Ice Out!

It's official... all the ice is off Troutfly Lake.

When we first arrived the ice was still covering most of the lake.

Every day there has been less and less ice.  The kids have taken out canoes and paddled around between the sheets to see if they could get to open water.  Yesterday evening Johnnie took the motor boat out to see how the lake looked.

Then last night the wind kicked up and we could watch the wind pushing all the ice right into our little bay.  The ice kept coming and coming until this is how it looked this morning, like blue slush.

All day the wind has blown and blown.  Mid-afternoon most of the ice was gone except close to our shoreline.

About 4:00 I took this video.  You can hear how strong the wind is.  I was hoping you could also hear the ice.  It sounds like ice tinkling in a glass.

And now it's all gone... no more ice on Troutfly Lake.  It's been amazing to watch.  Another thing I noticed yesterday was that they mark something here that we never do in Tennessee.  Yesterday was the first day we had rain (Becky said this, but Johnnie thinks there might have been a little rain a few days ago).  All the precipitation before yesterday had been frozen.

So, of course, Phil went fishing today.  Let the good times roll!