[JayR]

Memories...in December of '79 or '80 my uncle put an Everest sled through thin ice into the lake in about 8 feet of water near shore. I remember trying to help all the older cousins and men the next spring, pulling on this long rope (I was about 6!) as we dutifully removed the snowmobile and hauled it to the cottage where it would eventually be restored one piece at a time over a period of years...

Those were the days when something like this could happen without legal consequences, of course. 45 years must be beyond the statute of limitations, yes? In case some of the readers here might know this story...!

But also, those were the years I remember spending New Year's Eve at the lake every year. The years where there was no ice yet were the exception. When those exceptions happened, the older folks would be shocked because THEIR memories were that it was just about always frozen by New Year's Day!

So yeah, we are in a warmer little period here. I have no intention of debating why. This post is about me and my memories, not the climate! In fact, all I really want is to come up to the lake and have no responsibilities, like when I was a kid playing with his cousins and the parents and older kids took care of everything else. I wanna go back!!!

Happy New Year everyone. Oh, and about this thread, I am guessing we get an ice-in in about three weeks. Cheers!