a substitute recipe for coffee creamer - online - and began to use it before we came to the cabin so that Ernie would be used to the coffee creamer from scratch.  I had to create back-up plans for items that we could run out of  - for example, if we ran out of brown sugar, what could I use?  In planning meals - in advance - we purchased foods with meats in mind - we have chicken, beef, pork and fish  - some is frozen and some are foods that I pressured canned in advance.  I have stocked a lot of frozen veggies - and yes, even canned veggies and plus canned fruits. I estimated that we would need a seven month food supply - this maybe gracious - but, I figure its safe in case we are not able to leave the island until May.  So far we are doing well with our meals. I tried to be varied so that we don't become bored with the same old, same old foods. Each meal includes a desert of some sort - cookies, jello, cake etc.

How old are two as you undertake this adventure?  Answer:  Ernie is 64 and I'm 60

Take Care Everyone!!

Clear and Cold...

Greetings Everyone!

Yesterday we explored the lake shore for fun.  The ice is forming rapidly across the lake since we have had no winds and the temperatures are continuing to stay at 10 degrees F. -- we expect the temperatures to go below zero soon.

Ernie's pine and groove project is finished in the living room area.  I'm looking forward to putting the room back in order for Christmas. In the next day or two  Ernie will put up pine and groove paneling in the bedroom.

My shrinking waterhole which Ernie tells me is a small duck pond.  With the ice becoming thicker, there is no doubt that I will need to go much, much smaller.  When I do, I will have a very small hole that a two inch hose can fit into.  In the meantime, I'm having fun playing at 'my duck pond.'
 Speaking of ducks, we no longer see waterfowl near our cabin but, have seen small flocks way, way out on the open waters.  

Ernie checking the ice thickness with his portable drill and eighteen inch bit.   The ice is three inches thick where he drilled.  As you can see, the lake is turning into one big sheet of clear glass.  No snow on the ice which, make the ice very slippery.

Another test for ice thickness.  This spot is three inches as well.  Since we are new at being on the ice, we did not venture further out from shore to check thickness.  We need more ice thickness to support our weight.  As I mentioned, the ice is very slippery.  I was using ice crampons and they are okay for small slick spots.  Ernie said that when the ice is thicker and if there is no snow on top, we may just need to bring out our 'glacier crampons' to walk on the smooth, slick ice -- those crampons are 'serious' looking things with triangle blades.  

Me - making rye bread.  I generally make bread in the late afternoon so that when the bread is ready to go into the oven, it will be late in the day -- and the oven heat will add to the cabin's warmth.  Also, the smell of baking bread filling the cabin is a cozy feeling as we settle in for the evening. 

After exploring the lake shore yesterday, we finished our day with a late evening walk - around 10:00 pm.  The weather forecast tipped us off to 'Auroral Activity'  being visible in our area.  So off we went to see the Northern Lights.   With the moon at 80% illumination, we could only see a bit of red and yellow streaks.  It was fun anyway -- to be out under the night sky.  With the moon being almost full, we could see the lake from a different perspective.
We were also treated to the sounds of the lake - they were awesome - some sounds sounded like vibrating saw blades and whip snapping.  We spent a good half an hour just listening to the lake making sounds.  

Take Care Everyone and Happy Holidays!

A Most Interesting Day ...

Hello Everyone!

Today we walked around the island and enjoyed a clear cold day.  We are finding it interesting that the North winds have been blowing and blowing at the other side of the island - creating interesting snow drifts and ice formations along the shore. Yet, we are not experiencing any winds at our cabin site - bummer - since we need wind for our battery bank.  Oh well.

One of the eagles taking flight from the tall Cotton Wood tree at the cabin -  must have seen a rabbit going for water.

When sunrise took place today, we were surprised to see the sun rays glistening off  a sheen of ice stretching from our cabin to the mainland!!  

The mystery tracks again -  as suggested by one of our blog readers - the tracks could be those of a fox. These tracks are meandering along the shore on the snow covered ice.  Swan Cove is to the right.

Sheets of ice along the South shore heading west - the winds have been blowing through this area for the past few days -but we've not had any winds at the cabin.

Open waters still remain on the lake - this photo faces towards the upper Kenai.  We are standing about 200 yards from the tree line on rocks.  

An interesting block of ice along the beach.  

Lake ice between Frying Pan and Round Island - but  not yet across to the mainland on the North shore.  Both the Upper Landing and Lower Landing appear to be ice free.

This evenings sunset from our cabin.

Take Care!

Beautiful and Busy Day ...

Hello Everyone!

Today started out cold, 6 degrees F at 7:00 AM with fog and no winds. Then, it warmed up to 25 degrees F. Although the lake is slowly freezing in front of our cabin, we still have waterfowl taking advantage of the open waters.  Today, we noticed some new ducks swimming and diving to catch a meal.

We identified them to be -- Common Golden Eye's 

Our sunrise over the mountains at 11:05 AM.  One of my ski trail runs to the left of the wind tower and meanders down the beach. 

Sunrise getting under way.  As you can see our boat is tucked away for the winter.  I keep a water hole open behind the boat so that I can haul water.  Today, I broke ice to keep the hole open.  I'm sure it is a loosing battle to keep the ice from forming but, I'm having fun breaking up the forming ice and playing in the water.  I've also noticed that my water hole is visited by numerous rabbits.  The boat offers them some shelter from overhead predators.  Thirsty rabbits need to hop from the tree edge on shore and cross the open rock beach to get to the water for a drink.  I call the open space between the trees, beach and water 'the death zone' because eagles are waiting to swoop down from the tall Cotton Wood Trees to catch a rabbit. 

Ernie working -- measuring and cutting pine planking for the cabin's living room.

Old ice chunks on top of new ice hidden beneath the snow.  This photo is in front of the 'hundred foot easement'  - the ice extends to the mainland on the other side of the lake. The ice further out is not thick enough to hold human weight yet.

Ernie's pine plank project is well underway - as he watches the Sunday football game.

 

Mystery animal tracks - on my walk today I came across these tracks.   They  were not like the rabbit  tracks that we've seen - these tracks are just two by two - no hopping belly marks or the traditional rabbit track pattern.  The print is about 2 to 3 inches from top to bottom and are paired with a spaced every 7 to 8 inches apart between track sets.  The tracks lead out of the tree line, down the beach and meandered back into the trees - anyone have any idea?  We are making a wild guess that MAYBE its a coyote track - possibly 'they' have come to the island since the lake is frozen between the hundred foot easement and the mainland.  Anyway, until we know for sure what animal made these track - I will be cautious during my outdoor walks.

A question came in from one of the Followers:  Why do you mention the wind in some of your blogs?  Answer:  Well, we need the wind to store energy in our battery bank.  We live off the grid and depend upon the wind and sun to store electricity in our battery banks.  We also use a backup generator as necessary - when we have no sun or wind. 

Something that we've noticed during our stay through 'freeze-up' -are the winds or lack of.  In the summer we get winds from the Southeast and they blow every 3 to 4 days - at various miles per hour - from variable winds to gale force.  Now, during the winter, the winds come from the North and by pass our side of the island.  Recently the North Winds have been blowing from the North West or North East - when I walk to the other side of the island - I get blasted by the winds then, when I round the corner - so to speak - to our side of the island - the winds are no longer blowing.  I'm sure these winter wind patterns are common - and as we go into the new year and closer to Spring Solstice - the wind patterns will change.  We'll see.

Take care Everyone and thanks for checking-in!