Ice out, docks in!

What a lovely weekend at the Lake!  Days are noticeably longer and the sun is setting in the west rather than the southwest of winter days.  The ice went out on Wednesday, April 8th this year.  We arrived Friday in time for a sunset photo in a perfectly clear sky.

A sunny Saturday was just right for putting in the docks, and by sunset we were relaxing by a small campfire without a mosquito in sight.  We barely needed a light jacket.

Sunday there was a strong breeze that brought very warm temperatures.  Our thermometer registered 75 degrees!  Then, around 4:15 pm a thunderstorm rolled through and lasted about 20 minutes.  There was even some small pea-sized hail as if to say Winter was not going out without a fight!  The rain was welcome, as conditions are so very dry right now.

We saw so much wildlife this weekend!  Just after the thunderstorm rolled through on Sunday a flock of nearly 100 pelicans circled the lake and the pot-holes for a while.  Chickadees, Robins, Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, a pair of Wood Ducks, Swans on Mille Lacs, Turkey Vultures and Eagles were only some of the birds that could be seen this past weekend.   The earliest wildflowers are starting to poke their leaves out of the cool soil.  Soon the Hummingbirds and Orioles will return and spring will burst forth once again.