Average annual snowfall here on Huron Bay in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is about 100″. This year? I can’t find the total-to-date, but it can’t be more than 20. When it does show up, it’s not much and doesn’t last. Snowmobiles are grounded. Skiis and snowshoes sit unused. The ice on the bay comes and goes. Dirt roads turn into mud that grabs your tires. Winter tourists are absent and the economy suffers. I “suffer,” too, since snow is one reason I come here in winter. But I’m also grateful that it’s easy to continue the building process.
I do wonder how this interruption of nature’s cycle will affect the flora and fauna. And I wonder if spring will finally bring a big snow. (We’ve been known to get snow in May and even June up here.)
We did get a windstorm a few nights ago, which took down trees and triggered a long power outage. In another year, it would have caused a blizzard. This year, just a noisy and sleepless night wondering if a tree will fall on the roof.
The story in photos and captions below…
This morning, a lone piece of ice remained on our shoreline after….
…this wicked windstorm two nights ago. Winds gusted to about 50mph (maybe more) from the SE, turning Huron Bay into a froth of whitecaps.
How do I guess 50mph? Because the windsock at the end of the dock sticks out straight at 40mph, and it actually went up….even higher than this.
Some kind of bird I didn’t recognize battled the winds to alight on a tiny ice floe…sort of surfing on it, it seemed…undoubtedly searching for fish in the unexpected open water. We lost power for about nine hours (not a big hardship for us since we’re used to doing without), and the morning after the windstorm….
…this, at daybreak. The wind had pushed the remaining ice onto our shore.
As temperatures soared again into the 50s, the road to Jeff’s camp (where we are both living this winter) turned into a muddy, rutted mess. Did you know it’s possible to get stuck in mud? It is. (Jeff did. In his heavy-duty truck.) So I found this hard-packed spot, parked my car there, and walked in.
My skiis sit unused at Jeff’s camp (not looking so muddy in this picture). I’m grateful I got out at least once this winter!
Work continues on the house. This week, the flush-mounted porch lights were wired – all eight of them. Lighting up the porch this way was Jeff’s idea. See the reflection in the patio door? That’s what I most want to see. It’s all about nature, not lights, for me. But I realize lights will become more important as I age.
We are also installing interior “stuff,” like a bathroom vanity…which means burning the big cardboard boxes that all this stuff comes in. The detritus of home-building!
Another consequence of all this interior work, before all electricity is wired and lighting fixtures installed, is a jumble of cords on the floor. We hook them together as needed to get light where it’s needed. In this case, the sander got tangled in them. Jeff wouldn’t like my showing the messy part of “DIY,” but I don’t believe in showing only the beautiful parts. Life gets messy!
I took this video this morning, as the last of the ice collided with a rock near the shore. The water is moving fast because of the seiche that occurs frequently in Huron Bay. (A seiche is a standing wave in an enclosed body of water. To read more, click here.)Post update, March 6: Ice floes have returned. The seiche sends them back and forth. I wonder how far these ones have traveled?Update #2: The trumpeter swans have returned to my shore also due to the open water. The largest sea bird in North America! In seven years, I don’t recall ever seeing them so close.
Loved the narrative and pics, Mary! Was out bike riding on trails in Hancock today (Tuesday), since skiing was mostly out of the question. Some skiable patches but pretty sparse.
I skied about 10-14 times this year- normal winters finds me skiing 3-7x per week! Oh well, serenity prayer right?
Well you got it more skiing than me! Thanks for commenting. (I found a few typos in my post and have fixed them. This happens quite a lot, since I’m usually blogging at night after a long day. Thanks for indulging them!)
For Many Moons 
We love your letters! John & Rachel. Loopers.
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Loved the narrative and pics, Mary! Was out bike riding on trails in Hancock today (Tuesday), since skiing was mostly out of the question. Some skiable patches but pretty sparse.
I skied about 10-14 times this year- normal winters finds me skiing 3-7x per week! Oh well, serenity prayer right?
Take care, Steve
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Well you got it more skiing than me! Thanks for commenting. (I found a few typos in my post and have fixed them. This happens quite a lot, since I’m usually blogging at night after a long day. Thanks for indulging them!)
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